race route rules

The rules for an attempt of a powerboat to circumnavigate the globe state that the boat has to pass through the Suez and Panama canals, so the fastest route for Earthrace lay near the equator for much of the journey.  There are two strategies for crossing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. For boats with shorter ranges (<2,500nm), they must go on the northern route, in which case an Easterly direction is favoured (based on average wind and current directions). For boats such as Earthrace with greater range, they can cross both oceans directly, and can effectively hug the equator for much of the voyage. This favours voyages heading west.

Much of the voyage involved Island hopping.  As an example, the Pacific crossing involved refuelling stops at Hawaii, Marshall islands and Koror.  The furtherest North they were on the voyage was the start / finish line in Sagunto, Spain, while the furtherest South they got was near Singapore.  Below is a map with the final Earthrace route. 

race route stops information

Azores      Puerto Rico      Panama      Mexico      San Diego      Hawaii      Marshall Islands     Palau

Singapore      India       Oman      Suez Canal