Rowers to recreate Jamestown recon voyage

BALTIMORE, May 12 (UPI) -- Twelve people will use a replica of John Smith's boat this summer for a 1,200-mile re-enactment of an expedition launched from Jamestown 400 years ago.

The voyage salutes the long mission Smith led to explore the Chesapeake Bay region after the Jamestown colony was established four centuries ago.

The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday the upcoming adventure would be considerably more high-tech than the original voyage, featuring a GPS transponder aboard the boat to mark their progress every 15 to 20 minutes and plot their position into a Google Earth interface on the Web site johnsmith400.org.

The boat travels only 2.3 miles per hour when rowed by strong arms; raising its sails doubles the speed. Just getting down the Potomac River from Washington and up the western shore of the bay to Annapolis will require at least seven hours of rowing each day for two weeks in the sweltering heat of summer.