Hey, Super Sleuths! For my next mystery, we're going
to travel back in history. Three ships — the Nina,
the Pinta, and the Santa Maria — are setting sail
from Spain on a mission to find the shortest route
to the West Indies. The year is 1492 and Columbus
is about to sail the ocean blue...
"NO! It can't be so!" shouted Captain Devious,
commander of the Nina. "I should be the admiral
of the Santa Maria. I should be the one to lead us
to the West Indies — not some pip-squeak Columbus!
Columbus — HA! He probably thinks the earth is round."
The captain's first mate, Sneaky Sam, argued, "He
is the greatest admiral of the seven seas, Captain.
The Queen Isabella herself has given him gold, supplies,
and ships."
"Ah, yes! But he might not be so great if SOMEONE
ELSE were to reach the West Indies before him,"
mused Captain Devious, rubbing his bearded chin. A
diabolical plot was hatching in his twisted mind.
"Sneaky, I have an idea: The Santa Maria is scheduled
to leave on August 3rd. Let's prepare the Nina for
voyage and set sail two days early. If we do, we will be the
first to claim the West Indies for Spain. We could
become rich and Queen Isabella will make us
heroes! What do you say, eh?" cajoled the sly
captain with a smile and wink.
"Oh, I get it. You want to CHEAT your way to the
West Indies by getting a head start!" cried Sneaky.
"Ssshhh! Do you want everyone to hear you? This
is NOT cheating — we are simply making a few departure
changes," replied Captain Devious.
Before sunrise the morning of August 1st, Captain Devious and Sneaky Sam
set sail on the Nina — two days ahead of schedule.
They had 4,300 km to travel from Spain to the San Salvador
island of the Bahamas, and were traveling at the pace
of 60 km a day.
No one but the twinkling stars knew of their treachery
until dawn when Columbus went to the dock
and saw the Nina missing. He called the crews of the
Santa Maria and the Pinta together.
"Men, we've been betrayed! Devious and his scurvy
mate, Sneaky, are trying to rob us of our rightful
claim to glory and fame. Are we going to let them
get away with this?" cried Columbus.
"NO!" replied the angry crew.
Columbus and his crew worked around the clock to prepare
the remaining ships. Bright and early on the summer
morning of August 3, 1942, Columbus set sail for the
West Indies on his flagship the Santa Maria. With
the wind in his face, Columbus pondered: "How
fast should we travel to land on San Salvador island
a day before Captain Devious?"
Solve the Mystery
Help Christopher Columbus get to the West Indies five days
BEFORE the evil Captain Devious and his nasty first mate,
Sneaky Sam?
Remember: The total distance from Spain to the San Salvador
island of the Bahamas is 4,300 km. Captain Devious
and his ship, the Nina, left two days earlier, traveling
at a rate of 60 kilometers per day towards San Salvador.
Columbus left on the Santa Maria two days later, going
to the same destination. How fast must Columbus travel
on the Santa Maria to reach San Salvador five days before
Captain Devious? Round your answer to the nearest
whole number.
