Notice how casual and almost indifferent Nephi was in referring to this fantastic journey. Of course, he mentions that the mutiny of Laman and Lemuel caused the Lord to send a hurricane and drive their boat backwards for four days, but after Nephi was released and allowed to get the ship back on the course indicated by the Liahona, the trip seems to have proceeded without incident.
But even so, there was nothing casual about this adventure. This was one of the greatest expeditions in human history. Since Lehi somehow had to transport his colony to this promise land it could required upwards of 15,000 miles of ocean navigation. Nephi says this journey took them “many days,” but if our Heavenly Father had surprised Lehi with a jumbo jet and the necessary support services, Lehi could have placed the entire colony in comfortable seats and arrived in the promised land in about 10 hours. But a jumbo jet would have to come some 2,500 years later. The Lord had to give Nephi a whole series of revelation to show him how to build a boat that would make this extensive journey.
Although the exact route of the Lehi voyage is not given, an examination of the available options leads to at least one practical possibility that we might consider. A friend of the author, Joe Ferguson who is an airline captain, estimated that if Lehi’s colony traveled southward through the Arabian sea until they picked up the West Wind Drift, which is a current flowing east that passes just below Australia and New Zealand, they would eventually reach the tip of South America. There the current divides. A major part of it flows up along the west side of South America to a point where the early leaders of the Church felt that Lehi and his colony made their first landing.
It is estimated that on such a voyage they would have to cruise about 14,904 statute miles and if the vessel made an average speed of 5 knots per hour it would require 108 days for them to reach the promised land.
The principal advantage of this route is that it would not encounter any continental land mass and practically no islands. In fact, it could be a rather tedious trip. This seems to be the feelings of Nephi when he dismisses the entire achievement with a single verse of scripture.
When Ferdinand Magellan crossed just the Pacific Ocean segment of this journey in 1521 A.D.we read that he sailed over 98 days without seeing any land except two uninhabited islands. He said the food gave out and their water supply became contaminated. They ate rats, ox hides, and sawdust to keep from starving. Most of the crew suffered from scurvy, a disease caused by lack of fresh fruit and vegetables. Nineteen died before they reached the island of Guam.
Of course the Lord told Nephi how to prepare for the journey to the promised land which was much longer trip. It will be recalled that Nephi wrote: “We had prepared all things, much fruit and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us.” Undoubtedly the provisions included several tons of fresh water, appropriately preserved in sealed vessels and packed securely in the hull where, with all of the other provisions, it would serve as a ballast to steady the craft as it moved safely on its way.
Finally Nephi comes to the grande finale of the whole expedition when he says:
“And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land.”