# Community Participation > Mapping Challenge Suggestions >  Map a voyage by water

## Mouse

I have seen a great many maps with beautiful oceans, lakes and rivers depicted in so many different styles and colours, but not very many where the water is the dominant feature of importance.  The idea I have has two options:

*IDEA A*

Map a voyage by sea, lake or river, taken by a vessel of unspecified design (chose your own) with the option of mapping both or either the layout of the vessel and/or the ports where landing is made...

*IDEA B*

Map a water bound voyage between at least two ports, choosing the variables as follows using the traditional random generator (a pair of dice):

Dice 1: vessel

1 = coracle / canoe / raft / rowboat... or other very small one or two man vessel.
2 = fishing boat / dredging vessel / tug... or other type of commercial 'working' vessel.  
3 = gunship / battleship / aircraft carrier... or other type of naval vessel
4 = submarine / amphibious land vehicle
5 = pleasure boat / cruiser / ocean liner (larger recreational / leisure craft)
6 = sailing vessel (any kind)

Dice 2: water body

1 = River
2 = Inland sea
3 = Ocean
4 = Canal
5 = Flooded area
6 = Reservoir

Please vote  :Smile: 

When you vote...

The first option is for IDEA A

The second option is for IDEA B, 

The third option 'I am not interested in this idea' is to express your concern that having either A or B as a challenge would have a negative effect on the challenge system by failing to attract enough entrants that month.

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## Meshon

I really like this idea. I did it once for a challenge, and the concept of demonstrating travel in a map, like the actual movement from one place to another, was a fun problem to wrestle with; there are lots of ways to approach it so I think this suggestion could bear some beautiful fruit!

cheers,
Meshon

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## Mouse

Oh dear!  Maybe that wasn't very original of me!  LOL!

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## johnvanvliet

the current is a dangerous area 

and the ocean is dangerous

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## Meshon

> Oh dear!  Maybe that wasn't very original of me!  LOL!


Sorry, definitely didn't mean to imply that it wasn't an original idea, merely to share my experience that it is a really interesting idea, and good for maps!

cheers,
Meshon

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## Mouse

> Sorry, definitely didn't mean to imply that it wasn't an original idea, merely to share my experience that it is a really interesting idea, and good for maps!
> 
> cheers,
> Meshon


Oh no!  I wasn't taking it the wrong way.  I thought someone must already have suggested it, because you seem to have already drawn a map for a very similar Challenge.  That was all  :Wink: 

No worries  :Smile:

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## Meshon

> Oh no!  I wasn't taking it the wrong way.  I thought someone must already have suggested it, because you seem to have already drawn a map for a very similar Challenge.  That was all 
> 
> No worries


I think the challenge that I drew the Mengkong River for was just "Map a River" but I really really like your idea of mapping a journey by water. How do I vote for this, by the way?

cheers,
Meshon

Edit: "Well Meshon, you look at the top of the screen and there's a poll there!"

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## Mouse

I thought for a minute I'd forgotten to put the poll in there!  ROFL!

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## damonjynx

It appears for the nonce that out of four voters I'm the chaotic one! give me a random challenge any day - no comfort zones here thanks! :Wink:

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## Diamond

I like the idea, and I like version B.  I wonder how you'd actually represent what type of vessel you'd rolled, though.  I guess that'd be part of the challenge!

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## Mouse

There is still a surprising amount of leeway, even with version B.  How do you depict the vessel?  As an "X marks the spot" type of blob, or an actual drawing of the vessel itself, and then how do you represent the way the vessel travels?  Would there be several images of the vessel - maybe in different states after various encounters and/or disasters.  

And then there are other variables not controlled by the dice, but left to the entrants to work out for themselves:

What would the voyage be about - a rescue, an exploration, or something else?How would the detail of the water be depicted - maybe there would be tremendous and beautiful renderings of the ocean surface, or maybe the water would be sparkling clear, so that the whole of the sea bed would be visible in its distorted refracted state.What kind of dangers would there be on the way?  Ghost ships, Kraken, pirates, other kinds of monsters... storms, whirlpools, terrifying reefs...

And I'm sure there are lots of other things that would only become apparent once the drawing was under way  :Wink:

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## Straf

I voted for option B as rolling the dice could produce some really fantastic scenarios.

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## Mouse

Vote any way you want, Straf  :Very Happy: 

Glad you like the idea  :Wink:

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## Quenten

I Like version A. Odysseus' voyages come to mind.

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## Mouse

Vote away, qwalker!  The more the merrier!

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## Mouse

This is a general note to voters:

The third vote entitled "I am not interested in this idea" is for people to express the fact that they think the idea would just kill the challenge and be no fun at all - either to watch or take part in.

I will edit the first comment to express that fact more clearly  :Wink:

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## Tenia

Hello all, as I have in mind to do a Portulan map (may be too ambitious) I'd vote to option A

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## ThomasR

My two cents as I won't be able to participate but love the idea :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha...ds_stick_chart
http://thenonist.com/index.php/theno.../stick_charts/

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## Mouse

Those links are fascinating.  Thanks thomrey  :Smile:

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## Straf

> My two cents as I won't be able to participate but love the idea :
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha...ds_stick_chart
> http://thenonist.com/index.php/theno.../stick_charts/


This is good stuff thomrey, thanks for sharing  :Smile:

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