back from what seems eons ago from Tonga.
As you can see from the pictures above, The Talisker Bounty Boat Boys seem absolutley delighted! and so they should be, what a remarkable achievement, that after the first few day's no Bookie would even Quote odds of success! You will also notice how Slim the TBBB's are. I have been informed by Rachael Shaw PR Manager from the sponsors parent company Diageo, that Don has lost 18 kilo's (Nearly 40lbs or approaching-three Stones).
There is definatly a market for the Talisker Bounty Boat Diet! I don't know what the others have lost but we will all look forward to all their next blogs.
I would like to thank all those who have commented during this historic adventure and to those generous "Friends" Of the Sheffield Institute Foundation who have sent some much needed donations.
Please keep the Comments & Donation coming in, as we have a long way to go yet before we can find the Cure for the Big three generative Diseases. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Motor Neurone (ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) or La Maladie de Charcot, depending on where you are in the world; it all spells misery for the victims.
All been well Don will blog tomorrow! Providing he has finished his washing!
Cheers for now Stuart Keane
A very proud Patron Of the Sheffield Institute Foundation, and a privileged
skip to main | skip to sidebar Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"Safe arrival in Kupang"
Dear All,
Don has asked me to Blog for him today,They arrieved safe and sound at 3.P.M. Yeaterday!
Since arrival, it has been non stop media from all over the world, any spare seconds Don spent washing his clothes, the ones that he had worn the same ones all the way back from what seems eons ago from Tonga.
As you can see from the pictures above, The Talisker Bounty Boat Boys seem absolutley delighted! and so they should be, what a remarkable achievement, that after the first few day's no Bookie would even Quote odds of success! You will also notice how Slim the TBBB's are. I have been informed by Rachael Shaw PR Manager from the sponsors parent company Diageo, that Don has lost 18 kilo's (Nearly 40lbs or approaching-three Stones).
There is definatly a market for the Talisker Bounty Boat Diet! I don't know what the others have lost but we will all look forward to all their next blogs.
I would like to thank all those who have commented during this historic adventure and to those generous "Friends" Of the Sheffield Institute Foundation who have sent some much needed donations.
Please keep the Comments & Donation coming in, as we have a long way to go yet before we can find the Cure for the Big three generative Diseases. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Motor Neurone (ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) or La Maladie de Charcot, depending on where you are in the world; it all spells misery for the victims.
All been well Don will blog tomorrow! Providing he has finished his washing!
Cheers for now Stuart Keane
A very proud Patron Of the Sheffield Institute Foundation, and a privileged
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Talisker Bounty Voyage nearly over
Four men in an open boat have survived a perilous 3800-mile jouney from Tonga to Timor.
They are re-enacting Captain William Bligh's amazing journey in 1789, after Fletcher Christian had shanghaied a few of his men It was a triumph in navigationn that has never been equalled.
Here is the latest report from Don McIntyre, who can be contacted by emailing a member of his crew, Stuart Keane, at http://tinyurl.com/2ahwhvn
Here's the TBB's latest post: http://tinyurl.com/2ahwhvn
NEWSFLASH. The Talisker Bounty Boat is expected to complete its journey and arrive at Kupang about 5pm on June 15.
Bounty Boat Expedition
In order to raise awareness of MND, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute Foundation and SITraN, the building that is currently under construction in Sheffield that will be dedicated to research in to those neurological disorders, SIF patron Stuart Keane enlisted the support of Don McIntyre and his Bounty Boat Expedition and when the organisers of the Southampton Boat Show donated a prime stand space, Stuart jumped at the opportunity to bring both causes in to the public eye.
The Bounty Boat Expedition is due to take place in April 2010 and will attempt to follow in the footstep ofCaptain William Bligh when he was castadrift from the Bounty, following theMutiny on April 28th 1798.
Australian Don McIntyre, Englishman Mike Perham, who at 17 recently became the youngest sailor to sail single handed around the world, and two others will set off for the 4000 mile journey from Tonga to Timor in an 7.5m long open boat - with not enough food - no charts - and no toilet paper. Can they survive on of the greatest open boat journeys in Maritime History? Their odds are far higher than if you were a sufferer of MND.
They are making this journey to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). This landmark initiative will create the world’s first, stand alone institute dedicated to bringing an end to MND.
Bounty Boat Expedition
In order to raise awareness of MND, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute Foundation and SITraN, the building that is currently under construction in Sheffield that will be dedicated to research in to those neurological disorders, SIF patron Stuart Keane enlisted the support of Don McIntyre and his Bounty Boat Expedition and when the organisers of the Southampton Boat Show donated a prime stand space, Stuart jumped at the opportunity to bring both causes in to the public eye.
The Bounty Boat Expedition is due to take place in April 2010 and will attempt to follow in the footstep ofCaptain William Bligh when he was castadrift from the Bounty, following theMutiny on April 28th 1798.
Australian Don McIntyre, Englishman Mike Perham, who at 17 recently became the youngest sailor to sail single handed around the world, and two others will set off for the 4000 mile journey from Tonga to Timor in an 7.5m long open boat - with not enough food - no charts - and no toilet paper. Can they survive on of the greatest open boat journeys in Maritime History? Their odds are far higher than if you were a sufferer of MND.
They are making this journey to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). This landmark initiative will create the world’s first, stand alone institute dedicated to bringing an end to MND.
They are re-enacting Captain William Bligh's amazing journey in 1789, after Fletcher Christian had shanghaied a few of his men It was a triumph in navigationn that has never been equalled.
Here is the latest report from Don McIntyre, who can be contacted by emailing a member of his crew, Stuart Keane, at http://tinyurl.com/2ahwhvn
Here's the TBB's latest post: http://tinyurl.com/2ahwhvn
We love the Arafura sea..these short steep wind waves generated by the relatively shallow water have been challenging.. finally they have smoothed out around midnight but not before filling the boat again right on dinner when Dave P. broached the boat on a surprise wave!.one of the 20 minute specials but NOT what we expected as the conditions had been excellent all afternoon..!
Chris and I were sitting under the dodger..Dave W on the life raft..we were all very
relaxed as the sun was setting, chatting about the meaning of life..Chris had just
opened a tin of lambs tounges and the next thing we started slewing over to Starbord
tHW tALIS
and going down..the water started flushing over the rail as the mast headed for the water and everythin g in the boat went down AGAIN..
I was watching this from my seat with legs in the water half laughing and half in disbelief. Dave P was not saying anything..every one jumped into bucketing as the cockpit was full..the lambs' tounges were floating in the bilge. I grabed them and passed them to Chris as I bucketed and he ate them immediately..it was quite a funny scene really and something we are becoming familiar with and well practiced...hopefully this will be the last time.
Every time this has happened I have mixed emotions..I know the boat will not sink and I know we can fight to get it back up...BUT??
Anyway this, dare I say it, caused many laughs..finally we have all had one while at the helm..Dave P. was surprised but it happens..nice to do it with daylight!
!did not lose any gear...we have lost our two top cameras to water and the electrical took a wave while I was trying to fix a leak so most is now inopperable..fortunately we have only 300 miles to go and we are right on track by the look of it..all the crew are totally absorbed on calculating the new ETA..every time our speed changes there is a new one..but I will hold with afternoon of the 16th!
The sun is setting now and all looks good 15kts of SE wind..1.5mtr seas 27 degrees C. and we are sailing at 3 to 5 knts..last night was all stars again and we could smell the land coming off Australia..Coast watch aircraft buzzed us again about an hour before Daves Broach and I was telling them about the big one the night before...it is always good to see them fly by..we must be a hard target to find even though we have our radar reflector up? a little speck in what has been some big confused seas..
We have our first Indonesian fishing vessel just behind us..we are just outside the Australian Ecenomic Zone so more should start to appear..we are alsdo seeing more plastic and rubbish in the water..yesterday when sailing at about 5kts I went straight past a huge pole..20ft long and 1.5ft in diameter..missed it by about 6feet!!..lots of old fishing gear in the water and some discarded nets..tried to pick one bit up but it is too hard for us to manouver at the last minute..lots of thongs and even a gas bottle!
Happy to report that there was no lunch for some today..had dolphins turn up..not so many birds anymore and yes I reckon we could??? catch Bligh??..now this may cause some conjecture here..and it may not be the done thing to do...very unBritish in fact ..but it will go very close..right down to the wire.....
The atmosphere onboard Talisker Bounty Boat is very boyant..Dave W is the happiest I have seen him all trip and yes we have all given up now and dream heavily on all the delights that Kupang, hotels and food will bring!! now is the time for that so these last miles are very different..I can imagine what may be going through the minds of Bligh and his men at this point..some were in a very bad way and they were getting so close.
We have carried two bottles of Talisker whiskey on board for the whole trip..one will be cracked on the beach in Kupang..the other auctioned later..there are some big times ahead..the end game is close at hand but the fat lady has not yet sung!!
Looks like another steady gentle relaxed cruisy fun night..good for sleeping and being on the helm??..I wish..fingers crossed, touch wood!!!!..Don
NEWSFLASH. The Talisker Bounty Boat is expected to complete its journey and arrive at Kupang about 5pm on June 15.
Bounty Boat Expedition
In order to raise awareness of MND, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute Foundation and SITraN, the building that is currently under construction in Sheffield that will be dedicated to research in to those neurological disorders, SIF patron Stuart Keane enlisted the support of Don McIntyre and his Bounty Boat Expedition and when the organisers of the Southampton Boat Show donated a prime stand space, Stuart jumped at the opportunity to bring both causes in to the public eye.
The Bounty Boat Expedition is due to take place in April 2010 and will attempt to follow in the footstep ofCaptain William Bligh when he was castadrift from the Bounty, following theMutiny on April 28th 1798.
Australian Don McIntyre, Englishman Mike Perham, who at 17 recently became the youngest sailor to sail single handed around the world, and two others will set off for the 4000 mile journey from Tonga to Timor in an 7.5m long open boat - with not enough food - no charts - and no toilet paper. Can they survive on of the greatest open boat journeys in Maritime History? Their odds are far higher than if you were a sufferer of MND.
They are making this journey to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). This landmark initiative will create the world’s first, stand alone institute dedicated to bringing an end to MND.
Bounty Boat Expedition
In order to raise awareness of MND, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute Foundation and SITraN, the building that is currently under construction in Sheffield that will be dedicated to research in to those neurological disorders, SIF patron Stuart Keane enlisted the support of Don McIntyre and his Bounty Boat Expedition and when the organisers of the Southampton Boat Show donated a prime stand space, Stuart jumped at the opportunity to bring both causes in to the public eye.
The Bounty Boat Expedition is due to take place in April 2010 and will attempt to follow in the footstep ofCaptain William Bligh when he was castadrift from the Bounty, following theMutiny on April 28th 1798.
Australian Don McIntyre, Englishman Mike Perham, who at 17 recently became the youngest sailor to sail single handed around the world, and two others will set off for the 4000 mile journey from Tonga to Timor in an 7.5m long open boat - with not enough food - no charts - and no toilet paper. Can they survive on of the greatest open boat journeys in Maritime History? Their odds are far higher than if you were a sufferer of MND.
They are making this journey to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). This landmark initiative will create the world’s first, stand alone institute dedicated to bringing an end to MND.
Talisker Bounty Voyage Re-enactment nears finish
Talisker Bounty Voyage Re-enactment crew nears fininsh line.
The four-man crew, led by Tasmanian adventurer Don McIntyre, is re-enacting Captain William Bligh's 3800 miles in an open boat, from Timor to Tong,which was a triumph in mariime history.
Here's their latest blog:
*Rescued teen's parents defend solo sail attempt*
The parents of 16-year-old US sailor Abby Sunderland have defended her solo round-the-world attempt after her successful rescue by a French fishing boat.
The sailor is on her way to the French island La Reunion after she was picked up 2,000 nautical miles off the West Australian coast on Saturday.
Sunderland's parents have responded to criticisms that they should be held accountable because of their daughter's age and that her yacht was not adequate for her round-the-world effort.
Her father Laurence says French yachtwoman Isabelle Autissier did not quit the sport after she suffered a similar fate a decade ago.
"Isabelle Autissier had a similar incident where she did lose her keel in the Indian Ocean and needed rescuing - she was I think at the time around 30, 35," he said.
"She's considered one of the world's best sailors. Should we say Abby can't sail again because she lost her keel?"
Mr Sunderland, a boat builder, says "the experts that were involved in putting [her boat] Wild Eyes together were top rate - you wouldn't find better anywhere else."
He says Abby also had expert preparation.
Second attempt
Abby Sunderland has already voiced her determination to set sail around the globe again.
"I'm definitely going to sail around the world again or really give it another try," she said.
However she does not know when her next solo voyage attempt will be.
Her parents say she is free to have another attempt if she really wants to.
"Abigail's passion was to do a solo non-stop circumnavigation and she's obviously disappointed that she was unsuccessful with that," Mr Sunderland said.
"She gave it her best shot, following her dream."
Her mother added: "I don't think her goal initially was ever to break a record, her goal was to be out there. She likes being out there alone at sea."
Her parents have also thanked the rescuers who "acted as if she was their own kid".
'Pouncing on bad news'
Sunderland wrote on her blog from the French boat, defending herself from accusations she was unprepared and too young for the journey.
"Within a few minutes of being on board the fishing boat, I was already getting calls from the press," she wrote.
"I don't know how they got the number but it seems everybody is eager to pounce on my story now that something bad has happened.
"There are plenty of things people can think of to blame for my situation; my age, the time of year and many more. The truth is, I was in a storm and you don't sail through the Indian Ocean without getting in at least one storm.
"As for age, since when does age create gigantic waves and storms?"
Meanwhile, Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the Government will cover some of the costs of rescuing the teenager.
"The Australian taxpayer of course at the end of the day makes a contribution," he told Channel Ten.
"We have to put this in some context: if there was an Australian lost at sea we would want the international laws on maritime to kick in."
-------------------------
The four-man crew, led by Tasmanian adventurer Don McIntyre, is re-enacting Captain William Bligh's 3800 miles in an open boat, from Timor to Tong,which was a triumph in mariime history.
Here's their latest blog:
*Rescued teen's parents defend solo sail attempt*
The parents of 16-year-old US sailor Abby Sunderland have defended her solo round-the-world attempt after her successful rescue by a French fishing boat.
The sailor is on her way to the French island La Reunion after she was picked up 2,000 nautical miles off the West Australian coast on Saturday.
Sunderland's parents have responded to criticisms that they should be held accountable because of their daughter's age and that her yacht was not adequate for her round-the-world effort.
Her father Laurence says French yachtwoman Isabelle Autissier did not quit the sport after she suffered a similar fate a decade ago.
"Isabelle Autissier had a similar incident where she did lose her keel in the Indian Ocean and needed rescuing - she was I think at the time around 30, 35," he said.
"She's considered one of the world's best sailors. Should we say Abby can't sail again because she lost her keel?"
Mr Sunderland, a boat builder, says "the experts that were involved in putting [her boat] Wild Eyes together were top rate - you wouldn't find better anywhere else."
He says Abby also had expert preparation.
Second attempt
Abby Sunderland has already voiced her determination to set sail around the globe again.
"I'm definitely going to sail around the world again or really give it another try," she said.
However she does not know when her next solo voyage attempt will be.
Her parents say she is free to have another attempt if she really wants to.
"Abigail's passion was to do a solo non-stop circumnavigation and she's obviously disappointed that she was unsuccessful with that," Mr Sunderland said.
"She gave it her best shot, following her dream."
Her mother added: "I don't think her goal initially was ever to break a record, her goal was to be out there. She likes being out there alone at sea."
Her parents have also thanked the rescuers who "acted as if she was their own kid".
'Pouncing on bad news'
Sunderland wrote on her blog from the French boat, defending herself from accusations she was unprepared and too young for the journey.
"Within a few minutes of being on board the fishing boat, I was already getting calls from the press," she wrote.
"I don't know how they got the number but it seems everybody is eager to pounce on my story now that something bad has happened.
"There are plenty of things people can think of to blame for my situation; my age, the time of year and many more. The truth is, I was in a storm and you don't sail through the Indian Ocean without getting in at least one storm.
"As for age, since when does age create gigantic waves and storms?"
Meanwhile, Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the Government will cover some of the costs of rescuing the teenager.
"The Australian taxpayer of course at the end of the day makes a contribution," he told Channel Ten.
"We have to put this in some context: if there was an Australian lost at sea we would want the international laws on maritime to kick in."
-------------------------
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Baliska Bounty Re-enactment on Solitary Island
The Baliska Bounty Re-enactment Voyage leader, Tasmanian Don McIntyre, visited Solitary Island, midway between Sydney and Coff's Harboour, where a lonely bearded hermi named David Gooden lives.
No doubt David told him the sad story of an earlier settler, Selina Lydia Violet Lottborn.
Lydia was born on March 15.1895, and died on November 17, 1912.
Her father, Arther David Robert William Gow, was the island's principal lighthouse keeper..
Lydi never went to school, as the death certificate states "Home Duties",which back then,was the term for domestic duties/cleaner etc.
Wikipedia has a comprehensive story of the Bligh mutiny: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_on_the_Bounty
NEWSFLASH TEENAGE SAILOR ABBY SUUNDERLAND IN STRIFE
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/airbus-nears-search-zone-for-teen-sailor-abby-sunderland/story-e6frg6nf-1225878482522
She became very ill, so a message was sent via the signal station to Coffs Harbour, for a doctor to come immediately. A heavy southerly was blowing but Dr W.H. Wood went across in a small launch. It was impossible to land from the jetty and crane, so Dr.Wood landed on the northern side of the island, first throwing his bag on to the island and then jumping on himself. In doing so, he slipped and by holding on to the slippery rocks tore a number of his finger nails off. The doctor diagnosed the case as very serious, returned to Coffs Harbour, where he sent urgent messages to Sydney for assistance.
The Captain Cook, with a doctor and nurse, was immediately despatched to the island. but a terrific cyclone was raging.and it was three days before the boat reached the island. Lydia died from typhoid/enteric fever and haemorrhage perforation. Dr. Wood last saw her three days before she died.
Lydia was buried at Sandgate Cemetery (Brisbane) on November 25,1912. Cemetery workers put a probe down into the grave to verify that concrete had been used.
NEWSFLASH YRRNAGE SAILOR ABBY SUNDERLAND IN STRFE:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/airbus-nears-search-zone-for-teen-sailor-abby-sunderland/story-e6frg6nf-1225878482522
Tags: abbby sunerlabd,sailingm.teeabge saailOrsmbounty,jessica watson
No doubt David told him the sad story of an earlier settler, Selina Lydia Violet Lottborn.
Lydia was born on March 15.1895, and died on November 17, 1912.
Her father, Arther David Robert William Gow, was the island's principal lighthouse keeper..
Lydi never went to school, as the death certificate states "Home Duties",which back then,was the term for domestic duties/cleaner etc.
Wikipedia has a comprehensive story of the Bligh mutiny: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_on_the_Bounty
NEWSFLASH TEENAGE SAILOR ABBY SUUNDERLAND IN STRIFE
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/airbus-nears-search-zone-for-teen-sailor-abby-sunderland/story-e6frg6nf-1225878482522
She became very ill, so a message was sent via the signal station to Coffs Harbour, for a doctor to come immediately. A heavy southerly was blowing but Dr W.H. Wood went across in a small launch. It was impossible to land from the jetty and crane, so Dr.Wood landed on the northern side of the island, first throwing his bag on to the island and then jumping on himself. In doing so, he slipped and by holding on to the slippery rocks tore a number of his finger nails off. The doctor diagnosed the case as very serious, returned to Coffs Harbour, where he sent urgent messages to Sydney for assistance.
The Captain Cook, with a doctor and nurse, was immediately despatched to the island. but a terrific cyclone was raging.and it was three days before the boat reached the island. Lydia died from typhoid/enteric fever and haemorrhage perforation. Dr. Wood last saw her three days before she died.
Lydia was buried at Sandgate Cemetery (Brisbane) on November 25,1912. Cemetery workers put a probe down into the grave to verify that concrete had been used.
NEWSFLASH YRRNAGE SAILOR ABBY SUNDERLAND IN STRFE:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/airbus-nears-search-zone-for-teen-sailor-abby-sunderland/story-e6frg6nf-1225878482522
Tags: abbby sunerlabd,sailingm.teeabge saailOrsmbounty,jessica watson
Friday, June 4, 2010
Bounty Voyage Re-enactment
A crew of four men, led by bearded Tasmanian adventurer Don McIntyre, is re-enacting the perilous 3800-mile journey of Captain William Bligh, after Fletcher Christian shanghaied from HMS Bounty 219 years ago.
The journey, from Tonga to Timor,in a tiny open boat, was one of the great achievements in navigational history.
The Taliska Bounty boat was so named for Taliska beer, its main sponsor).
You can follow the journey by visiting his blog, posted at
Don hopes to raise $4000 from supporters who are following his journey on the internet. He will donate the money to the Sheffield(UK) Institution for Science Neurology.
Here is his latest post:
Dave welcomes Bounty on arrival.
Feet finally on the ground for two nights in Restoration Island. Frankly, I do not know how Bligh left, or why. This is the closest I've been t
Once we sailed into the reef I was completely silenced by its beauty. Had I lived my life and never seen this part of the world, my life would have been an utter waste.... seriously..
The views are spectacular, the people remarkably friend, I feel completely at peace with myself here and I could happily stay on Restoration Island with several good books for weeks to come.
David Glasheen's hospitality has been a welcome gift after spending the last 30 days or so on Talisker Bounty Boat and the locals have been very supportive of our expedition.
Last night I enjoyed so much the company and discussions with interesting people, such a refreshing change for all of the crew having spent 24 hrs a day for the last month in each other's company... no offense intended and I know we will all feel the same, I am proud to be a part of the Bounty team. But... Dear Don McBligh can we stay just a little bit longer? Alas no... We set sail again at sun rise tomorrow for the last leg, 1400 miles to Timor.
I have thought a lot why I seem to find the expedition so far harder than the rest of the crew and come to the conclusion, that as David Quilter and Don are seasoned adventurous they are simply used to discomfort, they know when it is unpleasant, this too shall pass, and the gems are around the corner, I couldn't see them, only my return flight home. Chris is at a lovely age, when life is an adventure and approaches everything by throwing himself in with that lovely playful curiosity and I admire him for that... oh to be 18..
I've been around enough to develop an unhealthy "why am I putting up with this sh**" when the going gets tough, when its really miserable, I cheer myself up by reminding myself this trip has cost me enough for a world cruise and instead I am hungry, wet, tired and aching from head to toe...
However, I will share that I am so.... so.... grateful for the experience... I suspect I will only grasp the real value once I am at home reflecting upon the whole event.. Unlike the rest of the crew, I have children who I have left at home, and I miss them terribly, not even talking with them is horrible...
We all have different ways to manage discomfort and stress, by planning my departure I gave myself a slip road, escape route and rather than counting 26 days to go I was able to count down to restoration Island (7/8 days) knowing I then had the option to depart, as crazy as it may sound this made it much more manageable for me.
I really struggled, with both the diet, and surprisingly, the boredom, with no books or music to fill time, sitting for what felt like years in the crippling heat was slowly driving me insane.
With so much time and nothing to fill it with I found myself worrying about matters completely unnecessarily, my home, family, business, anything I could find to worry about I did, then all I wanted to do was leave.
I am pleased I couldn't and I am learning so much about myself, though it's not all pleasant, I would much rather report that I have discovered I am invincible, a strong man who can conquer the world...maybe not, but you know what I mean.
I am not going home and will be leaving with Talisker Bounty Boat tomorrow morning, when in doubt, I need to dig deep, have faith in my team and business partners at home and meditate...easy said looking across the beach from this arm chair!
Upon arrival at Restoration, I immediately went and found the material to make a small cam bed for myself, which I must say for a Hong Kong pen-pusher this is not small achievement, I was then advised to move it further back from the beach as crocodiles are less likely to go across the grass... CROCODILES.. OMG..... I hadn't considered being eaten by crocs.
How on earth can I sleep.. But believe me, after our yummy chicken stew, the first meal since Tonga, I lay down under my make shift home and slept like a baby for 7 hours.It was wonderful, I didn't even see the stars, I passed out to quick and awoke too late, with a BIG fat smile on my face, not least because I hadn't been eaten by crocodiles.
I estimate I have lost at least 8kg and other than my pants keep falling down, I confess to being very happy about that, (the weight not the pants).
The challenge will be to keep it off when I return. I know I shall take much greater care of myself and seek more balance in my life.
This afternoon, someone asked if this expedition will make a real difference to my future.
My reply was surprisingly prompt and I think sums up precisely how I feel. "I do not know what my future holds, I only know it will be very different from what I had previously imagined. I am looking from a different perspective and that really pleases me".
David W (not David Q)MESSAGE TO MY DAUGHTERS - Hi Lucinda and Isabelle - You won't recognize me when I am home, much more handsome, slim, tanned with a really cool beard... I am missing you both very much... Love Dad x
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by Patron of Sheffield Institute Foundation at 1:38 AM 19 comments
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
"REPLIES TO BLOG COMMENTS"
Hi All...been a bit of fun catching up on a few of the comments that Stu our Blog master has forwarded to Restoration Island...looks like some will have to get a copy of the book one day when it finally comes out..it will tell many things but we will try to cover everything here but as you can expect it is challenging when at sea...anyway just to cover a couple of points...
I ring Margie twice a day..once in the morning and once at night..she is our Expedition headquarters.it is all about safety and expedition logistics...not just to check up on what is going on in the world...so yes it is very appropriate to stop the rest of the crew from using the phone for anything else other than logistics..which is what I have done..what happened with Dave he twisted that to be following his business and family interests which was unfortunately for him as it stops him from enjoying the experience out here and he knew the rules...so I have no problem with that..in fact I have bent all my own standards to try to accommodate him and let him satisfy his own mind...
Margie has now gone to Europe for 6 weeks on business and pleasure so I will not be ringing her each day any longer as Marketa is our new expedition manager and she will get my check in calls..all part of our sophisticated crisis management planning and we have a large team of qualified people handling that...
Seems to be some confusion from a member of the 1983 Child of Bounty trip as to why should the Govt. pay for the helicopter to Restoration Island and that we have it easy with sat coms etc...well firstly we are the fifth expedition now..one in 1975.Child of Bounty was the second in 1983..another in 1990..another in 1995 and now us..our is different than all the others..no big deal..not better or worse..just different...Customs have been great helping with a helicopter and correct me if I am wrong but in 1983 I thought the Govt. did the same thing and paid for a customs ship to be waiting at Restoration Island to clear them??..so a helicopter today is a lot cheaper than that and isnt it good that the Aust. Govt. is so forward thinking that they support this type of endeavor for the good of all..we were impressed yesterday with how efficient and friendly Customs and AQIS really were..NO we did not use their helicopter for Arial for our Documentary!..we will charter one from Horn Island later for that at our expense..yes we have GPS for safety reasons just as in 1983 I believe the Child of Bounty used an Argo satellite tracing system and the best Charts , Sextants etc of the time for navigation..that is all that they had in those days, but I do not believe Child of Bounty went off blind into the ocean like we have in many parts...that is why we were nearly wrecked on a reef twice on the way to Fiji..and stumbled across some banks in the Pacific!
Reine seems a bit confused about our approach to a few things so let me use the torch issue as an example...we set out not to use torches as Bligh had non...we we still have torches for safety reasons..what are the rules of engagement for torches..only to avert a high risk situation or official business...so if we are writing a blog at night we have to use the head torch..if we have been struggling at night in big seas trying to control the boat and it is getting dangerous and we may capsize the boat...then we will use our head torch to look at the compass...don't worry we have had plenty of very frustrating black nights and plenty of times using torches too when it hits the fan so it is a juggling act...
With the GPS..as an example...we set off from our unexpected Fiji stop ( not scheduled!) knowing our departure point...like Bligh we have a voyage plan..he had been planning his for three months before the mutiny to get the Bounty home..all the best publications at the time and previous voyage journals of many ship before him were studded hard to make that plan..we are using our one planning chart that cover half the world...we set off and immediately get into what is called "Plain Sailing"..all the westing is simply an addition of the hourly speeds listed in the ships log...that is it...then occasionally I take a noon sight to check the Latitude..north south position..which is no big deal as there is nothing to hit for a long time..so unlike Bligh I only do that occasionally...we are just Dead Reckoning our position to the west....the current adds a new dimension...I do not calculate my Latitude and longitude each day by tables as it is Plain sailing a very simple and very basic....so when the bottom appeared last week we were surprised and I was needing to get a noon sight to work out our latitude...north south position asap..to work out which bank it was...as it turns out we quickly found the sand cay and then saw on the one chart we have we were about the latitude of Diane Bank..so that had to be it..Bingo!..we have a fixed point...the funny part about all that was that our DR positions in the next few days went way out again with currents from everywhere...so I am not navigating like Bligh but I am doing it the same way...every day noon sights..this all become irrelevant when we then have to get to Boat pass and restoration Island...I have to use the GPS just to get there as I do not have an almanac or Tables to compute longitude..neither did Bligh..but he never needed to get anywhere specific...so it is different for us...
The other way we use the GPS is for safety..when we were pressed hard on a lee shore on a very Dark windy 2am morning with surf only minutes away we struggled to get off..once that was in progress I jumped below and immediately turned the GPS on the find out where the reef was going..it showed us on the reef!! and about half a mile from the end..that info was critical to our survival....When we got to Bligh water between the Fiji islands we planned to go through in daylight but in the end we were caught in very bad weather,..far too dangerous to slow down in or we would have capsized so we were trapped heading up into a blind alley and we were going to be there at night..no option but to use the GPS or we would have been wrecked...not a good idea...
It is hard for us to truly do things exactly as Bligh..he had to..we are volunteers..it starts from there...but we are forcing deprivations and hardships on ourselves but we are no being foolhardy or reckless....we know when the boundaries have been met...we have been doing it tough often...we are having it much better off than Bligh so I will not standing up at the end and saying we did it exactly like Bligh..I will be saying we have experienced some moments very similar to Bligh in a little boat ....I will watch the sixth re-enactment of Bligh's voyage with great delight as it is truly one of the greate3st open boat journeys of all time...I am loving it and am very happy to share so much of it with so many...makes for some interesting conversations but wait till you see the Book
.
Bligh's voyage in an open boat, from Tonga to Timor, is the gretest navigational history.feat i
We had a very touching ceremony at sunset beside the Talisker Bounty Boat when about 25 local Aborigines from Lock-hart River all came across to the Island to give us their best wishes for a safe journey and present us all with very special "Giddy" beads...I said a few words about Bligh and what he would have been thinking when here and how good it was that about 2600 sq. Km of land all around that area had recently been returned to their ownership..everything is so untouched up here.
Dave welcomes Bounty on arrival.
Feet finally on the ground for two nights in Restoration Island, frankly, I do not know how Bligh left, or why.... This is the closest Ive been to heaven... Once we sailed into the reef I was completely silenced by its beauty, had I lived my life and never seen this part of the world, my life would have been an utter waste.... seriously.. the views are spectacular, the people remarkably Friend, I feel completely at peace with myself here and I could happily stay on Restoration Island with several good books for weeks to come. David Glasheen's hospitality has been a welcome gift after spending the last 30 days or so on Talisker Bounty Boat and the locals have been very supportive of our expedition. Last night I enjoyed so much the company and discussions with interesting people, such a refreshing change for all of the crew having spent 24 hrs a day for the last month in each others company... no offense intended and I know we will all feel the same, I am proud to be a part of the Bounty team. But... Dear Don McBligh can we stay just a little bit longer? Alas no... We set sail again at sun rise tomorrow for the last leg, 1400 miles to Timor.
I have thought a lot why I seem to find the expedition so far harder than the rest of the crew and come to the conclusion, that as David Quilter and Don are seasoned adventurous they are simply used to discomfort, they know when it is unpleasant, this too shall pass, and the gems are around the corner, I couldn't see them, only my return flight home. Chris is at a lovely age, when life is an adventure and approaches everything by throwing himself in with that lovely playful curiosity and I admire him for that... oh to be 18.. Ive been around enough to develop an unhealthy "why am I putting up with this sh**" when the going gets tough, when its really miserable, I cheer myself up by reminding myself this trip has cost me enough for a world cruise and instead I am hungry, wet, tired and aching from head to toe... However, I will share that I am so.... so.... grateful for the experience... I suspect I will only grasp the real value once I am at home reflecting upon the whole event.. Unlike the rest of the crew, I have children who I have left at home, and I miss them terribly, not even talking with them is horrible...
We all have different ways to manage discomfort and stress, by planning my departure I gave myself a slip road, escape route and rather than counting 26 days to go I was able to count down to restoration Island (7/8 days) knowing I then had the option to depart, as crazy as it may sound this made it much more manageable for me, I really struggled, with both the diet, and surprisingly, the boredom, with no books or music to fill time, sitting for what felt like years in the crippling heat was slowly driving me insane... With so much time and nothing to fill it with I found myself worrying about matters completely unnecessarily, my home, family, business, , anything I could find to worry about I did, then all I wanted to do was leave... I am pleased I couldn't and I am learning so much about myself, though its not all pleasant, I would much rather report that I have discovered I am invincible, a strong man who can conquer the world... maybe not, but you know what I mean.. I am not going home and will be leaving with Talisker Bounty Boat tomorrow morning, when in doubt, I need to dig deep, have faith in my team and business partners at home and meditate... easy said looking across the beach from this arm chair!
Upon arrival at Restoration, I immediately went and found the material to make a small camp/bed for myself, which I must say for a Hong Kong pen-pusher this is not small achievement, I was then advised to move it further back from the beach as crocodiles are less likely to go across the grass... CROCODILES..... OMG..... I hadn't considered being eaten by crocs.. How on earth can I sleep.. But believe me, after our yummy chicken stew, the first meal since Tonga, I lay down under my make shift home and slept like a baby for 7 hours... It was wonderful, I didn't even see the stars, I passed out to quick and awoke too late, with a BIG fat smile on my face, not least because I hadn't been eaten by crocodiles..
I estimate I have lost at least 8kg and other than my pants keep falling down, I confess to being very happy about that, (the weight not the pants) the challenge will be to keep it off when I return. I know I shall take much greater care of myself and seek more balance in my life. This afternoon, someone asked if this expedition will make a real difference to my future, my reply was surprisingly prompt and I think sums up precisely how I feel. " I do not know what my future holds, I only know it will be very different from what I had previously imagined, I am looking from a different perspective and that really pleases me"
David W (not David Q)
MESSAGE TO MY DAUGHTERS - Hi Lucinda and Isabelle - You wont recognize me when I am home, much more handsome, slim, tanned with a really cool beard... I am missing you both very much... Love Dad x
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by Patron of Sheffield Institute Foundation at 1:38 AM 19 comments
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
"REPLIES TO BLOG COMMENTS"
Hi All...been a bit of fun catching up on a few of the comments that Stu our Blog master has forwarded to Restoration Island...looks like some will have to get a copy of the book one day when it finally comes out..it will tell many things but we will try to cover everything here but as you can expect it is challenging when at sea...anyway just to cover a couple of points...
I ring Margie twice a day..once in the morning and once at night..she is our Expedition headquarters.it is all about safety and expedition logistics...not just to check up on what is going on in the world...so yes it is very appropriate to stop the rest of the crew from using the phone for anything else other than logistics..which is what I have done..what happened with Dave he twisted that to be following his business and family interests which was unfortunately for him as it stops him from enjoying the experience out here and he knew the rules...so I have no problem with that..in fact I have bent all my own standards to try to accommodate him and let him satisfy his own mind...
Margie has now gone to Europe for 6 weeks on business and pleasure so I will not be ringing her each day any longer as Marketa is our new expedition manager and she will get my check in calls..all part of our sophisticated crisis management planning and we have a large team of qualified people handling that...
Seems to be some confusion from a member of the 1983 Child of Bounty trip as to why should the Govt. pay for the helicopter to Restoration Island and that we have it easy with sat coms etc...well firstly we are the fifth expedition now..one in 1975.Child of Bounty was the second in 1983..another in 1990..another in 1995 and now us..our is different than all the others..no big deal..not better or worse..just different...Customs have been great helping with a helicopter and correct me if I am wrong but in 1983 I thought the Govt. did the same thing and paid for a customs ship to be waiting at Restoration Island to clear them??..so a helicopter today is a lot cheaper than that and isnt it good that the Aust. Govt. is so forward thinking that they support this type of endeavor for the good of all..we were impressed yesterday with how efficient and friendly Customs and AQIS really were..NO we did not use their helicopter for Arial for our Documentary!..we will charter one from Horn Island later for that at our expense..yes we have GPS for safety reasons just as in 1983 I believe the Child of Bounty used an Argo satellite tracing system and the best Charts , Sextants etc of the time for navigation..that is all that they had in those days, but I do not believe Child of Bounty went off blind into the ocean like we have in many parts...that is why we were nearly wrecked on a reef twice on the way to Fiji..and stumbled across some banks in the Pacific!
Reine seems a bit confused about our approach to a few things so let me use the torch issue as an example...we set out not to use torches as Bligh had non...we we still have torches for safety reasons..what are the rules of engagement for torches..only to avert a high risk situation or official business...so if we are writing a blog at night we have to use the head torch..if we have been struggling at night in big seas trying to control the boat and it is getting dangerous and we may capsize the boat...then we will use our head torch to look at the compass...don't worry we have had plenty of very frustrating black nights and plenty of times using torches too when it hits the fan so it is a juggling act...
With the GPS..as an example...we set off from our unexpected Fiji stop ( not scheduled!) knowing our departure point...like Bligh we have a voyage plan..he had been planning his for three months before the mutiny to get the Bounty home..all the best publications at the time and previous voyage journals of many ship before him were studded hard to make that plan..we are using our one planning chart that cover half the world...we set off and immediately get into what is called "Plain Sailing"..all the westing is simply an addition of the hourly speeds listed in the ships log...that is it...then occasionally I take a noon sight to check the Latitude..north south position..which is no big deal as there is nothing to hit for a long time..so unlike Bligh I only do that occasionally...we are just Dead Reckoning our position to the west....the current adds a new dimension...I do not calculate my Latitude and longitude each day by tables as it is Plain sailing a very simple and very basic....so when the bottom appeared last week we were surprised and I was needing to get a noon sight to work out our latitude...north south position asap..to work out which bank it was...as it turns out we quickly found the sand cay and then saw on the one chart we have we were about the latitude of Diane Bank..so that had to be it..Bingo!..we have a fixed point...the funny part about all that was that our DR positions in the next few days went way out again with currents from everywhere...so I am not navigating like Bligh but I am doing it the same way...every day noon sights..this all become irrelevant when we then have to get to Boat pass and restoration Island...I have to use the GPS just to get there as I do not have an almanac or Tables to compute longitude..neither did Bligh..but he never needed to get anywhere specific...so it is different for us...
The other way we use the GPS is for safety..when we were pressed hard on a lee shore on a very Dark windy 2am morning with surf only minutes away we struggled to get off..once that was in progress I jumped below and immediately turned the GPS on the find out where the reef was going..it showed us on the reef!! and about half a mile from the end..that info was critical to our survival....When we got to Bligh water between the Fiji islands we planned to go through in daylight but in the end we were caught in very bad weather,..far too dangerous to slow down in or we would have capsized so we were trapped heading up into a blind alley and we were going to be there at night..no option but to use the GPS or we would have been wrecked...not a good idea...
It is hard for us to truly do things exactly as Bligh..he had to..we are volunteers..it starts from there...but we are forcing deprivations and hardships on ourselves but we are no being foolhardy or reckless....we know when the boundaries have been met...we have been doing it tough often...we are having it much better off than Bligh so I will not standing up at the end and saying we did it exactly like Bligh..I will be saying we have experienced some moments very similar to Bligh in a little boat ....I will watch the sixth re-enactment of Bligh's voyage with great delight as it is truly one of the greate3st open boat journeys of all time...I am loving it and am very happy to share so much of it with so many...makes for some interesting conversations but wait till you see the Book
The journey, from Tonga to Timor,in a tiny open boat, was one of the great achievements in navigational history.
The Taliska Bounty boat was so named for Taliska beer, its main sponsor).
You can follow the journey by visiting his blog, posted at
Don hopes to raise $4000 from supporters who are following his journey on the internet. He will donate the money to the Sheffield(UK) Institution for Science Neurology.
Here is his latest post:
We had a very touching ceremony at sunset beside the Talisker Bounty Boat when about 25 local Aborigines from Lockhart River all came across to the Island to give us their best wishes for a safe journey and present us all with very special "Giddy" beads...
I said a few words about Bligh and what he would have been thinking when here and how good it was that about 2600 sq. Km of land all around that area had recently been returned to their ownership..everything is so untouched up here.
Dave welcomes Bounty on arrival.
Feet finally on the ground for two nights in Restoration Island. Frankly, I do not know how Bligh left, or why. This is the closest I've been t
Once we sailed into the reef I was completely silenced by its beauty. Had I lived my life and never seen this part of the world, my life would have been an utter waste.... seriously..
The views are spectacular, the people remarkably friend, I feel completely at peace with myself here and I could happily stay on Restoration Island with several good books for weeks to come.
David Glasheen's hospitality has been a welcome gift after spending the last 30 days or so on Talisker Bounty Boat and the locals have been very supportive of our expedition.
Last night I enjoyed so much the company and discussions with interesting people, such a refreshing change for all of the crew having spent 24 hrs a day for the last month in each other's company... no offense intended and I know we will all feel the same, I am proud to be a part of the Bounty team. But... Dear Don McBligh can we stay just a little bit longer? Alas no... We set sail again at sun rise tomorrow for the last leg, 1400 miles to Timor.
I have thought a lot why I seem to find the expedition so far harder than the rest of the crew and come to the conclusion, that as David Quilter and Don are seasoned adventurous they are simply used to discomfort, they know when it is unpleasant, this too shall pass, and the gems are around the corner, I couldn't see them, only my return flight home. Chris is at a lovely age, when life is an adventure and approaches everything by throwing himself in with that lovely playful curiosity and I admire him for that... oh to be 18..
I've been around enough to develop an unhealthy "why am I putting up with this sh**" when the going gets tough, when its really miserable, I cheer myself up by reminding myself this trip has cost me enough for a world cruise and instead I am hungry, wet, tired and aching from head to toe...
However, I will share that I am so.... so.... grateful for the experience... I suspect I will only grasp the real value once I am at home reflecting upon the whole event.. Unlike the rest of the crew, I have children who I have left at home, and I miss them terribly, not even talking with them is horrible...
We all have different ways to manage discomfort and stress, by planning my departure I gave myself a slip road, escape route and rather than counting 26 days to go I was able to count down to restoration Island (7/8 days) knowing I then had the option to depart, as crazy as it may sound this made it much more manageable for me.
I really struggled, with both the diet, and surprisingly, the boredom, with no books or music to fill time, sitting for what felt like years in the crippling heat was slowly driving me insane.
With so much time and nothing to fill it with I found myself worrying about matters completely unnecessarily, my home, family, business, anything I could find to worry about I did, then all I wanted to do was leave.
I am pleased I couldn't and I am learning so much about myself, though it's not all pleasant, I would much rather report that I have discovered I am invincible, a strong man who can conquer the world...maybe not, but you know what I mean.
I am not going home and will be leaving with Talisker Bounty Boat tomorrow morning, when in doubt, I need to dig deep, have faith in my team and business partners at home and meditate...easy said looking across the beach from this arm chair!
Upon arrival at Restoration, I immediately went and found the material to make a small cam bed for myself, which I must say for a Hong Kong pen-pusher this is not small achievement, I was then advised to move it further back from the beach as crocodiles are less likely to go across the grass... CROCODILES.. OMG..... I hadn't considered being eaten by crocs.
How on earth can I sleep.. But believe me, after our yummy chicken stew, the first meal since Tonga, I lay down under my make shift home and slept like a baby for 7 hours.It was wonderful, I didn't even see the stars, I passed out to quick and awoke too late, with a BIG fat smile on my face, not least because I hadn't been eaten by crocodiles.
I estimate I have lost at least 8kg and other than my pants keep falling down, I confess to being very happy about that, (the weight not the pants).
The challenge will be to keep it off when I return. I know I shall take much greater care of myself and seek more balance in my life.
This afternoon, someone asked if this expedition will make a real difference to my future.
My reply was surprisingly prompt and I think sums up precisely how I feel. "I do not know what my future holds, I only know it will be very different from what I had previously imagined. I am looking from a different perspective and that really pleases me".
David W (not David Q)MESSAGE TO MY DAUGHTERS - Hi Lucinda and Isabelle - You won't recognize me when I am home, much more handsome, slim, tanned with a really cool beard... I am missing you both very much... Love Dad x
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by Patron of Sheffield Institute Foundation at 1:38 AM 19 comments
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
"REPLIES TO BLOG COMMENTS"
Hi All...been a bit of fun catching up on a few of the comments that Stu our Blog master has forwarded to Restoration Island...looks like some will have to get a copy of the book one day when it finally comes out..it will tell many things but we will try to cover everything here but as you can expect it is challenging when at sea...anyway just to cover a couple of points...
I ring Margie twice a day..once in the morning and once at night..she is our Expedition headquarters.it is all about safety and expedition logistics...not just to check up on what is going on in the world...so yes it is very appropriate to stop the rest of the crew from using the phone for anything else other than logistics..which is what I have done..what happened with Dave he twisted that to be following his business and family interests which was unfortunately for him as it stops him from enjoying the experience out here and he knew the rules...so I have no problem with that..in fact I have bent all my own standards to try to accommodate him and let him satisfy his own mind...
Margie has now gone to Europe for 6 weeks on business and pleasure so I will not be ringing her each day any longer as Marketa is our new expedition manager and she will get my check in calls..all part of our sophisticated crisis management planning and we have a large team of qualified people handling that...
Seems to be some confusion from a member of the 1983 Child of Bounty trip as to why should the Govt. pay for the helicopter to Restoration Island and that we have it easy with sat coms etc...well firstly we are the fifth expedition now..one in 1975.Child of Bounty was the second in 1983..another in 1990..another in 1995 and now us..our is different than all the others..no big deal..not better or worse..just different...Customs have been great helping with a helicopter and correct me if I am wrong but in 1983 I thought the Govt. did the same thing and paid for a customs ship to be waiting at Restoration Island to clear them??..so a helicopter today is a lot cheaper than that and isnt it good that the Aust. Govt. is so forward thinking that they support this type of endeavor for the good of all..we were impressed yesterday with how efficient and friendly Customs and AQIS really were..NO we did not use their helicopter for Arial for our Documentary!..we will charter one from Horn Island later for that at our expense..yes we have GPS for safety reasons just as in 1983 I believe the Child of Bounty used an Argo satellite tracing system and the best Charts , Sextants etc of the time for navigation..that is all that they had in those days, but I do not believe Child of Bounty went off blind into the ocean like we have in many parts...that is why we were nearly wrecked on a reef twice on the way to Fiji..and stumbled across some banks in the Pacific!
Reine seems a bit confused about our approach to a few things so let me use the torch issue as an example...we set out not to use torches as Bligh had non...we we still have torches for safety reasons..what are the rules of engagement for torches..only to avert a high risk situation or official business...so if we are writing a blog at night we have to use the head torch..if we have been struggling at night in big seas trying to control the boat and it is getting dangerous and we may capsize the boat...then we will use our head torch to look at the compass...don't worry we have had plenty of very frustrating black nights and plenty of times using torches too when it hits the fan so it is a juggling act...
With the GPS..as an example...we set off from our unexpected Fiji stop ( not scheduled!) knowing our departure point...like Bligh we have a voyage plan..he had been planning his for three months before the mutiny to get the Bounty home..all the best publications at the time and previous voyage journals of many ship before him were studded hard to make that plan..we are using our one planning chart that cover half the world...we set off and immediately get into what is called "Plain Sailing"..all the westing is simply an addition of the hourly speeds listed in the ships log...that is it...then occasionally I take a noon sight to check the Latitude..north south position..which is no big deal as there is nothing to hit for a long time..so unlike Bligh I only do that occasionally...we are just Dead Reckoning our position to the west....the current adds a new dimension...I do not calculate my Latitude and longitude each day by tables as it is Plain sailing a very simple and very basic....so when the bottom appeared last week we were surprised and I was needing to get a noon sight to work out our latitude...north south position asap..to work out which bank it was...as it turns out we quickly found the sand cay and then saw on the one chart we have we were about the latitude of Diane Bank..so that had to be it..Bingo!..we have a fixed point...the funny part about all that was that our DR positions in the next few days went way out again with currents from everywhere...so I am not navigating like Bligh but I am doing it the same way...every day noon sights..this all become irrelevant when we then have to get to Boat pass and restoration Island...I have to use the GPS just to get there as I do not have an almanac or Tables to compute longitude..neither did Bligh..but he never needed to get anywhere specific...so it is different for us...
The other way we use the GPS is for safety..when we were pressed hard on a lee shore on a very Dark windy 2am morning with surf only minutes away we struggled to get off..once that was in progress I jumped below and immediately turned the GPS on the find out where the reef was going..it showed us on the reef!! and about half a mile from the end..that info was critical to our survival....When we got to Bligh water between the Fiji islands we planned to go through in daylight but in the end we were caught in very bad weather,..far too dangerous to slow down in or we would have capsized so we were trapped heading up into a blind alley and we were going to be there at night..no option but to use the GPS or we would have been wrecked...not a good idea...
It is hard for us to truly do things exactly as Bligh..he had to..we are volunteers..it starts from there...but we are forcing deprivations and hardships on ourselves but we are no being foolhardy or reckless....we know when the boundaries have been met...we have been doing it tough often...we are having it much better off than Bligh so I will not standing up at the end and saying we did it exactly like Bligh..I will be saying we have experienced some moments very similar to Bligh in a little boat ....I will watch the sixth re-enactment of Bligh's voyage with great delight as it is truly one of the greate3st open boat journeys of all time...I am loving it and am very happy to share so much of it with so many...makes for some interesting conversations but wait till you see the Book
.
Bligh's voyage in an open boat, from Tonga to Timor, is the gretest navigational history.feat i
We had a very touching ceremony at sunset beside the Talisker Bounty Boat when about 25 local Aborigines from Lock-hart River all came across to the Island to give us their best wishes for a safe journey and present us all with very special "Giddy" beads...I said a few words about Bligh and what he would have been thinking when here and how good it was that about 2600 sq. Km of land all around that area had recently been returned to their ownership..everything is so untouched up here.
Dave welcomes Bounty on arrival.
Feet finally on the ground for two nights in Restoration Island, frankly, I do not know how Bligh left, or why.... This is the closest Ive been to heaven... Once we sailed into the reef I was completely silenced by its beauty, had I lived my life and never seen this part of the world, my life would have been an utter waste.... seriously.. the views are spectacular, the people remarkably Friend, I feel completely at peace with myself here and I could happily stay on Restoration Island with several good books for weeks to come. David Glasheen's hospitality has been a welcome gift after spending the last 30 days or so on Talisker Bounty Boat and the locals have been very supportive of our expedition. Last night I enjoyed so much the company and discussions with interesting people, such a refreshing change for all of the crew having spent 24 hrs a day for the last month in each others company... no offense intended and I know we will all feel the same, I am proud to be a part of the Bounty team. But... Dear Don McBligh can we stay just a little bit longer? Alas no... We set sail again at sun rise tomorrow for the last leg, 1400 miles to Timor.
I have thought a lot why I seem to find the expedition so far harder than the rest of the crew and come to the conclusion, that as David Quilter and Don are seasoned adventurous they are simply used to discomfort, they know when it is unpleasant, this too shall pass, and the gems are around the corner, I couldn't see them, only my return flight home. Chris is at a lovely age, when life is an adventure and approaches everything by throwing himself in with that lovely playful curiosity and I admire him for that... oh to be 18.. Ive been around enough to develop an unhealthy "why am I putting up with this sh**" when the going gets tough, when its really miserable, I cheer myself up by reminding myself this trip has cost me enough for a world cruise and instead I am hungry, wet, tired and aching from head to toe... However, I will share that I am so.... so.... grateful for the experience... I suspect I will only grasp the real value once I am at home reflecting upon the whole event.. Unlike the rest of the crew, I have children who I have left at home, and I miss them terribly, not even talking with them is horrible...
We all have different ways to manage discomfort and stress, by planning my departure I gave myself a slip road, escape route and rather than counting 26 days to go I was able to count down to restoration Island (7/8 days) knowing I then had the option to depart, as crazy as it may sound this made it much more manageable for me, I really struggled, with both the diet, and surprisingly, the boredom, with no books or music to fill time, sitting for what felt like years in the crippling heat was slowly driving me insane... With so much time and nothing to fill it with I found myself worrying about matters completely unnecessarily, my home, family, business, , anything I could find to worry about I did, then all I wanted to do was leave... I am pleased I couldn't and I am learning so much about myself, though its not all pleasant, I would much rather report that I have discovered I am invincible, a strong man who can conquer the world... maybe not, but you know what I mean.. I am not going home and will be leaving with Talisker Bounty Boat tomorrow morning, when in doubt, I need to dig deep, have faith in my team and business partners at home and meditate... easy said looking across the beach from this arm chair!
Upon arrival at Restoration, I immediately went and found the material to make a small camp/bed for myself, which I must say for a Hong Kong pen-pusher this is not small achievement, I was then advised to move it further back from the beach as crocodiles are less likely to go across the grass... CROCODILES..... OMG..... I hadn't considered being eaten by crocs.. How on earth can I sleep.. But believe me, after our yummy chicken stew, the first meal since Tonga, I lay down under my make shift home and slept like a baby for 7 hours... It was wonderful, I didn't even see the stars, I passed out to quick and awoke too late, with a BIG fat smile on my face, not least because I hadn't been eaten by crocodiles..
I estimate I have lost at least 8kg and other than my pants keep falling down, I confess to being very happy about that, (the weight not the pants) the challenge will be to keep it off when I return. I know I shall take much greater care of myself and seek more balance in my life. This afternoon, someone asked if this expedition will make a real difference to my future, my reply was surprisingly prompt and I think sums up precisely how I feel. " I do not know what my future holds, I only know it will be very different from what I had previously imagined, I am looking from a different perspective and that really pleases me"
David W (not David Q)
MESSAGE TO MY DAUGHTERS - Hi Lucinda and Isabelle - You wont recognize me when I am home, much more handsome, slim, tanned with a really cool beard... I am missing you both very much... Love Dad x
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by Patron of Sheffield Institute Foundation at 1:38 AM 19 comments
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
"REPLIES TO BLOG COMMENTS"
Hi All...been a bit of fun catching up on a few of the comments that Stu our Blog master has forwarded to Restoration Island...looks like some will have to get a copy of the book one day when it finally comes out..it will tell many things but we will try to cover everything here but as you can expect it is challenging when at sea...anyway just to cover a couple of points...
I ring Margie twice a day..once in the morning and once at night..she is our Expedition headquarters.it is all about safety and expedition logistics...not just to check up on what is going on in the world...so yes it is very appropriate to stop the rest of the crew from using the phone for anything else other than logistics..which is what I have done..what happened with Dave he twisted that to be following his business and family interests which was unfortunately for him as it stops him from enjoying the experience out here and he knew the rules...so I have no problem with that..in fact I have bent all my own standards to try to accommodate him and let him satisfy his own mind...
Margie has now gone to Europe for 6 weeks on business and pleasure so I will not be ringing her each day any longer as Marketa is our new expedition manager and she will get my check in calls..all part of our sophisticated crisis management planning and we have a large team of qualified people handling that...
Seems to be some confusion from a member of the 1983 Child of Bounty trip as to why should the Govt. pay for the helicopter to Restoration Island and that we have it easy with sat coms etc...well firstly we are the fifth expedition now..one in 1975.Child of Bounty was the second in 1983..another in 1990..another in 1995 and now us..our is different than all the others..no big deal..not better or worse..just different...Customs have been great helping with a helicopter and correct me if I am wrong but in 1983 I thought the Govt. did the same thing and paid for a customs ship to be waiting at Restoration Island to clear them??..so a helicopter today is a lot cheaper than that and isnt it good that the Aust. Govt. is so forward thinking that they support this type of endeavor for the good of all..we were impressed yesterday with how efficient and friendly Customs and AQIS really were..NO we did not use their helicopter for Arial for our Documentary!..we will charter one from Horn Island later for that at our expense..yes we have GPS for safety reasons just as in 1983 I believe the Child of Bounty used an Argo satellite tracing system and the best Charts , Sextants etc of the time for navigation..that is all that they had in those days, but I do not believe Child of Bounty went off blind into the ocean like we have in many parts...that is why we were nearly wrecked on a reef twice on the way to Fiji..and stumbled across some banks in the Pacific!
Reine seems a bit confused about our approach to a few things so let me use the torch issue as an example...we set out not to use torches as Bligh had non...we we still have torches for safety reasons..what are the rules of engagement for torches..only to avert a high risk situation or official business...so if we are writing a blog at night we have to use the head torch..if we have been struggling at night in big seas trying to control the boat and it is getting dangerous and we may capsize the boat...then we will use our head torch to look at the compass...don't worry we have had plenty of very frustrating black nights and plenty of times using torches too when it hits the fan so it is a juggling act...
With the GPS..as an example...we set off from our unexpected Fiji stop ( not scheduled!) knowing our departure point...like Bligh we have a voyage plan..he had been planning his for three months before the mutiny to get the Bounty home..all the best publications at the time and previous voyage journals of many ship before him were studded hard to make that plan..we are using our one planning chart that cover half the world...we set off and immediately get into what is called "Plain Sailing"..all the westing is simply an addition of the hourly speeds listed in the ships log...that is it...then occasionally I take a noon sight to check the Latitude..north south position..which is no big deal as there is nothing to hit for a long time..so unlike Bligh I only do that occasionally...we are just Dead Reckoning our position to the west....the current adds a new dimension...I do not calculate my Latitude and longitude each day by tables as it is Plain sailing a very simple and very basic....so when the bottom appeared last week we were surprised and I was needing to get a noon sight to work out our latitude...north south position asap..to work out which bank it was...as it turns out we quickly found the sand cay and then saw on the one chart we have we were about the latitude of Diane Bank..so that had to be it..Bingo!..we have a fixed point...the funny part about all that was that our DR positions in the next few days went way out again with currents from everywhere...so I am not navigating like Bligh but I am doing it the same way...every day noon sights..this all become irrelevant when we then have to get to Boat pass and restoration Island...I have to use the GPS just to get there as I do not have an almanac or Tables to compute longitude..neither did Bligh..but he never needed to get anywhere specific...so it is different for us...
The other way we use the GPS is for safety..when we were pressed hard on a lee shore on a very Dark windy 2am morning with surf only minutes away we struggled to get off..once that was in progress I jumped below and immediately turned the GPS on the find out where the reef was going..it showed us on the reef!! and about half a mile from the end..that info was critical to our survival....When we got to Bligh water between the Fiji islands we planned to go through in daylight but in the end we were caught in very bad weather,..far too dangerous to slow down in or we would have capsized so we were trapped heading up into a blind alley and we were going to be there at night..no option but to use the GPS or we would have been wrecked...not a good idea...
It is hard for us to truly do things exactly as Bligh..he had to..we are volunteers..it starts from there...but we are forcing deprivations and hardships on ourselves but we are no being foolhardy or reckless....we know when the boundaries have been met...we have been doing it tough often...we are having it much better off than Bligh so I will not standing up at the end and saying we did it exactly like Bligh..I will be saying we have experienced some moments very similar to Bligh in a little boat ....I will watch the sixth re-enactment of Bligh's voyage with great delight as it is truly one of the greate3st open boat journeys of all time...I am loving it and am very happy to share so much of it with so many...makes for some interesting conversations but wait till you see the Book
Thursday, May 27, 2010
June 9: World Buskers' Day
If you hear a busker on Sunday, June 9, please give generously. The performance will probably be in aid of World Buskers' Day, promoted by gifted London violinist David Juritz, who established a foundation called EquiMusic, to bring music to some of the worlld's most underprivileged children.
I wrote a story about David when he visited Sydney a year ago, during a world tour. You can read it at http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=381150&rel_no=1
David has now sent me this press release:
MUSEQUALITY WORLD BUSK TO HELP REBUILD
MUSIC SCHOOLS IN HAITI HIT BY EARTHQUAKE
The second Musequality World Busk will take place from 7 to 13 June, 2010 when musicians throughout the world will take to the streets to raise money for music projects in developing countries. Musicians in North, Central and South America will raise $50,000 to help reconstruct music schools in Haiti destroyed by the country’s worst earthquake for 200 years.
I wrote a story about David when he visited Sydney a year ago, during a world tour. You can read it at http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=381150&rel_no=1
David has now sent me this press release:
MUSEQUALITY WORLD BUSK TO HELP REBUILD
MUSIC SCHOOLS IN HAITI HIT BY EARTHQUAKE
The second Musequality World Busk will take place from 7 to 13 June, 2010 when musicians throughout the world will take to the streets to raise money for music projects in developing countries. Musicians in North, Central and South America will raise $50,000 to help reconstruct music schools in Haiti destroyed by the country’s worst earthquake for 200 years.
The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January killed more than 200,000 people and left an estimated 1.2 million homeless. In Léogâne, close to the epicentre, 90% of all buildings were destroyed, while in Port au Prince, the shock reduced homes, hospitals, schools and government buildings to rubble. Before the quake, Haiti had a flourishing music education system but the Holy Trinity Music School, Haiti's premier conservatoire, was among several music schools destroyed in what was already the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Tragically, some teachers and students died and those who survived now need help to rebuild their schools.
All contributions to Musequality’s US donations site between 1 May and 31 July will go towards the rebuilding programme. The first $50,000 will be shared between Instrumental Change and the Holy Trinity Music School reconstruction fund. “Should we raise more than $50,000 Musequality will establish a team to ensure that the extra money is used in the most effective manner,” said violinist David Juritz, who who launched Musequality in 2007 by busking around the world.
The first Musequality World Busk in 2009 raised nearly £15,000 and involved musicians on every continent -- including Antarctica. On Sunday 14 June, 483 musicians around the globe struck up at 12 noon local time to set a record for the largest co-ordinated busk the world as ever seen..
“As well as raising a substantial amount of money, the World Busk is enormous fun,” said Juritz. “This year we are asking musicians throughout the Americas to help rebuild and restore music schools in Haiti. It’s a cause we’re passionately committed to and we’re confident of their generous effort and support”
Participants elsewhere will be raising money to support Musequality’s other projects in the developing world such as the Elgon Youth Brass Band in Mbale, Eastern Uganda, which cares for 60 orphaned children. “Just over a year ago a young man sent us an application for funding. Fredrick Kyewalyanga was determined to set up a group and had clearly thought through how he was going to go about it. He couldn’t afford to post the letter but found someone to deliver it to us by hand,” said Juritz. Thanks to Frederick’s effort and support from one of London’s livery companies, the Girdlers’ Company, “we have been able to buy instruments for the Elgon Youth Brass Band, find a home for the band, buy bunk beds and mattresses, pay teachers’ salaries and provide food.”
Juritz added: “Music not only unites the world, crossing cultures and divides, but also creates opportunities around the world. Our main aim is not to produce professional musicians, but young people with the self-confidence and ambition to become the scientists, teachers, doctors and community leaders who will help shape their own societies’ future. We believe that, particularly in troubled communities, where power is all too often achieved through coercion and exploitation, music education offers a powerful alternative philosophy of leadership through responsibility and sharing. While the educational benefits of music education are well demonstrated by many studies, research on the social benefits of childhood involvement in music programmes shows equally striking results. And that’s why we believe that funding music education is a great investment in the futures both of children and of communities.
“We’ve launched this annual world busk specifically to raise funds to expand our existing communal music-making projects and to set up new projects for disadvantaged children in developing countries. We are not asking anyone to give more than they can afford. But if they can toss a coin or two into a Musequality busker’s music case, and listen for a few moments, they will be helping us turn round the lives of children who might otherwise only ever be seen as a problem. If you can’t donate to a busker, of if you would like your donation to go further by Gift Aiding it in the UK, please donate at www.justgiving.com/worldbusk2010.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
● Musequality, a social change charity, sets up and supports communal music-making projects for disadvantaged children in developing countries, giving them the self-belief and skills they need to turn their lives around. It was founded in 2007 by professional violinist David Juritz, leader of the London Mozart Players, when he busked around the world, playing on pavements, in parks and plazas in 50 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica to kickstart the charity’s funding. Musequality supports projects in South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Thailand and India.
● See who is busking where on our interactive world map: www.worldbusk.org/bigmap.php
● Photos are available of the World Busk 2009. Please email press@musequality.org
● Donations are welcome on: http://www.justgiving.com/worldbusk2010
● Information about the Musequality World Busk: www.worldbusk.org
● Information about Musequality: www.musequality.org
For more information please contact:
David Juritz: Mobile: +44 (0)7973 343314 or Tel: +44 (0)20 8747 4869 david@musequality.org
Jean Buck: Mobile: +44 (0)779 - 475 4560 jean@musequality.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Registered charity No. 1119308
Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales No. 6216146
David Juritz
david@musequality.org
+44 (0)7973 343 314
+44 (0)20 8747 4869
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Funding music projects that change young lives
For information about Musequality: www.musequality.org
For information about the Musequality World Busk: www.worldbusk.org
Donate to Musequality www.justgiving.com/worldBusk2010
Registered charity No. 1119308
Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales No. 6216146
106 Woodstock Rd
London
W4 1EG
+44 (0)7973 343 314
+44 (0)20 8747 4869
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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PRESS RELEASE
Release Time: 07.30 on Monday, 26 May 2010
MUSEQUALITY WORLD BUSK TO HELP REBUILD
MUSIC SCHOOLS IN HAITI HIT BY EARTHQUAKE
The second Musequality World Busk will take place from 7 to 13 June,
2010 when musicians throughout the world will take to the streets to
raise money for music projects in developing countries. Musicians in
North, Central and South America will raise $50,000 to help
reconstruct music schools in Haiti destroyed by the country’s worst
earthquake for 200 years.
The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January killed more
than 200,000 people and left an estimated 1.2 million homeless. In
Léogâne, close to the epicentre, 90% of all buildings were destroyed,
while in Port au Prince, the shock reduced homes, hospitals, schools
and government buildings to rubble. Before the quake, Haiti had a
flourishing music education system but the Holy Trinity Music School,
Haiti's premier conservatoire, was among several music schools
destroyed in what was already the poorest country in the western
hemisphere. Tragically, some teachers and students died and those who
survived now need help to rebuild their schools.
All contributions to Musequality’s US donations site between 1 May
and 31 July will go towards the rebuilding programme. The first
$50,000 will be shared between Instrumental Change and the Holy
Trinity Music School reconstruction fund. “Should we raise more than
$50,000 Musequality will establish a team to ensure that the extra
money is used in the most effective manner,” said violinist David
Juritz, who who launched Musequality in 2007 by busking around the
world.
The first Musequality World Busk in 2009 raised nearly £15,000 and
involved musicians on every continent -- including Antarctica. On
Sunday 14 June, 483 musicians around the globe struck up at 12 noon
local time to set a record for the largest co-ordinated busk the world
as ever seen..
“As well as raising a substantial amount of money, the World Busk is
enormous fun,” said Juritz. “This year we are asking musicians
throughout the Americas to help rebuild and restore music schools in
Haiti. It’s a cause we’re passionately committed to and we’re
confident of their generous effort and support”
Participants elsewhere will be raising money to support Musequality’s
other projects in the developing world such as the Elgon Youth Brass
Band in Mbale, Eastern Uganda, which cares for 60 orphaned children.
“Just over a year ago a young man sent us an application for funding.
Fredrick Kyewalyanga was determined to set up a group and had clearly
thought through how he was going to go about it. He couldn’t afford
to post the letter but found someone to deliver it to us by hand,”
said Juritz. Thanks to Frederick’s effort and support from one of
London’s livery companies, the Girdlers’ Company, “we have been
able to buy instruments for the Elgon Youth Brass Band, find a home
for the band, buy bunk beds and mattresses, pay teachers’ salaries
and provide food.”
Juritz added: “Music not only unites the world, crossing cultures and
divides, but also creates opportunities around the world. Our main aim
is not to produce professional musicians, but young people with the
self-confidence and ambition to become the scientists, teachers,
doctors and community leaders who will help shape their own
societies’ future. We believe that, particularly in troubled
communities, where power is all too often achieved through coercion
and exploitation, music education offers a powerful alternative
philosophy of leadership through responsibility and sharing. While the
educational benefits of music education are well demonstrated by many
studies, research on the social benefits of childhood involvement in
music programmes shows equally striking results. And that’s why we
believe that funding music education is a great investment in the
futures both of children and of communities.
“We’ve launched this annual world busk specifically to raise funds
to expand our existing communal music-making projects and to set up
new projects for disadvantaged children in developing countries. We
are not asking anyone to give more than they can afford. But if they
can toss a coin or two into a Musequality busker’s music case, and
listen for a few moments, they will be helping us turn round the lives
of children who might otherwise only ever be seen as a problem. If you
can’t donate to a busker, of if you would like your donation to go
further by Gift Aiding it in the UK, please donate at www.justgiving.com/worldbusk2010
.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
● Musequality, a social change charity, sets up and
supports communal music-making projects for disadvantaged children in
developing countries, giving them the self-belief and skills they need
to turn their lives around. It was founded in 2007 by professional
violinist David Juritz, leader of the London Mozart Players, when he
busked around the world, playing on pavements, in parks and plazas in
50 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica to
kickstart the charity’s funding. Musequality supports projects in
South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Thailand and India.
● See who is busking where on our interactive world map: www.worldbusk.org/bigmap.p
hp
● Photos are available of the World Busk 2009. Please email press@musequality.o
rg
● Donations are welcome on: http://www.justgiving.com/worldbusk20
10
● Information about the Musequality World Busk: www.worldbusk.o
rg
● Information about Musequality: www.musequality.org
For more information please contact:
David Juritz: Mobile: +44 (0)7973 343314 or Tel: +44 (0)20 8747 4869 david@musequality.org
Jean Buck: Mobile: +44 (0)779 - 475 4560 jean@musequality.org
Registered charity No. 1119308
Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales No.
6216146
David Juritz
david@musequality.org
+44 (0)7973 343 314
+44 (0)20 8747 4869
Funding music projects that change young lives
For information about Musequality: www.musequality.org
For information about the Musequality World Busk: www.worldbusk.org
Donate to Musequality www.justgiving.com/worldBusk2010
Registered charity No. 1119308
Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales No.
6216146
106 Woodstock Rd
London
W4 1EG
+44 (0)7973 343 314
+44 (0)20 8747 4869
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
William Bligh had kidney stones
William Bligh had kidney stones.
The Bouty Voyage Re-anactment has just sailed safely past Resolution Island, on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Her four-man crew, led by Tasmanian adventurer Don McIntyre, is being filmed for world TV screening.
The original Captain Bligh had a short fuse, and swore profusely. Can you visualise him squatting over the side of his small open boat, as he relieved himself while the boat lurched from side to side?
HMS Resolution was a sloop of the Royal Navy, and the ship in which Captain James Cook made his second and third voyages of exploration in the Pacific. She impressed him enough that he called her "the ship of my choice", and "the fittest for service of any I have seen."
It was probably about the same size as Captin William Bligh's boat,but it carried many more sails.
The Bouty Voyage Re-anactment has just sailed safely past Resolution Island, on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Her four-man crew, led by Tasmanian adventurer Don McIntyre, is being filmed for world TV screening.
The original Captain Bligh had a short fuse, and swore profusely. Can you visualise him squatting over the side of his small open boat, as he relieved himself while the boat lurched from side to side?
HMS Resolution was a sloop of the Royal Navy, and the ship in which Captain James Cook made his second and third voyages of exploration in the Pacific. She impressed him enough that he called her "the ship of my choice", and "the fittest for service of any I have seen."
It was probably about the same size as Captin William Bligh's boat,but it carried many more sails.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Open letter to Jessica Watson
As I right these words I'm watching u arriving in Sydney after sailing around the world alone in a tiny boat.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Arrival in Sydney
THIS IS AN OPEN LETTER TO JESSICA WATSON.
As I right these words I'm watching u arriving in Sydney after sailing around the world alone in a small boat. Congratulations! Thoousands of Sydneysiders are lining the foreshores to see your arrival, and all five TV stations are showing your tiny boat, Ella's Pink Lady.
I'd like to tell u that ur a different woman from the intrepid 16-year-old who sailed from Sydney a few months ago. u have grown up.
Apart from inspiring children all over the world by proving that if you put your mind to it, u can achieve almost anything. But who would listen to a 91-year-old geezer(or even an old fart)? And, as UNO, we all fart. Sum say everyone farts 37 times a day U must have found it particularly Mbarrassing in your confined quarters
I b leave ima member of your support team, having emailed you once or twice b4.
P.S. I'm watching Knot 1, but all 5 of our TV channels although knot @ the same time.
BTW UR saling close to the wind these days. Do U no the origin of that phrase?
PPS. When I first tried 2 send this mess age 2U, I had 2 rite the words witz edip, which sounds like wits edit!
And I'm a copy editor for Anu Garg's A Word A Daynews letter which he sends five days a week to more than 900,000 wordlovers in 200 coutries.
P.P.P.S.
Seriously, I hope my two - nay, thousand - of readers adopt a suggestion that they eat the same rations today that the TBB (The Bligh Bount voyage re-enactment crew) do, then estimate the cost of the meal, and send that amount to SIF (Sheffield Institute for Neuroscience).
As I right these words I'm watching u arriving in Sydney after sailing around the world alone in a small boat. Congratulations! Thoousands of Sydneysiders are lining the foreshores to see your arrival, and all five TV stations are showing your tiny boat, Ella's Pink Lady.
I'd like to tell u that ur a different woman from the intrepid 16-year-old who sailed from Sydney a few months ago. u have grown up.
Apart from inspiring children all over the world by proving that if you put your mind to it, u can achieve almost anything. But who would listen to a 91-year-old geezer(or even an old fart)? And, as UNO, we all fart. Sum say everyone farts 37 times a day U must have found it particularly Mbarrassing in your confined quarters
I b leave ima member of your support team, having emailed you once or twice b4.
P.S. I'm watching Knot 1, but all 5 of our TV channels although knot @ the same time.
BTW UR saling close to the wind these days. Do U no the origin of that phrase?
PPS. When I first tried 2 send this mess age 2U, I had 2 rite the words witz edip, which sounds like wits edit!
And I'm a copy editor for Anu Garg's A Word A Daynews letter which he sends five days a week to more than 900,000 wordlovers in 200 coutries.
P.P.P.S.
Seriously, I hope my two - nay, thousand - of readers adopt a suggestion that they eat the same rations today that the TBB (The Bligh Bount voyage re-enactment crew) do, then estimate the cost of the meal, and send that amount to SIF (Sheffield Institute for Neuroscience).
Friday, May 7, 2010
Bounty Voyage Renacted
Here's the latest news from Don McIntyre, the Tasmanian adventurer who is leading the Bounty Voyage Re-enactment.
The four-man crew has landed on an island near Nai Nai, Fiji, after nearly running into a dangerous reef. A presnter from the Australian ABC's "Early Morning Show" will interview Don next week:
To contact any member of the crew, send an email to Don Keane at this address:
The four-man crew has landed on an island near Nai Nai, Fiji, after nearly running into a dangerous reef. A presnter from the Australian ABC's "Early Morning Show" will interview Don next week:
What a beautiful island we are at. We pulled the anchor, rowed ashore and tied a line to a coconut tree. We've been trying to catch fish all day, get some more drinking coconuts and have rigged the sails to trees to catch water but no rain yet. We have a fire ready for the fish. Everyone is very lethargic, no energy but we have some repairs to make and reorganisation before we set off - probably in two days.
I will let the crew tell you their impressions. This is a grand adventure and Bligh was a great man...Don from Nai Nai, Fiji
I knew it was going to be a big night on Tuesday and it was. All afternoon we had been sailing toward an island and decided just as I sent the last blog to sail down the windward side as it was getting dark. Seas were big. I was on the helm and about two miles down wind I saw the surf line. We were sailing fast downwind straight for it so altered course 60 degrees to starboard but the reef continued out ...It was all eyes in the cockpit and the seas really started to build. Two sets around 6mtrs came through and I was forced to ride them downwind at 12-15kts. It was exhilarating but we were then sailing straight for the reef! Slowly we crept around the edge which looked to extend about four miles out. We all thought we were pretty dumb as we know about reefs but for some reason we just missed the obvious...it was dark - very dark.
After tha we had to use the compass and I decided to allow torches also as things were getting tough. About five hours later in the dark a BIG island appeared as a shadow to starboard. We could not tell how close we were as we did not know how high it was. Was it a little island close or a big island far off?
Wind was 25-30kts and seas still around 4 to five mtrs. I had just gone off watch when Quilter called out. "TED I HAVE BREAKERS DEAD AHEAD!"
I grabbed my harness/lifejacket and jumped up. They were close and the boat was already rounded up to port hard on the wind and waves. The surf was only a few hundred metres away downwind of us.
You could see the phosphorescence in the water and we thought we could hear the thud of the surf above the noise of the sails and boat!! It was a tense time.
I grabbed for the emergency GPS chart plotter as this was very serious with no idea where the reef line would go. Within minutes I had it up and running but it seemed like forever. It showed us still on the reef line but it was only another 300 mtrs to the edge and we would sail clear which is what we did.
This really made us realise what Bligh had done - was this nuts or what? We were doing this as volunteers - no chart, no nav aids. We had to sail at about 5-7 kts to stay safe in these seas and we were sailing downwind which means if you come across a danger it appears fast.
Anyway we all agreed that if Quilter had not seen the surf it would all have been over in much less than two minutes - it was that close!! Maybe someone was looking over us?
We could not sleep easily because of that and the weather with many little challenges during the night. I was happy to see the light of day but then we could see the size of the waves. It had been building all night and now they took on a different shape - more confused and nasty. We were regularly surfing into the teens and averaging maybe 7kts.
Talisker Bounty Boat is an amazing vessel and was handling it all very well. We were bailing out every 15 minutes and it was challenging to do the simplest things onboard but I continue to look at what we have and how well we are coping rather than the things we do not have or discomforts. If you start with nothing everything after that is a bonus, hey!
All the crew are working as a team so things are going well. When I was on watch at 12 noon, I was surprised at the sea. In the previous 4 hours the waves had become very confused and occasionally big - 6 or 7 metres.
Wind was now up to 35kts at times and higher in the squalls so we decided we weere now in a gale. We were headed north into the gap between the main Fiji Island and Bligh Passage which is littered with reefs.
Our plan had been to go slow during the night even stopping and drifting and to sail during the day so we could see the reefs and islands, but there was no way we could do that with this weather so we were headed up into a dead end gully.
At 12.40 while I was on the helm a huge set loomed up. I had a problem as a squall had just gone through and the wind was only about 25kts.. We were sailing with a deep reefed main only, the headsail and mizzen both lashed.
The first wave hit the boat from the starboard side. I called for the guys to standby for wave! Then out of the blue as we were recovering from that another hit us right out of sequence. This one broke right beside us and right over us.
I was watching it all in slow motion. The mast went down to water level and for a minute I thought it may go right over and we would have to put our training into practice! But no - she came up fast which was a delight to see.
I called everyone to man the buckets. The aft part of the hull was full and just about awash. While they all got to it I turned the boat downwind and within about 6 minutes most of the water was out. I was looking over my shoulder not wanting another big one!!
Everything down below is tied in but still flew around. I dislocated my little toe and took a big hit to my side.
Fortunately there were no other injuries, a little damage to solar panels again and water into out books onboard which is a mini disaster. We all reflected that it was a good exercise and showed the boat has what it takes. We were all very wet but at least we were not swimming.
Conditions remained very challenging all the rest of the day...I made a decision that afternoon to again use the GPS chart plotter as we were running into danger with heavy winds and big seas behind us - not good for any sailor.
So again I have to concede that Bligh is a bigger man than me.
So Wednesday night saw us ride through the entrance of Bligh Waters with the aid of a GPS and turn left heading to a little island called NaiGai where we dropped anchor around midnight.
Everyone was relieved. I had only had a few hours sleep in the past 48 hours. We were all hungry and have not been able to catch rain water so now on 1ltr a day. I am bruised and battered but very happy about the rest of the voyage. TBB and the crew are now one!
This morning I woke after a 5 hour sleep to see what a beautiful island we are at. We pulled the anchor, rowed ashore and tied a line to a coconut tree. We've been trying to catch fish all day, get some more drinking coconuts and have rigged the sails to trees to catch water but no rain yet. We have a fire ready for the fish.
Everyone is very lethargic, no energy but we have some repairs to make and reorganisation before we set off - probably in two days.
I will let the crew tell you their impressions. This is a grand adventure and Bligh was a great man...Don from Nai Nai,Fiji.
To contact any member of the crew, send an email to Don Keane at this address:
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Bligh of the Bounty (continued)
Here's the latest news from Don McIntyre, the Tasmanian adventurer who is leading the Bounty Voyage Re-enactment. The four-man crew has landed on an island near Nai Nai, Fiji, after nearly running into a dangerous reef.
A presnter from the Australian ABC's Early Morning Show will interview Don next week:
A presnter from the Australian ABC's Early Morning Show will interview Don next week:
What a beautiful island we are at. We pulled the anchor, rowed ashore and tied a line to a coconut tree. We've been trying to catch fish all day, get some more drinking coconuts and have rigged the sails to trees to catch water but no rain yet. We have a fire ready for the fish. Everyone is very lethargic, no energy but we have some repairs to make and reorganisation before we set off - probably in two days.
I will let the crew tell you their impressions. This is a grand adventure and Bligh was a great man...Don from Nai Nai, Fiji
I knew it was going to be a big night on Tuesday and it was. All afternoon we had been sailing toward an island and decided just as I sent the last blog to sail down the windward side as it was getting dark. Seas were big. I was on the helm and about two miles down wind I saw the surf line. We were sailing fast downwind straight for it so altered course 60 degrees to starboard but the reef continued out ...It was all eyes in the cockpit and the seas really started to build. Two sets around 6mtrs came through and I was forced to ride them downwind at 12-15kts. It was exhilarating but we were then sailing straight for the reef! Slowly we crept around the edge which looked to extend about four miles out. We all thought we were pretty dumb as we know about reefs but for some reason we just missed the obvious...it was dark - very dark.
After that and we had to use the compass and I decided to allow torches also as things were getting tough. About five hours later in the dark a BIG island appeared as a shadow to starboard. We could not tell how close we were as we did not know how high it was. Was it a little island close or a big island far off? Wind was 25-30kts and seas still around 4 to five metres. I had just gone off watch whenQuilter called out, "TED I HAVE BREAKERS DEAD AHEAD!" I grabbed my harness/lifejacket and jumped up.
They were close and the boat was already rounded up to port hard on the wind and waves. The surf was only a few hundred metres away downwind of us. You could see the phosphorescence in the water and we thought we could hear the thud of the surf above the noise of the sails and boat!! It was a tense time.
I grabbed for the emergency GPS chart plotter as this was very serious with no ideawhere the reef line would go. Within minutes I had it up and running but it seemed like forever. It showed us still on the reef line but it was only another 300 mtrs to the edge and we would sail clear which is what we did. This really made us realise what Bligh had done - was this nuts or what? We were doing this as volunteers - no chart, no nav aids. We had to sail at about 5-7 kts to stay safe in these seas and we were sailing downwind which means if you come across a danger it appears fast. Anyway we all agreed that if Quilter had not seen the surf it would all have been over in much less than two minutes - it was that close!! Maybe someone was looking over us?
We could not sleep easily because of that and the weather with many little challenges during the night. I was happy to see the light of day but then we couldsee the size of the waves. It had been building all night and now they took on a different shape - more confused and nasty. We were regularly surfing into the teensand averaging maybe 7kts. Talisker Bounty Boat is an amazing vessel and was handling it all very well. We were bailing out every 15 minutes and hey!
All the crew are working as a team so things are going well. When I was on watch at 12 noon, I was surprised at the sea. In the previous 4 hours the waves had become very confused and occasionally big - 6 or 7 mtrs. Wind was now up to 35kts at times and higher in the squalls so we decided we were now in a gale. We were headed north into the gap between the main Fiji Island and Bligh Passage which is littered with reefs. Our plan had been to go slow during the night even stopping and drifting and to sail during the day so we could see the reefs and islands but there was no way we could do that with this weather so we were headed up into a dead end gully. At 12.40 while I was on the helm a huge set loomed up. I had a problem as a squallhad justgone through and the wind was only about 25kts.. We eresailingwithadeepreefedmain only, the headsail and mizzen both lashed.
The first wave hit the boat from the starboard side. I called for the guys to standby for wave! Then out of the blue as we were recovering from thait was challenging to do the simplest things onboard but I continue to look at what wehaveand how well we are coping rather than the things we do not have or discomforts. Ifyou startwithnothing everything after that is a bonus,t another hit us right out of sequence. This one broke right beside us and right over us. I was watching it all in slow motion. The mast went down to water level and for a minute I thought it may go right over and we would have to put our training into practice! But no - she came up fast which was a delight to see. I called everyone to man the buckets. The aft part of the hull was full and just about awash. While they all got to it I turned the boat downwind and within about 6 minutes most of the water was out. I was looking over my shoulder not wanting another big one!! Everything down below is tied in but still flew around. I dislocated my little toe and took a big hit to my side. Fortunately there were no other injuries, a little damage to solar panels again and water into out books onboard which is a mini disaster. We all reflected that it was a good exercise and showed the boat has what it takes. We were all very wet but at least we were not swimming.
Conditions remained very challenging all the rest of the day...I made a decision that afternoon to again use the GPS chart plotter as we were running into danger with heavy winds and big seas behind us - not good for any sailor. So again I have to concede that Bligh is a bigger man than me. So Wednesday night saw us ride through the entrance of Bligh Waters with the aid of a GPS and turn left heading to a little island called NaiGai where we dropped anchor around midnight. Everyone was relieved. I had only had a few hours sleep in the past 48 hours. We were all hungry and have not been able to catch rain water so now on 1ltr a day. I am bruised and battered but very happy about the rest of the voyage. TBB and the crew are now one!
This morning I woke after a 5 hour sleep to see what a beautiful island we are at. We pulled the anchor, rowed ashore and tied a line to a coconut tree. We've been trying to catch fish all day, get some more drinking coconuts and have rigged the sails to trees to catch water but no rain yet. We have a fire ready for the fish.
Everyone is very lethargic, no energy but we have some repairs to make and reorganisation before we set off - probably in two days.
I will let the crew tell you their impressions. This is a grand adventure and Bligh was a great man...Don from Nai Nai, Fiji.
You can contact any member of the crew by sending an email to Stuart Keane@talktalk.net
Stuart has had a varied and interesting career. I googled his name, and found this bio:
Former Professional Rugby League Player,The first Pro R.L. player to break his Neck, Be Paralyzed and Play Professionally again!(1959). Ran a leisure company which exported to 54 country's ,sold out because of health issues in the early 90s. Became a Patron of the Sheffield Institute Foundation in 2007 after my eldest son Shaun was diagnosed with Motor Nuerone Disease. Shaun died in January this year,aged 40 years young.Leaving a wife and three young daughters,aged 7,9 & 11. With the help of my wife Lynn and daughter Danielle I am now concentrating even more in helping the other great Patrons of SIF raising the last few £millions needed to create theworld's first dedicated research cenrer in to MND.also known as Lou Gerhigs, & ALS. My Nickname in my business life was"The Kentucky Kid" I had a product that became world famous called "The Kentucky Derby" it was a game of skill that was sold to Theme Parks. In my photograph displayed perched on my right shoulder is my Parrot "Tali-Talisker" he informs me that he is 231 years old and that he went on the original TBB all those years ago? Would you believe him?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Bounty Mutiny Voyage Re-enactment
Today is April 28 in Australia, but it's only April 27 in Tonga, which is the other side of the International date line. So the Talisker Bounty Boat (TBB) is about to set sail for Timor, re-enacting the perilous voyage of William Bligh, captain of HMS (His Majesty's Ship) Bounty, after his crew had mutinied and set him adrift in an open boat. He travelled all the way to Timor, a feat which is thought to be the greatest navigational achivement in maritime history.
Bligh sailed a 45-foot (14 metre) open boat with 18 men from Tonga to West Timor in 48 days, surviving partly by catching fish and seabirds and drinking rain water.
His feat — achieved without charts or compass — has been portrayed in novels, poems and in several "Mutiny on the Bounty" films starring British actor Charles Laughton and Hollywood stars Clark Gable and Marlon Brando.
The new expedition is sailing in a 25-foot (7-metre) open deck boat, the Talisker Bounty, which has two small sails. The team expects to take seven weeks to cover the distance.
"It is going to be really an adventure," , the expedition leader, Australian Don McIntyre, told a reporter. "Our boat is half the size of Bligh's boat, so the challenge is trying to survive on board. Our biggest fear is capsizing."
Wikipedia says "Fletcher Christian (25 September 1764 – 20 September 1793) was a Master's mate on board the Bounty during William Bligh's fateful voyage to Tahiti for breadfruit plants. It was Christian who seized command of the Bounty from Bligh on 28 April 1789."
McIntyre said they would carry the same food as Bligh had on board in 1789. It included 150 pounds (67 kilograms) of ship biscuits, 16 pounds (7 kilograms) of pork, six quarts of rum, six bottles of wine and 28 gallons (106 litres) of water.
Like Bligh, the crew has no modern navigational equipment such as charts, compass or lights.
The team will film their re-enactment for a documentary.
The mutineers, led by Fletcher Christian, eventually settled in Pitcairn Island, where they burnt the Bounty, sinking its hull so they could not be found.
About 50 of their descendants still live on the remote island, Britain's last remaining territory in the Pacific. Others live on Pitcairn Island.
English actor Charles Laughton starred in a memorable film, Mutiny on the Bounty. American heart-throb Clark Gable was cast as Fletcher Christian. You can see brief extracts in a trailer posted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Christian. It won an Academy Award for Best Picture of 1935.
A few days ago I asked Stuart Keane, an expedition member, how they coul claim their boat was a replica of the original, since it's only half the size. He replied:
Stuart said that Fletcher Christian's brother was in the crowd farewelling the re-enactment boat. "Just after a photo was taken we had crowds asking all about the TBBE and the chap slipped away without us getting his details -- perhaps you would like to run an international quest to find him. It would be fun and create added interest to our quest"
Why is the re-enactment vessel called the Talisker Bounty Boat?
Stuart Keane explained "Talisker is the name of the main sponsor of the TBB expedition 2010. It is the name of a single mallt whisky distilled on the Isle of Skye in Scotland since 1830."
The Duke of Devonshire wrote
You can follow the journey by visiting the officil blog: http://www.bountyboat.blogspot.com/
FOOTNOTE: My sister Sylvia Oliver, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand, says, "A challenging journey ... I hope they are successful. I don't know where mythical Hawaiki was, but there would be some Maori who would be sure their first canoes to reach NZ had a longer open boat journey in the 15th century."
Bligh sailed a 45-foot (14 metre) open boat with 18 men from Tonga to West Timor in 48 days, surviving partly by catching fish and seabirds and drinking rain water.
His feat — achieved without charts or compass — has been portrayed in novels, poems and in several "Mutiny on the Bounty" films starring British actor Charles Laughton and Hollywood stars Clark Gable and Marlon Brando.
The new expedition is sailing in a 25-foot (7-metre) open deck boat, the Talisker Bounty, which has two small sails. The team expects to take seven weeks to cover the distance.
"It is going to be really an adventure," , the expedition leader, Australian Don McIntyre, told a reporter. "Our boat is half the size of Bligh's boat, so the challenge is trying to survive on board. Our biggest fear is capsizing."
Wikipedia says "Fletcher Christian (25 September 1764 – 20 September 1793) was a Master's mate on board the Bounty during William Bligh's fateful voyage to Tahiti for breadfruit plants. It was Christian who seized command of the Bounty from Bligh on 28 April 1789."
McIntyre said they would carry the same food as Bligh had on board in 1789. It included 150 pounds (67 kilograms) of ship biscuits, 16 pounds (7 kilograms) of pork, six quarts of rum, six bottles of wine and 28 gallons (106 litres) of water.
Like Bligh, the crew has no modern navigational equipment such as charts, compass or lights.
The team will film their re-enactment for a documentary.
The mutineers, led by Fletcher Christian, eventually settled in Pitcairn Island, where they burnt the Bounty, sinking its hull so they could not be found.
About 50 of their descendants still live on the remote island, Britain's last remaining territory in the Pacific. Others live on Pitcairn Island.
English actor Charles Laughton starred in a memorable film, Mutiny on the Bounty. American heart-throb Clark Gable was cast as Fletcher Christian. You can see brief extracts in a trailer posted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Christian. It won an Academy Award for Best Picture of 1935.
A few days ago I asked Stuart Keane, an expedition member, how they coul claim their boat was a replica of the original, since it's only half the size. He replied:
The Talisker Bounty Boat is indeed smaller than the original BB. It is very similar to Shackleton's James Caid. All three were classed as whaling boats.
The TBB with a crew of four represents the same challenge that Bligh and his crew had, in as much that the TBB crew will only have the same square footage per man that Bligh and his men had and the same freeboard.
Don McIntyre considered building an exact replica but came to the conclusion that it would be a problem getting eighteenrew to volunteer, also the cost would be prohibitive building a larger one.
This was a wise decision in view of the fact of the problems with crew pulling out at the last minute and a tremendous overrun of the budget due to unforeseen problems like the trouble Don has had with his onboard communications satellite systems.
If anything it's a greater challenge with such a smaller boat on those huge seas which are forecast.
Incidentally I am meeting tomorrow with a professor of fine arts, David Cotterill from Sheffield University. He has created a computerised film of the view that the crew would have had from the original Bounty Boat.
He gathered his material from historic documents such as Bligh's log and weather reports of that time His film runs for ten hours and Don sees it as an ideal backdrop to the Talisker Bounty Boat when it returns and is displayed at museums throughout the world.
Stuart said that Fletcher Christian's brother was in the crowd farewelling the re-enactment boat. "Just after a photo was taken we had crowds asking all about the TBBE and the chap slipped away without us getting his details -- perhaps you would like to run an international quest to find him. It would be fun and create added interest to our quest"
Why is the re-enactment vessel called the Talisker Bounty Boat?
Stuart Keane explained "Talisker is the name of the main sponsor of the TBB expedition 2010. It is the name of a single mallt whisky distilled on the Isle of Skye in Scotland since 1830."
The Duke of Devonshire wrote
Dear Don and all your intrepid crew. This comes with very best wishes from Stoker and Amanda Devonshire in England. We have been following your progress so far on your web site and we are confident that you will have an epic and extremely successful journey.
The support that you are giving to the Sheffield Institute Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease is hugely appreciated, and we look forward to seeing you on your return to congratulate you peronally. -- Ther Duke of Devonshire KCVO, CBE, DL
You can follow the journey by visiting the officil blog: http://www.bountyboat.blogspot.com/
FOOTNOTE: My sister Sylvia Oliver, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand, says, "A challenging journey ... I hope they are successful. I don't know where mythical Hawaiki was, but there would be some Maori who would be sure their first canoes to reach NZ had a longer open boat journey in the 15th century."
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Bounty Boat Ready to Set Sail from Tonga
Last-minute new crew mambers have boarded the Bounty Boat which is due to sail from Tonga on April 28 to re-enact Lieutenant William Bligh's 3700-mile voyage from Tonga to Timor - the grestest open-boat navigation achievement in maritime history. Bligh had commanded HMS Bounty until most of the crew mutinied and set him adrift, with sailors who had refused to mutiny.
Australian adventurer Don McIntyre plans to set sail on April 28, in a replica of Bligh’s 25-foot-long, 5-foot-wide. boat built by Tongan craftsmen, following the journey across the Pacific from Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor. He hopes to begin his trip on the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after Bligh's original voyage.
Two days ago I sent this email to the expedition:
I received this reply from another crew member, Stuart Keane:
The expedition has attracted great interest from the world's media, including the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/04/20/world/AP-AS-Tonga-Bounty-Voyage.html?_r=1
McIntyre has already given countless TV, radio and press interviews, and is sure to be asked for many more in the course of the voyage.
After making a donation to the Sheffield Instiuter Foundation in the UK, Jonathon, a keen suppoter of the re-enactment, , commented, "You are delightfully mad and a divine inspiration to us all! May your God go with you on this adventure."
The original Bligh of the Bounty later became governor of the Australian convict colony New South Wales,
which at that time included Queensland. He was a
bad-tempered, hard-swearing man who antagonised many of the citizenry, mostly military officers and wealthy settlers.
Eventually he was arrested. It was popularly believed that he had hidden under a bed in Government House to avoid arrest, but that story may be apocryphal.
He died in London on December 6,1817.
o You can follow the Bounty voyage by visiting the expedition's blog http://www.bountyboat.blogspot.com/. You can send them a message by adding a comment .
o Charles Laughton starred in a memorable film, Mutiny on the Bounty, in1937. A brief video is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtmV2tpbnjA
o For more details about Bligh, see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bligh
P.S. I've just received another message from Stuart Keane. It reads:
Australian adventurer Don McIntyre plans to set sail on April 28, in a replica of Bligh’s 25-foot-long, 5-foot-wide. boat built by Tongan craftsmen, following the journey across the Pacific from Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor. He hopes to begin his trip on the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after Bligh's original voyage.
A few days ago, McIntyre wrote in his blog:"Just to let you know how organised we are...it was in 1990 that I last had to use a sextant for real..that was when I sailed solo from Sydney to Tonga as my 2000 mile qualifying voyage before the BOC Challenge single handed around the world yacht race...I can still remember packing my sextant away when I dropped anchor just a few miles from here ..I have never used a sextant in earnest since..anyway I now have to learn how to do it again...I will be using an Octant.. Bligh had a head start but hey..I like achallenge!"
Two days ago I sent this email to the expedition:
Hi Don. I've posted a story about your epic voyage in my blog http://lifebeginsat80.blogspot.com/
It has been published in the Pitcairn and Norfolk Island newspapers.
Do you know that the premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, is a great-great-great-great-great-grand-daughte of Bligh of the Bounty?
Good luck! Best wishes to you and your crew.
I received this reply from another crew member, Stuart Keane:
On behalf of the Sheffield Institute Foundation Patrons, thank you for posting the Talisker Bounty Boat Story so far. Pleases inform as many people as you can through your journalist skills and outlets,The more people who know about TBB and The SIF the more chance we have to get donations and help eradicate this most horrible of diseases.
Thanks a lot for your help.
Kindest regards
Stuart
Stuart Keane,
Patron,
To the Sheffield Institute Foundation,
for Research into Motor Neurone Disease,
& Other Neurological Disorders.
M 07737534918
www.sifoundation.com
www.taliskerbountyboat.com
The expedition has attracted great interest from the world's media, including the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/04/20/world/AP-AS-Tonga-Bounty-Voyage.html?_r=1
McIntyre has already given countless TV, radio and press interviews, and is sure to be asked for many more in the course of the voyage.
After making a donation to the Sheffield Instiuter Foundation in the UK, Jonathon, a keen suppoter of the re-enactment, , commented, "You are delightfully mad and a divine inspiration to us all! May your God go with you on this adventure."
The original Bligh of the Bounty later became governor of the Australian convict colony New South Wales,
which at that time included Queensland. He was a
bad-tempered, hard-swearing man who antagonised many of the citizenry, mostly military officers and wealthy settlers.
Eventually he was arrested. It was popularly believed that he had hidden under a bed in Government House to avoid arrest, but that story may be apocryphal.
He died in London on December 6,1817.
o You can follow the Bounty voyage by visiting the expedition's blog http://www.bountyboat.blogspot.com/. You can send them a message by adding a comment .
o Charles Laughton starred in a memorable film, Mutiny on the Bounty, in1937. A brief video is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtmV2tpbnjA
o For more details about Bligh, see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bligh
P.S. I've just received another message from Stuart Keane. It reads:
The Crew are Don,McIntyre Skipper,
David Wilkinson,
David Pryce,(nick named Quilter)
and 18year old Chris Wylde
If you go on the Talisker Bounty Boat website and look under The Crew heading you can view the profile of each one.
Talsiker is the name of the main sponsor of the TBB expedition 2010,
It is the name of a single mallt whisky distilled on the Isle of Skye in Scotland since 1830.
Cheers for now Stuart
Friday, April 16, 2010
Bligh of the Bounty voyage re-enactment
Will global warming affect Australian adventurer Don McIntyre's bid to re-enact Captain William Bligh's historic 3,700-mile voyage in an open boat, sailing from Tahiti all the way to Timor? The water will be warmer, and perhaps climate change will lead to perilous storms and huge waves.
McIntyre plans to set sail on April 28, in a replica of Bligh’s 25-foot-long, 5-foot-wide. boat built by Tongan craftsmen, following the journey across the Pacific from Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor. He will begin his trip on the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after Bligh's epic original mutiny journey.
McIntyre has had to make last-minute changes to his crew, because a key member of his fellow adventurers dropped out at the last minute. He has been replaced by a London university student with no sailing experience but with a burning ambition to join the expedition.
A few days ago, McIntyre said ”This trip has been a long time in the making. Flying into the Kingdom of Tonga and looking at the blue ocean, I realised it is really all happening now. We were then given the friendliest welcome that you could ever imagine. We knew certainly that we are among friends when we got here.”
McIntyre then joked that “a couple of weeks ago I had my own mutiny and lost two of my crew”, referring to the fact that two of the Talisker crew members pulled out last week citing medical reasons. Mike Perham, who holds the record as the world's Youngest Solo Circumnavigator, pulled out after having his appendix removed. Perham was replaced last week by 18 year old Christopher Wilde, of Warwick in the UK, who has no boating or sailing experience at all but simply blind passion.
It was in April 1789 that the famous ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ occurred just off the waters of the islands of Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga. The story goes that, whilst in the Pacific, the Bounty crew were attracted to the idyllic life and were angered by the (alleged) cruelty of their commanding officer William Bligh. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian and some of his followers and they tried to get Bligh to sail the Bounty back to Tahiti because they terribly missed their Tahitian mistresses. Bligh did not agree with the mutineers and he insisted they continue sailing to Australia. McIntyre added here that “someone stole the Captain’s coconuts and that cause the Mutiny”.
Fletcher Christian and his followers then cast commanding officer William Bligh and Bligh’s loyal crew adrift in a boat near Tofua Island in Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga. Whilst Fletcher and the mutineers sailed to Pitcairn Island and settled there, Bligh and his men sailed for 48 days and over an epic 4000 nautical miles from Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga to Kupang in Timor in an overloaded boat (traditionally used to lift an anchor) with little food or water and no charts.
McIntyre and the Talisker Bounty Boat crew face the same deprivations as the original crew that were cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific. Using their replica 18th century traditional open timber whale boat, they will relive Bligh’s nightmare by attempting to sail the same voyage under similar conditions with the same amount of food and water. Bligh and his crew only had 150lb of ships biscuits, 16 two pound pieces of Pork, 6 quarts of Rum, 6 Bottles of wine and 28 gallons of water.
The crew told the Tonga Visitors Bureau that they will carry 70g muesli bar, 210g baked beans, 90g ship biscuit, 2 liter water, 100g nuts, 75g raisins, 170g beef, 90g ship biscuit per person for 25 days only. They hope to catch fish, gather a supply of fruit, vegetable and coconuts in Tonga (rather than catch and eat birds) and supplement their 28 gallons of water with rain water.
A thin Wilde, who is on a mission to eat as much as possible in the next week in order to bulk up for the mission, is certainly in the right country for that. Not only are Tongans known for their inimitable sense of hospitality and musical talent, they are also known for their girth and love of feasting. McIntyre himself noted he’s purposely put on weight but expects to “loose 16kg by the end of the voyage”, adding “we will look pretty different by the end of it”. McIntyre explained that during their voyage, the crew will monitor their health by “taking blood samples every week and undergoing psych tests”. The latter causing laugher amongst the crew who will need to deal with emotions like fears and anger and use “
"self awareness and communication to create a stronger team and support each other throughout the difficult times, of which their certainly will be many”.
Will they survive on of the greatest open boat journeys in Maritime History? Their odds are far higher than if they were sufferers of a motor neurone disease. The Talisker Bounty Boat 2010 Expedition are making their journey to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute for Motor Neurone Disease.
McIntyre told the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) that his crew plan to set up their a 25ft long, 7ft wide, open wooden vessel at Royal Sunset Resort (offshore from Tongatapu). They hope to have the boat, and their satellite blog that will record their positions automatically onto Google Earth every two hours and replicate Bligh’s meticulous Log, up and running as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Stuart Kershaw, the crew's expedition cameraman, will be steadfastly working on recording as much about Tonga and its people as possible for a 4-6 part documentary on the Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition. McIntyre expects the first episode to be about when preparations and one episode to start with his arrival in Tonga and finish as he sails away from the Island of Tofua, about five days after the Mutiny took place.
McIntyre plans to set sail on April 28, in a replica of Bligh’s 25-foot-long, 5-foot-wide. boat built by Tongan craftsmen, following the journey across the Pacific from Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor. He will begin his trip on the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after Bligh's epic original mutiny journey.
McIntyre has had to make last-minute changes to his crew, because a key member of his fellow adventurers dropped out at the last minute. He has been replaced by a London university student with no sailing experience but with a burning ambition to join the expedition.
A few days ago, McIntyre said ”This trip has been a long time in the making. Flying into the Kingdom of Tonga and looking at the blue ocean, I realised it is really all happening now. We were then given the friendliest welcome that you could ever imagine. We knew certainly that we are among friends when we got here.”
McIntyre then joked that “a couple of weeks ago I had my own mutiny and lost two of my crew”, referring to the fact that two of the Talisker crew members pulled out last week citing medical reasons. Mike Perham, who holds the record as the world's Youngest Solo Circumnavigator, pulled out after having his appendix removed. Perham was replaced last week by 18 year old Christopher Wilde, of Warwick in the UK, who has no boating or sailing experience at all but simply blind passion.
It was in April 1789 that the famous ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ occurred just off the waters of the islands of Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga. The story goes that, whilst in the Pacific, the Bounty crew were attracted to the idyllic life and were angered by the (alleged) cruelty of their commanding officer William Bligh. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian and some of his followers and they tried to get Bligh to sail the Bounty back to Tahiti because they terribly missed their Tahitian mistresses. Bligh did not agree with the mutineers and he insisted they continue sailing to Australia. McIntyre added here that “someone stole the Captain’s coconuts and that cause the Mutiny”.
Fletcher Christian and his followers then cast commanding officer William Bligh and Bligh’s loyal crew adrift in a boat near Tofua Island in Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga. Whilst Fletcher and the mutineers sailed to Pitcairn Island and settled there, Bligh and his men sailed for 48 days and over an epic 4000 nautical miles from Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga to Kupang in Timor in an overloaded boat (traditionally used to lift an anchor) with little food or water and no charts.
McIntyre and the Talisker Bounty Boat crew face the same deprivations as the original crew that were cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific. Using their replica 18th century traditional open timber whale boat, they will relive Bligh’s nightmare by attempting to sail the same voyage under similar conditions with the same amount of food and water. Bligh and his crew only had 150lb of ships biscuits, 16 two pound pieces of Pork, 6 quarts of Rum, 6 Bottles of wine and 28 gallons of water.
The crew told the Tonga Visitors Bureau that they will carry 70g muesli bar, 210g baked beans, 90g ship biscuit, 2 liter water, 100g nuts, 75g raisins, 170g beef, 90g ship biscuit per person for 25 days only. They hope to catch fish, gather a supply of fruit, vegetable and coconuts in Tonga (rather than catch and eat birds) and supplement their 28 gallons of water with rain water.
A thin Wilde, who is on a mission to eat as much as possible in the next week in order to bulk up for the mission, is certainly in the right country for that. Not only are Tongans known for their inimitable sense of hospitality and musical talent, they are also known for their girth and love of feasting. McIntyre himself noted he’s purposely put on weight but expects to “loose 16kg by the end of the voyage”, adding “we will look pretty different by the end of it”. McIntyre explained that during their voyage, the crew will monitor their health by “taking blood samples every week and undergoing psych tests”. The latter causing laugher amongst the crew who will need to deal with emotions like fears and anger and use “
"self awareness and communication to create a stronger team and support each other throughout the difficult times, of which their certainly will be many”.
Will they survive on of the greatest open boat journeys in Maritime History? Their odds are far higher than if they were sufferers of a motor neurone disease. The Talisker Bounty Boat 2010 Expedition are making their journey to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute for Motor Neurone Disease.
McIntyre told the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) that his crew plan to set up their a 25ft long, 7ft wide, open wooden vessel at Royal Sunset Resort (offshore from Tongatapu). They hope to have the boat, and their satellite blog that will record their positions automatically onto Google Earth every two hours and replicate Bligh’s meticulous Log, up and running as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Stuart Kershaw, the crew's expedition cameraman, will be steadfastly working on recording as much about Tonga and its people as possible for a 4-6 part documentary on the Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition. McIntyre expects the first episode to be about when preparations and one episode to start with his arrival in Tonga and finish as he sails away from the Island of Tofua, about five days after the Mutiny took place.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Five nations say they own World's Oldest Dog
Minius may be 26 (or even 27) while Max turned 26 last year
Where on earth is the world's oldest dog? Poland is the latest country to claim the title, which the US and Britain have hotly contested for years.
"Poland's oldest dog - quite possibly the oldest woofer in the world - celebrated his 25th birthday in Poznan over the weekend in the company of two four-legged female admirers," Poznan-Life.com http://www.poznan-life.com/news/news/53-Poland reported.
"Minius, who was rescued some 25 years ago by the animal aid foundation Zwierzeta i My (Animals and Us), was presented with a special cake for his anniversary, which he shared with his two friends.
"Of course, as Minius was plucked from the Poznan streets, it's impossible to know when his true birthday actually is. He could actually be a mighty 26 or 27, making him quite possibly the oldest dog on the planet.
"His current owner says that Minius, a mixed breed, is still in good shape, but enjoys sleeping for much of the day...."
Posnan News http://www.thenews.pl/national/print.aspx?id=123871 says "The oldest dog in Poland or possibly in the world, has just celebrated his 25th – or 26th (it’s not certain) birthday.
"The story of Minius, a mixed breed, comes from animal aid foundation Zwierzeta i My in the mid-western city of Poznan.
"Minius was a two-year-old stray when he was taken in from an animal shelter by his first owner. When she died and he was found guarding her body, he was taken over by the Foundation and found a new home.
"His current owner says that Minius, in spite of his age, is in good condition but best likes to sleep."
Germany has a 25-year-old Bernese mountain dog called Penny, which is described as "the Methusalah among the dogs". Here's a Google translation of a German website:
Bernese mountain dog "Penny" is true with 25 as the Methuselah among the dogs. Just recently, the news went through the headlines that dachshund lady "Chanel died" as the oldest dog in the world at the age of 21 years near New York. But reports from Bavaria, the mistress of the allegedly true Methuselah among the dogs have their say. My Bernese Mountain Dog "Penny", like "Chanel" a
dog lady, is already 25 years old and because of good Bavarian mountain air was still alive and kicking. As an absolute record holder among the old dogs subject to a Australian Cattle Dog, who made it up to 29 years.
In New York, the national newspaper USA Today published a story headed New world's oldest dog? German woman claims hers is 25:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/pawprintpost/post/2009/09/whose-dog-is-the-oldest-german-woman-claims-hers-is-25/1
America's nominee for the world title is a terrier-mix named Max, owned by Janelle Derouen, in New Iberia, Louisiana.
Louisiana WBRZ-TV reporter Katherine Gouder wrote last September http://www1.wbrz.com/news/worlds-oldest-dog-in-new-iberia/
A woman and her best friend in New Iberia are waiting to hear back from officials at Guinness World Records. They're waiting to see if Max, a 26 year old mixed terrior, is the world's oldest dog.
Janelle Derouen says she's worried whether Max will still
be around by the time the confirmation papers arrive. She sent the vet's
record of Max's birth and puppy shots from August of 1983 to Guinness.
Max is already five years older than current record holder, Chanel, a dachshund who died this summer at 21 years old.
Guinness representatives say they've received thousands of claims for the record since Chanel's death.
You can read more about Max and see his photo at http://tinyurl.com/n8nne2
Surpringly, two of Britain's national newspapers have shown more interest in Max than have the US media. The Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1205517/Max-terrier-worlds-oldest-dog-celebrates-26th-birthday.html and The Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6001090/Worlds-oldest-dog-turns-26.html both ran a story and pictures about Max celebrating his 26th birthday last year.
What was the world's oldest dog of all time? An Australian cattle dog called Bluey. Born on June 7, 1910, his 100th birthday will be celebrated this year by people living in Rochester, a country town 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of Melbourne, Victoria, not far from last year's disastrous bushfires.
Bluey worked among sheep and cattle for 20 years, and survived until November
14, 1939, when he was put down.
He had lived for 29 years, five months and seven days, on a diet of kangaroos and emus. According to Guinness, Bluey was the world's oldest dog, a record that has never been beaten.
You can see his photo and read more about him at http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=384908&rel_no=1
Australia wonders whether its current oldest dog, a Tenterfield Terrier named Daisy, aged 25, will live long enough to challenge Bluey's world record.
Daisy's owner, Julie Penlington, originally discovered the Tenterfield terrier at the Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge when the poor one-eyed pooch was five or six, so it's difficult to know Daisy's exact age.
Is Daisy the oldest pooch alive? Sarah Crawford asked, in Queensland's Sunshine Coast Daily
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2009/12/23/is-daisy-the-oldest-pooch-on-the-planet/ . She reported:
Daisy, the one-eyed tenterfield terrier from Mooloolaba, is not winning any
beauty competitions, but she may be top dog in another category – the world’s
oldest pooch.
The old girl has managed to conquer a long list of health problems and a
stint on death row at the pound to reach the age of 25. That means she beats the
Guinness World Record holder by four years....
Besides having only one eye,
Daisy has had chronic asthma for five years and must be administered a puffer
dose twice a day....
Ms Penlington, who is the president of 4 Paws Animal
Rescue, picked up Daisy from the Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge 20 years ago. At
the refuge, a vet had assessed Daisy as probably being six years old, but the
age on her card was filled in as five years, to make her more attractive to
potential owners.
“They had her there for nine months before I took her –
she was rescued from the pound,” Ms Penlington said. “She had been running
around the ginger factory at Yandina for a couple of weeks when she was picked
up."
Ms Penlington said she was considering registering Daisy with Guinness
World Records.
“The only reason I would do it is to let people see how a
little rescued pet can come from adversity and with love and attention can live
a long, full life,” she said.
Now comes news of a little-known Texan dachshund, Wiley, with his own blog, http://tinyurl.com/y9bw4yb, who is said to have lived for 31 years. His grieving Aunt Maryee
http://tinyurl.com/yl78o8x claims he was born on July 17, 1976, and crossed the Rainbow Bridge on January 24, 2008.
We found this reference to Wiley:
http://www.dailydachshundanddognews.com/2007/11/is-dachshund-worlds-oldest-dog.html
The Daily Doxie has recently had a number of hits from people looking
for information on the life expectancy of a dachshund. So here is the answer: 12 to 15 years. But take heart, we have a number of readers whose wiener dogs have reached 17 and 18 years of age.Thanks to the internet we also discovered, during the course of our research, a website entitled "Wiley, the 31-year-old
Dachshund."Apparently, Wiley's owners have taken some steps to try and get him into the Guinness World Book of Records... but no luck.It seems he might have outlived his breeder, who is needed to vouch for his puported longevity.Without the required papers, Wiley's not getting much respect for his claim to the aged dog throne. The Waco Tribune declined to print the news of his 30th birthday, leaving him to keep on keeping on via the internet where his last blog post, written September 23, is entitled, "I'm alive."
It's all very confusing. Which pooch do you think deserves to be called The World's Oldest Dog?
FOONOTE: Forget that nonense about a dog's age beine one seventh of a human's. It's an old wives' tale. See "How old is your dog?" http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/age.htm
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