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
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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
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