Voyage of the Bounty Boat

Blogging Now on Bluetreasure.me!

2011-02-20T14:12:00.001+11:00

Well there have been quite a few things going on in the past months,
including a 7 week expedition in Antarctica and the Talisker Bounty Boat
being on display at the Tasmanian Wooden Boat Festival. I was not there, as
I was returning from Antarctica at the time, but the boat was a special
exhibit in Prime position and manned by George Ramm a volunteer. Thousands
of people streamed past apparently and it was a huge success, so thanks to
all for setting that up.

Progress is steady but slow with the planned Shackleton James Caird
expedition in Feb/March 2012, but for now my total focus is on
www.Bluetreasure.me Expedition and the hunt for something special?. The blog
is now live every week and will move to daily updates in the next few weeks
as we set out from the Philippines in early April voyaging across the
Pacific through Micronesia to Tonga and the unknown.

The Sheffield Institute is up and fully functional now, with Stage 2 of the
fundraising in full swing. I have pledged 20% of any of the treasure/profits
coming my way from this treasure hunt to SIF, so while I know the
researchers will be working hard to make new discoveries into the effects
and cure of MND, I have a real incentive to make new discoveries underwater
too...

So look forward to seeing you all on the Blog at Bluetreasure.me!

I will post here when the Talisker Bounty boat Book and Doco are completed,
which may be late this year, but for now, this will be the last blog for
awhile. Thanks for being such good supporters. It was a Grand Adventure!

Here we go AGAIN!!!

2010-12-05T18:37:00.000+11:00

Join the "BLUE TREASURE" Expedition.

Bligh managed to sail away from Tonga, but many sailors did not make it with
their ships overrun,then all the crew killed and their ships burnt to the
waterline and sunk after being plundered..SO?? Some are still there,
untouched in the Deep Blue! I am going back! It could be an interesting
story.

If you want to follow this new adventure go to www.bluetreasure.me and if
you want to come I am looking for crew!

In the mean time...HURRY!! The auction below is about to finnish!!

I am about to head to the Philippines to visit ICE and make some
preperations for next year, then off to Antarctica!

Attention Important Auction of Memoribilia from Talisker Bounty Boat expedition 2010

2010-12-03T22:14:00.006+11:00

EBAY CHRISTMAS CHARITY AUCTION LAUNCHES WITH UNIQUE F1 AND MANCHESTER UNITED GOODS-

Bid for money-can’t-buy experiences and raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease

Fancy having a personal meeting with Jenson Button or Lewis Hamilton and your own VIP tour of the world famous McLaren Technical Centre? How about one of only 600 exclusive Hublot Red Devil Bang Manchester United watches personally presented by Manchester United players? These are just a few of the priceless experiences up for grabs on a special Christmas auction for which the entire money raised will go towards finding a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

From midnight tomorrow (00.01, Wednesday 1^st December), Formula 1, football and whisky fans alike will have seven days to vie for these money-can’t-buy items, on the Talisker Bounty Boat auction page on eBay at www.taliskerbountyboatauction.co.uk.

· One of only 600 Hublot Red Devil Bang Manchester United watches personally presented by Manchester United players. This is the official Manchester United watch and is highly sought after among watch collectors. This package also includes four VIP hospitality tickets to a Manchester United match at Old Trafford.

· Personal VIP tour of McLaren’s state-of-the art Technology Centre in Surrey followed by a three course lunch and one-on-one meet with either Jenson Button or Lewis Hamilton.

· A tour of the McLaren Technology Centre for 4 people & a look at the McLaren MP4-12C roadcar for four people, with a drive in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes development simulator for one of the guests

· A framed set of Lewis Hamilton’s overalls from his 2008 World Championship winning season

· A replica race helmet signed by Jenson Button

· A tour of the McLaren Technology Centre for two people

· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race helmet, from the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500. Autographed by the starting field, including Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton and many others.

· Nascar overalls worn by Greg Biffle

· Four Talisker VIP packages, including a personalised tour of the Talisker distillery in Scotland, by Distillery Manager Mark Lochead and bottle of Talisker 18 signed by the Distillery Manager.

· 20 bottles of Talisker 10 year old single malt whisky with labels that were on the Talisker Bounty Boat throughout the historical expedition and signed by the crew members in Kupang.

Ryan Giggs, first team player at Manchester United, said in support of the auction: “Both myself and the team are honoured to be able to help raise some much needed funds for Motor Neurone Disease. We’re looking forward to meeting the successful bidder and presenting this exclusive Hublot watch.”

The auction, organised by the Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition, is raising vital funds for the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), whose new world-class research centre into Motor Neurone Disease is due to be inaugurated by HM the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Sheffield on 18^th November. The money raised specifically from this auction will provide funding for a world leading researcher to spend a year working with the SITraN team, advancing our understanding of Motor Neurone Disease, giving sufferers the hope of an efficient treatment and hopefully a cure.

To bid for your favourite items in the auction, go to: www.taliskerbountyboatauction.co.uk

WHAT A DAY!!! AMAZING....

2010-11-21T07:40:00.005+11:00

Don outside the New SITraN Building the day before the official opening.( Press Day)
Don being Capt Bligh again with with Cabin Boy Chris prior to the Queen arriving.
Don Chatting to S.I.F patron's Julie & Nick Palmer, Nick has Motor Nuerone Disease.

You can read all about it at the end of this blog but yes!! SITranS is now open and I met the Queen and his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen was quite interested in the expedition and impressed with pictures of the boat. His Royal Highness, being a sailor thought we were crazy I think, but had a laugh about me being “Bligh” with the crew. We chatted for a few minutes. I bowed and shook hands with both…it was an amazing experience to feel that Royal “presence” which is simply too hard to describe. I was caught up in it. Everyone there that day was feeding off the Queen’s energy and you felt the real warmth and giving from her. I wore my kilt with a dagger in my sock?? as you do, but the very tight security did not mind…I was a low risk obviously.

The Duke of Devonshire was also there with many local dignitaries, all the patrons and supporters of SIF along with the all important researchers who now reside permanently in the most amazing facility. It is a modern, open building which simply feels right. It is state of the art everything. All involved with it’s creation can feel justifiably proud. I am not a scientist, but you can sense that the work environment will be conducive to creativity. We will surely see some big things come from here in the future.

When it was all done that morning, a few select people ( me too) got to have lunch with the Queen. This was a whole new experience in a grand hall straight out of Harry Potter. About then I really did have to pinch myself, as it was very surreal. No pictures were allowed, but I got to keep the invitations to remember a very special day.

Tomorrow I fly back to China where I hope to hide till Xmas and start writing the book!! I managed to spend an afternoon working on the James Caird yesterday which is all progressing well. There is plenty of info about SIF on this web site, so check it out and if you wanted to donate $ to SIF, you can do it through the “Just Giving” links here too.

The QUEEN TO VISIT SHEFFIELD FOR OPENING OF NEW RESEARCH CENTRE

2010-11-08T21:36:00.006+11:00

ROYAL INAUGURATION OF NEW INSTITUTE
HERALDS FRESH HOPE FOR VICTIMS OF MND

QUEEN TO VISIT SHEFFIELD FOR OPENING OF NEW RESEARCH CENTRE

The first Institute for Motor Neurone Disease will be inaugurated by HM the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Sheffield on 18th November.
The £16m Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, SITraN, is a world-class research centre lead by Professor Pam Shaw who, with her team of nearly 100 international scientists will work towards solving the mysteries of MND – one of the world’s most under researched diseases for which currently there is no cure and very low options of treatment.
There are 40,000 patients who suffer from MND in Europe, 6,000 in the UK alone. The life expectancy of a patient is about three years and only ten per cent live over five years from diagnosis. A key feature of this condition is the speed of the progression of the symptoms.
Four years ago a team of dedicated Patrons set up the Sheffield Institute Foundation for MND (SIF) The have raised with the help of the University of Sheffield £16million.
SITraN will more than double the current research capacity in Sheffield and will allow new and existing programmes of research to be developed and extended. It will bring laboratory studies into the clinic where new research will be applied to the patients after being cleared by the appropriate committee of safety of medicine (MHRA).
Professor Pamela Shaw, MBBS MD FRCP FMedSci, commented:

“SLA is one of the world’s ‘orphan diseases’. For too long it has been neglected and received inadequate research funding. The opening of the Institute will hopefully be a step towards advancing our understanding of the disease and making life easier for sufferers.

“Having assembled the building, research equipment and a world class research team, we now need to work on raising the funds for the programmes of research within SITraN and we intend to make our Patrons and supporters proud of their investment.”

If you want to help this research work, contact the Foundation Secretary at irene@irbeard.net
For a medical dossier with information on MND, SITraN and case studies please contact the SITraN press office
Professor Shaw is available for press meetings in London on Tuesday 16th November. Please contact the press office for appointments.

- Ends -

Notes to editors:

For more information, please contact Eileen McGuinness at the SITraN press office on 0113 398 4012/07909 685924

Back in TONGA!! At the start again!

2010-11-06T12:13:00.000+11:00

Hi All

Well sorry about the long silence. My Life seems to be bouncing off walls at
the moment with so much going on. Since my last Blog I have been back to
England to a function with Tim Jarvis to talk about the James Caird voyage
and had the Pleasure of meeting Alexandra Shackleton, the granddaughter of
Ernest Shackleton. Then two weeks ago I headed back to Tonga with my friend
Marcus Blackmore on his beautiful Nordhavn 78 "Ammonite" I was there to look
at a possible diving project for next year which is quite interesting to say
the least. More on that in weeks to come.

The amazing thing was that I could reflect quite clearly on how some of
these crazy things , like the Talisker Bounty Boat voyage actually happen.I
was onboard Ammonite anchored off the same island where we had our last
taste of civilization before setting sail into the unknown,4000 miles across
the Pacific, in a dangerously overloaded boat. I thought to myself,
surrounded by luxury, if I saw four guys in the same boat, about to do the
same thing, I would think they were absolutely bonkers! Crazy! really not
much of a chance and why would they??..then I thought, but hang on ..I just
did that and did not think twice about it, never once thought that it was
not possible and just wanted to get on with it?? So why??

It was quite a revealing moment. I quickly realised that it starts with the
idea and then you pull all the parts of the activity to pieces and look at
each element of danger and risk in your mind and work out ways you can
overcome them. You then you make all the plans and go through a big period
of preparation so that by the time you get to the execution you have faith
in everything you have done. Then you just get on with it...If you are on
the outside of all that..such as a bystander you just think it is crazy and
WOW!!! But if you have been living it for so long you just want to do it and
know you can!

Having said that I still would think..what a crazy idea!!

So we did it and it really was fun..I finally got to read all the comments
to the blog which was really interesting. Now I start to write the book and
cut the Documentary which is shaping up OK. Talisker Bounty Boat will be on
display at the Tasmanian Wooden Boat Festival but I will be sailing back
from Antarctica so will not be there unfortunately.

This site will start to slow down now on the blog front.I am about to get a
new Expedition up for next year which will be "CHASING THE BLUE DREAM" 8
months diving across the Pacific, in search of?? in all the out of the way
places and then ending up back in Tonga, yes I love that place!! There are
still a few things falling into place, but the boat I may be using is at
www.mcintyre50ms.com If you are up for a "soft" adventure and are into
diving then there may be spots available on ICE for you so keep following
this.

Next week I am back to the UK again for the opening of the Sheffield
Institute which is a big day indeed. Something that is close to the heart of
many and which will mark the beginning of a very special era. It will be on
the 18th of NOV. I will post the details here and hopefully a few pic's
later.

Yes life is too busy at the moment, never enough time or money but that is
always the case. I will blog here every Friday again now ( sorry about the
silence again) till I launch the new expedition in the next few weeks. The
EBay Auction of items for SIF will be very soon and will announce that too
and my TBB voyage envelopes carried onboard will be available as Partners to
the Book when it is published next year all to raise much needed funds to
help with the operation of the Sheffield Institute.

Pogo2 mini Transat boat!

2010-09-20T07:12:00.000+10:00

Two very interested punters?? On the dock thinking MINI?..Guess who??..at
the Southampton Boat show which was quite good, the food and trafic quite
bad as usual but a great day out. Hard to keep up with all the new
technology though!..Impressed with the latest "SPOT" safety and tracking
beacon.

Jessica's next Adventure!!

2010-09-20T06:16:00.001+10:00

The Boat show was really cool!

James Caird at the Henman Steam Rally...biggest in the world@

2010-09-19T06:51:00.001+10:00

Saturday. Well I really get off on anyone who has passion and today was an
over load of spine tingling experiences. I had to work on the James Caird
and it had been moved. All I was told was that it was going to be at a
country steam rally, but I could still do all the planning and thinking
while it was there, so I said fine.

In the car driving there, I hear on the radio that they are expecting 20,000
people at the "little" rally in one day!! And sure enough it was BIG!!
Amazing radio controlled air craft, every conceivable type and size of steam
device you could imagine, all driven, made, restored and stoked by some real
characters. The sounds and smells of the coal fires, steam, whistles were a
kids dream. There were vintage Bikes, normal petrol engines, vintage cars,
fire engines, tractors, steam driven herdy gurdy's..just truly amazing. I
was VERY Excited and was there by myself, so just had to bottle a bit of the
energy I was generating...turns out it is the biggest steam rally in the
world!

In the corner was the Boat and even with the distractions I was able to
spend 5 hours onboard making some very important decisions. Just one was the
realization that even though Shackleton had 6 onboard. we will be pushed to
get just five. Tomorrow it is the boat show with Jess!

25 steam tractors in the main arena!

2010-09-19T06:39:00.001+10:00

I think this is a scale model!

2010-09-19T06:35:00.000+10:00

Every piece hand made..unbelievable working scale copy of the real thing.

Still under warrantee!

2010-09-19T06:30:00.001+10:00

Some were pristine but had a hard working history then refurbished over ten
years.

Living , breathing monster machine!

2010-09-19T06:28:00.001+10:00

You had to be there to hear and smell these beasts..truley amazing

MINI Tripple expansion steam engine! every piece hand made!

2010-09-19T06:24:00.001+10:00

For over a year in 1979 I lived on the last comercially opperating steam tug
in Australia YELTA as ship keeper, It had this exact engine which were also
fitted in Navy ships during world war two, except they were full size!
Amazing! This fully working engine was exactly as I remember it.

Party Time!

2010-09-18T17:06:00.000+10:00

Back in the UK now staying with Mike Perham and Jessica has just turned up after her USA book tour, so a bit crazy here right now!

I am working on the James Caird today and then tomorrow,Sunday, Jess and I will head down to the Southampton Boat show. Incredible to think just one year ago I was in the car towing Talisker Bounty Boat down to the Southampton show after our press launch in London and the phone rang to tell me Jess had just lost the mast after hitting a little ship..we laughed about that last night???…so much has happened in the last 12 months it seems like it must have been two years ago. Will put Pic’s up here of the James Caird and the boat show on Monday!

The three guys on the Jet ski’s had to be rescued unfortunately. They hooked up with some bad weather which basically flooded the hull compartments and started shutting down their engines. They set off their Epirbs and were picked up by helicopter a few hours later…all this the day AFTER they cancelled their expedition, as they were too far behind their schedule and they were trying to beat some bad weather to get back to the mainland from an island offshore in the Mediterranean. All rather unfortunate, but they are all safe.

Mike is starting a new three year film making course at University here next week and still learning to fly planes for another adventure, Jessica is off to France this coming week to consider some sailing options, Dave Pryce had is cabin nearly snowed in last week and kept the home fire burning, Dave Wilco is apparently scheming some new adventures?…we tried to catch up sort of in Hong Kong, but never quite made it and I should be staying at Chris Wilde’s place on Monday night if all goes well..so can report on his latest soon.

We have made a plan to have Talisker Bounty Boat on display at the Tasmanian Wooden Boat festival in mid February 2011. I will still be on the ORION with Margie returning from Antarctica, so will not be there, but this is the first time the boat has been on display since the expedition was finished. Dave Pryce may be there to chat if he is not in Antarctic so if you would like to check it out, that is the time..it is a great event held every two years. The Boat was on display there two year ago and attracted a lot of interest. I promised then that if we survived the voyage, we would have it there again and it is thanks to the generous support of the organisers that we can do this, even though I will not be there, so thanks to them!!

They were the days!!even with stones?

2010-09-09T15:56:00.001+10:00

Well I am on my way to the UK again for some Antarctic Tourism meetings (I
am expedition leader on www.orionexpeditions.com.au) and while there, will
catch up with camera man Stu to talk about the Doco..he is currently filming
three guys who are "attempting" to ride three JET SKIS from London to
Sydney..can you believe that!! I will also visit the James Caird with Tim to
plan the final fitout of the boat in preperation for sea trials later next
year.Importantly I will also be talking with all my Sheffield Institue
Foundation friends about more fundraising and linking up with the Shackleton
James Caird trip.

Dave Wilco is promising a blog soon. He is very busy with work and family,
but his passion now is acting in a play which sounds amazing. Will let him
tell you about that later. I will catch up with Chris in the Uk soon and
demand a blog. He is looking for work still and enjoying home cooking. He
has gained a stone in weight..me..well this is the last time I will mention
it till next year...I am just holding at 90kg...so 10 kg on in three months
is it? Dave P. is out house hunting at the moment , still looking at little
boats and enjoying life in Tassie.

The big surprise for me was another kidney stone that just sort of popped
out recently..for the rest of my life Stones will always take me back to
Talisker Bounty Boat...for those who know the dramas of the voyage, this one
was a breeze..a little back pain , took a flowmax and in the morning
bingo..a 3mm stone??..getting good at it now and certainly drinking lots of
water. I am hoping that must be the last of the crop I was growing on the
superb Bounty Diet...set for medicle tests end of Sept. Have some BIG
adventure plans for 2014, but Margie is saying..what about the stones? I
just recon no one is perfect and life goes on hey!!

If you have been following this from Hong Kong,looks like we are planning a
TBB talk at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht club sometime in November so watch
this space!Still trying to get the McINTYRE ADVENTURE web site organised to
pull together the last 30 years of adventures under the one roof! Now that
will be interesting.I will let you know when we turn that on.

On a completely different track, if you ever wanted to sail around the world
late next year through the Southern Ocean, via Cape Horn, on a six month
voyage that will include a visit to South Georgia, Kergulen Islands, Cape
Town etc. in a specially built Southern Ocean boat and you have about
$50,000 I may be able to solve you problem! But it will be wet, cold
,miserable and Oh so exciting.....

Life is fun hey!

Quilter's 3 x 3 mtr is bigger than this!

2010-08-27T15:05:00.000+10:00

Dave P..QUILTER!!..latest

2010-08-27T15:04:00.001+10:00

"Returning to Tasmania from Kupang I launched straight into work aboard my expedition yacht "Blizzard" for the upcoming handover to her new owner and several months later this is almost completed.

In the meantime I have been busy with the finishing touches to "Brandyuck Hut", my 9sqm cabin, an experiment in micro-housing. The experiment is going well and life in 9sqm is proving very comfortable. The greatest suprise was after Matt Orbell from Green Marine completed the installation of the electrical system and I found that even in the dead of winter, with no direct sunlight, the solar panels were providing more than enough power to deliver light, phone, music and computer. No more elctricity bills - what more could you want. In fact life is luxurious after three months in an open boat.

Today squalls pass over Brandybuck Hut, occasionally delivering snow, so I have remained inside with the fire. I am starting to look forward and seriously plan the next adventure - "The Grand Tour - an attempt to cycle around the world. Maps are spread across the floor and I have started to make lists of "jobs to do". My trusty Surly Long Haul Trucker will get some clip-in pedals and a comfy Brooks saddle, however what is really required is for me to saddle up and start pedalling one hill at a time.

I hope you are having as much fun as me

Cheers Quilter

P.S. "Is your carbon footprint bigger than your arse?"

Finally started unloading, washing, sorting LUCK this guy was NOT at Restoration Island!.

2010-08-25T09:11:00.000+10:00

Time waits for no man least of all me..and OK I will make sure I get a blog from Dave, Chris and Dave W. asap....Chris is still holidaying in Sydney at the moment and due to fly back to UK in a few days to look for work and maybe prepare for some fun in Tonga with me next year?? more on that latter...Dave W. has been working, Adventure holidaying with his daughter and we are trying to meet up somewhere in the world, Dave P is coming over for dinner again tonight..we have a regular Wed. night appointment to watch Tim Cope's Doco ( ABC2 X 6 part 30 min. series) about his amazing ride across the world. So will not feed him till he writes something!!

Have not started on the Talisker Bounty Boat Doco yet but assume it will not go to air until late next year. Same with the book. Sorry about the wait but we need to do it right and I know you will not be disappointed when you see it.

Being back in Hobart it is hard to believe what has just happened, sorting all the gear is similar to when you just get ready to go, so the feelings are quite strange. hard to understand that it seems to have just??? happened. I have to admit that I have just about come out of the "after effect",...it happens every time when you go through an adventure. Takes you sometime to get back in the "grove" and hit all those responsible things you are supposed to do. I know that this trip was very Physically demanding on my body for a few reasons and that played on every other human part, including my brain...anyway I am still me and very happy about the whole experience, the people I met and the very special moments the four of us had onboard. I already look back on that reliving the simple times...I really want to go on another long sail again, as I realised how much I missed being out on the water, so yes I am scheming again for the future. There are just some things you know you have to do in your life and I have now come away from TBB with a whole new set of dreams, ideas, and ambitions...

I am 55 at the moment and most people probably start to think about managing their lives and organising for the last half right!! so I am very normal..I have set a plan in my head that will take me through to the early 60's...crazy hey..not even sure why I am saying all this here. I have been contemplating many things in the past few weeks! including the meaning of life!..again!!!...I have been so lucky too to have met some really interesting friends, make new relationships and be exposed to differing ideas, all at a time when it really matters, so thanks to those people...it all comes down to which came first?? the chicken or the egg!..apparently science has now worked it out! really???? well I just know that you have to live your life without regrets and have a strong belief in Karma.

If you are still reading this ..I am surprised..some would have just concluded that I have finally lost it and clicked off!!

Tim Jarvis, Dave P and I had a day together in Hobart on the weekend planning the James Caird trip. Yes Quilter is up for it too!!! I am headed to the UK late Sept. to start work on the Boat, do some presentations to sponsors and supporters of the expedition and make some plans with SIF too. Tim has been working on the Shackleton voyage for some time so I will be meeting his connections there in the UK. all very exciting. A new web site ids planned and should be up by the end of this year once things have settled down.It will be similar to the TBB sight, but heaps better..and I promise the tracking system will be real-time live all day we are on the boat.

We are still raising funds for SIF. I am sorting the memorabilia from TBB that was carried onboard will package them with the book and some other things when that is all done. the Ebay Auction of some big ticket items is still being set up..so thanks again for everyone's support. looks like at the end of the day we will pull over 100,000 pounds?

How's my weight..just managing to hold at 87kg..but it is hard work now and I think Margie has a plan to push it higher..her cooking is awesome??? still have not had my major medical check up??..I actually feel really good but will do soon.

How is TBB..well she survived the trip and transport really well all things considered, the varnish is all cracking , the paint is starting to flake a little, lots of little knocks and bruises, the Talisker logo on the mizzen is looking part of history now, but lets just say the boat now has some real character? like a fine vintage wine. You cannot help but look at her and think WOW!! she has just done an amazing voyage.. I look and think WOW!! that is a small boat..how did we do that?..did we?? I guess so....

Don

Margies office trashed!

2010-08-25T08:36:00.000+10:00

Talisker Bounty Boat out of the box!!! at last.

2010-08-14T17:37:00.001+10:00

Well it was a crazy week but as I write this I am finally back in Hobart with the boat. In the previous 12 months it has been from here, shipped to England , back to Sydney, then shipped to Auckland then to Tonga, sailed to Kupang, then shipped again to Sydney and now back home..What will happen to TBB now?? not sure. there was talk of having it in the wooden Boat show in Sydney but I could not find anyway of storing it till then and it cost about $4000 to get it up and back so that may not happen now. I will clean it out and put it away in our Aircraft hanger ready for the next adventure. There are a few possibilities but finding the time in the schedule is always the challenge..

On the Wed morning I went to terry Hills to pick up the trailer that was left behind at friends back in February. driving out to the container terminal I had our boat cover strapped to the trailer and was watching to make sure it did not fall off. Of course it did in the last 300mtrs when I stopped checking it, so dragging along the road it was trashed under the trailer which was a Bugxxr..it cost $3000!!!...the guys in the yard were really great helping pull the boat out. I had no idea how we were going to get it onto the trailer but it was easy. Our friends at Meridian Freight have been fantastic on all these moves and I know Graham in Kupang will be happy to know that all his work organising cradles and a cast of hundreds to manhandle and tranship the boat worked.. Thanks to all...Now the voyage really does seem to have come to an end!

I then drove that afternoon to till dark, stopping in a small motel for the night. It was 3 degrees and stormy weather and made me think..YES!! the Shackleton "James Caird" trip is going to be a bucket load of fun!!!

Driving all day Wednesday arriving in Melbourne late I then loaded onto the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to cross Bass Straight during the night, then the next morning off loaded in Devonport for the four hour drive to Hobart. I made a slight diversion to the airport there to chat with a friend about working on my ultralight float plane for a new adventure in a few years time.. ..another historic recreation!!! and plenty of fun!! It was a big deal at the time but little know today. the story of two guys called McIntyre and Goble in 1924...?? more about that after Shackleton!

While on that I should just say that Tim Jarvis will be taking on the roll of Shackleton ..I will be taking on the roll of Frank Worsley..Capt. of the Endurance and the James Caird, so big shoes to fill as he may be considered the unsung hero of much of Shackleton's endeavours. To get the James Caird to South Georgia is an epic and I have just re read Worsley's account of that little voyage...no comment!...the book is titled ..Shackleton's Boat journey by F. A. Worsley..if you can find a copy have a look...as I said ..a bucket load of fun!!

Don

Hell and High Water!

2010-08-09T10:10:00.000+10:00

So the Talikser Bounty Boat clip is now up…Google “ 60 Minutes video library” and you should go straight to it…or just try “60 minutes Australia” and then go to “Video library”…Brings back recent memories for me!!..Don

60 minutes story was cool..!!!

2010-08-09T00:39:00.000+10:00

Took a quick trip up to Tamworth over the weekend to check on my Gyrocopter
that has not been flown for awhile?? And while there flew the latest
model...slick!! Then back to Sydney and watched the story on 60
minutes..they did a great job...so it will be available online in the nest
24 hours...Google '60 Minutes chennel 9" and you will go straight to the
program and will be able to read the script and then slick onto the video
and watch it...did not get much in about Talisker or SIF
unfortunately....but still a good story...Don

60 minutes story on Sunday night 8th AUG. yes this is the JAMES CAIRD...See previous Blog!

2010-08-05T13:37:00.000+10:00

OPPS Time is flying!..New look PINK!

2010-08-05T12:53:00.000+10:00

I have been really busy with the boat show and all the other things
happening in the past week...sorry about no Blog on Friday..Yes I am on
Jessica's boat..and it is hers now...She had her book launch at the start of
the show and it was very impressive...we finally got to spend a little time
together but her fan base is HUGE!..she was litterally mobbed at the show on
Saturday, it was amazing to see. I sold the boat to her as she has fallen in
love with it..at the end of the show she was in Tasmania doing her book
tour, so Mike Perham and I moved the boat out for her to another Marina!

I did a number of breakfast Talikser Bounty Boat talks and two other
presentations every day at the show. It was good to catch up with some of
the TBB expedition followers and Chris was on hand a couple of days too.
Still no TBB? the ship has arrived at last and hoping to get into the
container in the next couple of days but I am now looking at trying to keep
it in Sydney. There are a few things happening here. The National Maritime
Museum are having a Wooden Boat Festival in October..so it would be great to
finally let people in Sydney have a look at it then. If I can keep it here
till next year we may also put it in the Sydney Boat Show as we may well be
launching the Book and Doco Series in Australia about then?

Yes I did make a bit of a Quiet anouncement about future plans at the show,
so I will make it quetly here too. No major media statement for now as that
will be on hold for ??? So whats next!!...well I am looking at teaming up
with Tim Jarvis, another adventurer of some note..check out
www.timjarvis.org As you know I have been thinking about the James Caird
Shackelton trip for many years, but kept it in the background till the Bligh
trip was completed....well I am no mountain climber and Tim is no
sailor...but it would be propper to try to do the double!..so Tim will take
on the Mountain and me the James Caird..there will be six in the boat and it
is going to be very wet, cold and seriously challenging..but more on that
later...

Yes my health is great and I am now at 86kg and trying to put the brakes on,
my tan is fading and the simplicity of life on the ocean waves is really
appealing now!..Hope to have some full health checks back in Hobart in weeks
to come....Don

60 minutes & PLASTIKI & Boat Show

2010-07-27T13:21:00.000+10:00

I made it to SYDNEY but Talisker Bounty Boat did not...PLASTIKI arrived on
Monday and I caught up with some of the crew. Amazing Boat, Skipper, Crew
and story. Hope to go to a presentation/talk on Wed. Night. Jessica is
launching her Book on Thursday Night and Mike Perham is here too now.They
will all be at the Boat show and I will be giving two talks a day. On the
Thursday I am on at 12-1230 in the afternoon, then each day after that I am
on at 1-1.30 in the afternoons..the second talk is on at 5.30-6.00 each
day..so look forward to seeing some of you there...I had a sneak Preview of
the 60 minutes story today and it is really good. Focuses on Adventure so I
am very happy about that. It will definitely now run on Sunday 8th August at
7.30pm, so make a note and tell your friends...for those not in Australia
you will be able to watch it on the 60 Minutes web site from the following
Monday onwards..check it out!!

I may be making an interesting anouncement here and at the Boat Show so stay
tuned....Don

Miss my friends!!

2010-07-26T12:30:00.001+10:00

WEll it has been quite a few weeks now since stepping off Talisker Bounty
Boat and I do miss that simple life...the hermit crab was on our surprize
sand Cay just before Australia!..

So it is Official...the boat is still on a ship and will not be at the
Sydney International Boat show...what a HUGE!! Dissapointment..we all worked
hard to try to get it there on time...anyway I will still be doing two talks
a day on stage ..I will post the times here tomorrow...so come in and say hi
anyway..the boat arrives the day the show finishes!!!

I am driving up to Sydney at the moment..came across on the Tassie Ferry and
will get in just before Plastiki arrives..that is the cat made of recycled
bottles that has sailed across the Pacific..will be fun to catch up with
them...also Jessica is sending her boat down for the show and will also be
doing talks...and Mike Perham is also coming out for the show...he just
announced plans to fly solo around the world..something we were going to do
together, but I have some more exciting plans underway for the next few
years which will be announced soon!!...so remember to check back!!...Chris
is still in Sydney so he will be at the show sometimes as well. If you want
to meet him I will put the days up here that he will be at the talks!!...I
think there will be a few fun get togethers in Sydney!!

I am only now trying to catch up on all the emails and things ..some from
months ago...for some strange reason I lost quite a few I think into my Junk
mail...so if I have not answered one of your emails, please send it
again...it may well have gone to my Junk and I do not know???

Still no 60 minutes story...the elections here are using up all the media
space...so no idea when it was to run.I will post something here as soon as
I hear...

I hope to have a new TBB track up here shortly on the Map page of the web
site. That will allow you to zoom in and see exactly where we went..right
down to the beaches we stopped and the reefs/islands we nearly hit!!...I had
thought that during the expedition you would be able to do that and that you
were all following that rtrack closely...unfortunately there was some Tech
issues and it did not happen..the position was coming off the boat every
hour..but it was not relaying to the web...I was really dissapointed about
that and did not know till I got off the boat!!!...SORRY!..it would have
been a lot of fun...anyway we can get it up now and you can play with it
..zoom in and out...etc...so enjoy...

Keep coming back here and if you are in Sydney come to the talks and say
HI!! See you then.....Don

Bligh's house..

2010-07-17T13:46:00.001+10:00

It is occupied by the owners as their home..it is not a museum or anything,
which remind's me that 221 years ago is not that long ago..the pub on the
corner was there when Bligh was around, so you can go and hang at the same
bar and try some Talisker!!

Bligh's Grave..again!

2010-07-17T13:43:00.000+10:00

Well it has been another very hectic week. After the BBC interviews last
Sunday Chris and I decided to head to the National Maritime Museum to check
out the James Caird replica there while we killed some time before our
flights to Australia..as we left there headed to the airport under GPS..I
said to Chris hey we should have gone to check out Bligh's grave...about 15
minutes later the GPS took us straight past the church..FATE..so we parked
and finally got to sit beside his grave for a few Quiet minutes..it was a
profoun experience I have to tell you. The church just across the river from
Westminster is now the Museum of Garden history and was Previously Bligh's
church..his house is just a few hundred metres down the road..His wife and
children are also in the same crypt. In 1977 the Church was to be demolished
to make way for a car park! The Australian Govt. wanted to save Bligh's
grave and offered to buy it! Eventually it was saved and a few years later
during renovations the Grave was accidentally opened by workers and Bligh is
reported to be a perfect skeleton with Ginger hair. It was immediately
resealed. To have just sailed along side him all that way and then to be
beside him there was a feeling too hard to verbalise?? But it was very
special and I suppose an interesting way to close the loop so to speak on
the entire expedition.

I have put up some links to the CNN online story and the BBC TV. I think the
60 minutes story could go up this Sunday in Australia?

Bit of a battle to get the Talisker Bounty Boat back to Sydney in time for
the Sydney Boat show. I heard this week that the ship may be delayed which
will be a disaster?..anyway should have confirmation this coming
week?..fingers crossed..if it does not make it I will still be at the show
twice a day giving talks about the trip on stage so come in and say Hi!
Chris is now in Sydney looking for work and Dave Pryce is up in Queensland
looking at a new boat! He may be about to sell his "Blizzard"

I head to Australia on Monday and something tells me I will be very
busy?....Don

FW: Talisker Bounty Boat on CNN

2010-07-17T11:56:00.001+10:00

CNN have now posted the piece which can be read at http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/14/captain.bligh.voyage/?fbid=JjeOmtaEJCI

It’s a great hit with 35.5 million unique users per month !

Some radio interviews !

2010-07-17T11:54:00.001+10:00

Chris and I doing London Radio stations!!

Here are the final versions of the radio edits from last week for your files:

http://www.yousendit.com/download/K0JRc2ZERncwZ2xjR0E9PQ

And the final versions of the audio features (without music) are here:

http://www.yousendit.com/download/K0JUUWVwMHdRYTlFQlE9PQ

http://www.yousendit.com/download/K0JUUWVwMHdoMld4dnc9PQ

FW: BBC Breakfast Clips

2010-07-17T11:52:00.001+10:00

11.07.2010%20-%20BBC%201%20%20Breakfast%20News%20-%2006.50%20-%20Talisker%20Bounty%20Sailing.mpg.wmv

Size: 46.84 MB Content will be available for download until July 21, 2010 10:28 PDT.

Download

If the above link does not work, you can paste the following address into your browser:
https://rcpt.yousendit.com/909297115/9dcfc15aef2c1f1ec05de29eaf2bdc3d

11.07.10 - BBC 1 - 08.50 hrs

11.07.2010%20-%20BBC%201%20%20Breakfast%20News%20-%2008.50%20-%20Talisker%20Bounty%20Sailing.wmv

Size: 46.66 MB Content will be available for download until July 21, 2010 10:33 PDT.

Download

If the above link does not work, you can paste the following address into your browser:
https://rcpt.yousendit.com/909300581/0418016b2a2862b75775a2eff8b20004

Duke and Duchess Dinner

2010-07-10T18:16:00.006+10:00

A big week in England. Spent the first night with Mike Perham and his family and I am happy to report he has put on 8kg since the Talisker Bounty Boat training in in Sydney in Feb and is now fully recovered..he also happens to think Jessica Watson is pretty cute! I have put on 4kg by the way!

The reception by the Duke and Duchess at Chatsworth House was absolutely fantastic, incredibly relaxed and really special. Yes that is me in the dress on the sofa! With the Duchess on my left and the Duke is fourth from the left at the back. Most are holding a ship's biscuit, the very same ones that we had on Talisker Bounty Boat..I had brought them with me to include in the menu. We dined in the private dining room and the conversations were unique. I will never forget this special moment with sponsors, SIF friends and supporters with the Duke and Duchess being so warm, welcoming and really interested in everything that had happened since we were at the country fair ten months ago. I have been to some very regal occasions in the past but this was all of that but more like a dinner with old friends. I am so grateful for everyone’s involvement in this expedition and the kind words that were said that night. We did not leave till after midnight.

Next day I headed to Sheffield with my mate Stuart Keane to meet up with Prof. Pam Shaw to look at progress with the SIF building that is now due to open in Nov. this year. I was stunned. It is so exciting to see it for real. The work spaces are very modern and the work environment will encourage creativity. It is a huge facility and will house 150 researchers. This to me is like watching the logistics of a great adventure fall into place, an adventure simply because it really does have an unknown outcome, but we all know and hope that it will lead to something very special on into the future!

Then it was back to London for media and a presentation to our sponsors Talisker/Diageo at their headquarters. I had to pick up Chris at his home in a little village on the way and I had a better understanding of his “Quiet life” before becoming involved in this voyage..it is a little village with only a few hundred people in it…

Today I checked out a replica of the James Caird in Lowestoft, that has been built for another Australian Tim Jarvis for a future Shackelton recreation, but that is another story?

For now it is back to London and a visit to BBC Breakfast just before 7am on Sunday 11th..we will be on a second time, same day, just before 9am and this will also go to BBC networks around the world and be on BBC online so that is cool!!..we also managed another story on CNN online to 30 million people, so there are a few smiles at Greyling our UK PR company! They and Splendid our Aust. PR company, have been doing a great job. Talisker are all smiles!

Next on the agenda are discussions about the Book and Plans for the Documentary. The eBay Auction planning is underway and looks like the donations for SIF will climb through 100,000 pounds soon which is very exciting. To all who have been helping this fundraising challenge..THANKS..it will continue as part of the Talisker Bounty Boat expedition right through till the book comes out sometime next year.

Dave Pryce has recovered from the teeth issue, Dave Wilkinson arrived in the UK a few days ago with his daughter to go camping and Chris..well he is just in party mode!!..Me??..I am trying to slow my eating now and feel very healthy so life is good..

Talisker Bounty Boat headed for Sydney Boat Show..another Kidney stone!..See Food diet!

2010-07-03T11:47:00.002+10:00

I am in China at the moment just about to board a plane to the UK and the reception at Chatsworth House with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire..all very exciting in itself but I will also get to catch up with all our friends at SIF and Diageo head office for our sponsors Talisker. Chris will be there too but unfortunately Dave Pryce can’t make it as he is in Hospital in Hobart as I write this having some wisdom teeth extracted under a General anaesthetic..they survived the Voyage..just!!..and Dave Wilkinson has family and Business pressures so will not make it either.

Hey I may have sounded a bit harsh with my comments on Dave at the end of the expedition..but just want to assure you all that Dave W. was a real asset to the whole voyage in so many ways..I really like the guy and could not have asked for a better shipmate. He added so much colour to every day, you have no idea!!. I fully understand that we are all different and no one is perfect..me included..which is the essence of life and the reason I so enjoy meeting new people from all walks of life…Dave pulled his weight in the big picture, so I am happy that he is a person with passion for his family, friends and work..that is something that is lacking in many people and is to be admired…that is the first ingredient to enjoying life…so in a strange way I did not really care that at the end of the day Dave left a little early…I know Chris and Dave felt the same…The differences in all the crew made the voyage and I am sure you all like reading the opinions and the little dramas as they happened. I look forward to sailing with Dave W again one day with real food!!

On that you may be interested to know that during the voyage we all had uncensored access to write what ever we wanted on the Blog without influence from anyone onboard..in fact we made a point of not reading each others blogs…funny part is I have still been too busy to go back and read what the others have said about me if anything!

It feels as if I have been off the boat for a month already so much has happened, but it is little more than two weeks. I am on a SEE FOOD diet wanting to eat everything I see, but now have to be very careful as my Bounty Belly is starting to come back and the voyage is over! I feel great though and happy to report that my Kidneys seem fine…After my last Blog I spent two days in bed with a bad attack of gout, then I had five days of kidney problems that finally lead to passing another 3mm stone. That was a huge relief as I was starting to think for awhile that it was not a stuck stone, but kidney problems! Margie was very keen to get me back to Australia as soon as possible for medical tests but fortunately it worked out OK. I will have the tests latter. Fortunately Chris, Dave and Jane were able to load the boat onto a truck and get it to the wharf as that last day was the worst and I was stuck in the hotel.

The boat then sailed as Deck cargo on a small freighter to Surabaya where thanks to the efforts of Graeme, it was finally loaded into a container and is now headed to Sydney for the International Boat show starting July 29^th..Dave Chris and I will be at the boat by the main stage so if you can make it see you all there! We have left the boat as we got out of it so check it out!

The 48 envelopes we carried onboard with Pitcairn Island Mutiny on the Bounty stamps were postmarked Ok in Kupang at the end of the Voyage and the Talikser Scotch bottles survived the voyage so watch out for them when we have the SIF auctions latter this year.

I will be Blogging here every Friday now ( as a minimum! ) so check back for news regularly. I have had a few requests to do some corp. presentations about the Talisker Bounty Boat expedition which I would love to do but it comes down to timing. I am all over the place at the moment. If you are interested you can make contact through the web site here. You will need to make a substantial donation to SIF…I will give 100% of your fee to SIF if you cover all my travel expenses..so let me know if you are interested.

The initial plans for the Documentary series are underway and starting to think about the structure of the book. 60 minutes in Australia now look like running the story maybe on the 11^th July in Australia?

Did I tell you that Chinese food is one of my favourites!!! It is so hard to control my desires…!!! Had to buy all new pants yesterday..none of my others fit anymore..My waste has disappeared and when I look in the mirror I still do not recognise myself. When I ran through some of the original video footage of us all the crew at the start..I could not recognise Dave W. and me..wow !! we were porkers!! I know Dave it going to try to keep it off..me too!! Will we succeed??..hope so…all the best..Don

"Agony and Exstacy!!"

2010-06-23T01:48:00.003+10:00

I feel I have let so many of you down and only hope you have come back to the blog to check out the ongoing news?...as you are about to see the adventure did not finish in Kupang…loosing 18kg on a shocking diet finally came to haunt me and even as I write this I am a bit of a mess! I promised myself this morning that I must do the Blog…not the final one I should say. There will be something here each week now to keep you up with activities right through probably till the end of this year.

Sorry I did not get the last Blog up. I have been quite physically exhausted and some would say quite sick! As you will see. Last night in the early hours I was close to going to Hospital.

THE LAST NIGHT!

Plenty of challenges here..we were headed into a bay at the bottom of West Timor and knew we could not make the entrance to the pass leading to Kupang till dawn..we had a 20-25kt wind from behind and there were large currents and tidal over falls known to be there..Bligh speaks of them giving him real problems. We had to slow down in these dangerous conditions (in a 2,5mtr sea that was breaking at random because of these over falls) so that we did not arrive early..it was very intense on the helm and for the last five hours we had to slow to just two knots with only a small head sail up….we survived ( another 41ft yacht that we spoke to at sundown headed into Kupang was POOPED by a 5mtr wave over the back of their boat..they were very worried about us!) and surfed through a final tidal race at dawn into the very calm Pass..it was a special moment…we felt as if we had made it..it was a beautiful sunrise, we could smell all the cooking smoke from shore, the fishermen were all out and we were only a few miles away and a and just three hour away from Bligh going ashore!

Stu our camera man appeared in a fast boat and there were plenty of big smiles all round..For the past few days we wondered if we would have to row..Bligh did and sure enough the wind died and we started to drift into the pearl farms along the coast..security were on the case as we frantically got the oars out..it was a funny scene I tell you!..trying to explain NO MOTOR…NO we cannot be towed..they thought we were crazy!! But the wind returned after about 30 minutes…with a vengeance!…It was 20kts right on the nose!!! For the first time in the entire trip..just six miles to go and it took us a very wet four hours! Sailing to windward..something Talisker Bounty Boat is not so good at..

THE FINNISH

We arrived off Bligh beach to check it out at 1200hrs and then sailed away as we were waiting for all our friends and media coming in on the 1330 flight…at 1400 we were back as they were all running for their boats and we had a quick sail around the bay chatting to them all and made the official landing rowing up to the beach at 1500hrs on Tue. the 15 June! Six hours behind Bligh.

It was an amazing moment for so many reasons that will be with me for the rest of my life…so we had survived, when just the night before Dave P and I both discussed the very real possibility of it all coming to sticky end in those over falls, so close to the finish..it was a tricky ending and made me think of Bligh and his men so wanting to get to the finish, not just to survive, but just to tell the world , family and friends just what they had been through..if they sank on the last night..no one would ever have known!

On the beach I was wobbly on my feet and excited with the reception. Plenty of locals, Govt. officials and a happy atmosphere all round. We were running on adrenalin and enjoying the moment. There were eight hamburgers and Fries waiting for us and yes Dave W ate both his! That first bight was special.

The initial media took awhile, then it was a race with the sun..we had to empty the boat of everything..even the ballast, take the masts down and then with about 50 of the locals swarming all around the boat, we picked it up and carried it about 150mtrs up the beach and over concrete steps into the yard of a foreshore restaurant. It was a huge effort and took some hours..This gave us 24hour security. Dave P. and I both decided this was something we did not really need, as we were running on empty and totally exhausted but it was the best thing for the boat. Chris was in space but working hard..somehow Dave W decide to do his own thing and took off before the move started, checked into his hotel, had a shower and a bit of a lay down, then appeared at the boat some hours latter in fresh clothes ! He asked me who moved the boat!..the rest of the crew were totally unimpressed..Dave W had been very anxious on board in the last moments, to the point of being frustrated as we sailed around the last hour with media before arriving finally on the beach. I did not think it would manifest itself into letting us down like that.

So began a big night when all we should have been doing was dinner and sleep. I had virtually none the night before. It was all International media, a dinner and finally to bed around midnight. That first shower was weird..my skin had developed plenty of natural oils but the biggest shock was in the shop buying shampoo and toothpaste etc..there was a mirror!..WOW!! I looked like someone else!! Was that me!! Big beard, silly hair..then I lay on a bed and pillow for the first time in nearly two months..it was really a strange sensation..I had a funny reaction to it..Hard to describe but I just lay there, sank in and did not move for awhile..that has never happened to me before..

Next morning it was straight to see the Mayor Drs. Daniel Adoe who received us all and a large media contingent. It was a warm reception. He was interested in our trip. He has a passion for the environment and I was surprised to hear of Australian Govt. involvement in a 25hectare Marina being built in Kupang!

Dave W dropped another Bombshell during the day..said there was a mix up with his tickets to Jakarta to see his girlfriend. Some one got the dates wrong? and he was leaving tomorrow, Thursday morning. Originally I reluctantly agreed that he could leave on Friday night, as the plan always was that we all stay to sort the boat and gear for three days..I said how much was the ticket..$120..and suggested he buy a new one…so he never went back to the boat..all the work was left to us.

Food became a bit of a game, all new and never say no! I stopped drinking water and took on fruit juice..my first mistake!..then it was more media all day and into the night during Dinner. Through all this we had a great local keeping things moving..Graeme Whitford…without him and his great family, things here in Kupang would have been quite different! Second mistake was heading to a night club after Dinner..then moving onto another Karaoke Bar…Dave P and Stu our camera guru did us all proud!!..at 4.15am I had to head back to the hotel to start more media interviews which were every hour for the next four hours..forget about sleep..at 0830 I just went to breakfast.

MY HEALTH TAKES A DIVE!!

Thursday 17^th was my first attempt to get the blog done, but to put it bluntly everything caught up on me..I was exhausted and just crashed out. My digestive system seemed to be coping OK, but I was still not drinking water..just juice?? So in amongst the filming and sorting all the gear off the boat, I started to detect a pain in my right knee. I did not think too much about it. I felt OK but could not believe that I had dropped 18kg or 18litres of water, 18kg of potatoes..call it what you like ..that is a lot..My body is just smaller all over?

Friday was another slow day sorting all the boat issues, organizing and cleaning gear and planning for a cradle to be built for the boat which was now to be shipped to Surabaya as Deck cargo before being loaded into a container as deck cargo.

When I had gout in Tonga the week before we set off, it was the first time for a long time..that was in my right big toe….on the boat during the voyage it was in my foot…now I just thought I strained my knee lifting the boat off the beach..Next morning it was too late. I was so exhausted from a few nights of little sleep I slept through the growing pain…I finally started drinking water again instead of juice…I was not dehydrated but water is important…The pain was intense, so much so that I was bed ridden unable to walk for Saturday and Sunday morning..fortunately Dave P and Chris were able to keep the work schedule going and my PA/friend Jane, who had flown in from China on Thursday to help, kept an eye on me. I had 450 emails waiting for me, but the internet connections and phones here in the hotel are quite challenging ..to the point that I had been using the iridium phone sometimes..

Sunday afternoon I went to the boat and returned to the hotel going into a strange fever..I was hitting over 39 degrees ..for the first time I started to feel and think that my body was finally trying to reorganise after the deprivations of the voyage..I felt strange?

Monday was the big day to load the boat..I was up early to pack the things going back ont the boat for Australia..30 minutes before we were due to leave I felt the first signs of a kidney stone attack..I could not believe it!

I struggled at the boat then at some meetings to sort shipping but had to return to the hotel around 3pm..I left the critical task of loading and repacking the boat onto the truck and then onto the ship to Dave, Chris and Jane..they finished at 8pm that night! I was a bit of a mess by then.

The pains were spasmodic around the front of my groin and every 20 minutes or so becoming quite bad…after one very sever attack I asked Jane to ring Graham and ask him about the local hospital..I could see that I would be using the strong suppository pain killers very soon and after that it gets very serious..he organised for his doctor to visit and set up for a hospital admission if I needed it during the night. At 0500 in the morning I was hitting pain levels of 7-10 and gave myself the suppository….I was not a happy chappy up to that point, as things were not normal..I am thinking this may be kidney problems rather than a stone. It is all a bit different..anyway within 10 minutes I had dropped off to sleep..the first for the night.

At 0630 I woke with no pain and no symptoms?? Strange…I was confused as I had not passed a stone??..anyway, still had work to do trying to organize the 40ft container. Then it was off for a haircut and beard trim..WOW!! still me under there..then this afternoon late another kidney tingle..Back to the hotel and some more pains..here we go again?? I took some drugs and was not happy but they died off after a few hours..

Quick get the blog done..It has made me feel bad for the last few days..sorry!

I think this health story will play out for weeks to come..Margie wants me to get back to Australia ASAP for a full medical check, but I have already bought my tickets to the UK Via Hong Kong from here and can’t afford to loose them ..Something is going on, but I know the human body is very resilient. I am eating healthy now.and drinking water.I knew the trip would knock me around a bit..Dave W lost 14kg. Dave Pryce about 10kg and Chris about 3.5kg..amazing.

One of Bligh’s men died a few days after arriving..we are fine!

Talisker Bounty Boat is on a ship now steaming to Surabaya..and I have no one to receive it yet? Bit of a race to try to get it to Sydney for the boat show.

We have a long way to go with SIF and raising money, so please stay in touch with this blog for the latest…there will be a new one every Friday….the book will be warts and all so don’t think you have read it all here…you have’nt..there will be plenty of surprises! And having seen the footage we have been shooting along the way, I recon the doco series will be worth watching.

Thanks to you all for being a part of this grand little adventure..It was always fun knowing that there were a few thousand people out there along for the ride! Thanks for all the blog comments, good and bad…Life is like that..better to have a go rather than not…no one is perfect least of all me but I am happy that we have achieved 90% of what we set out to do....this has been without doubt the best Adventure I have ever been involved with..the crew were truly the best I could have had..fate is a funny thing and I could not have asked for better..thanks guys!

YES! There is another adventure planned in the not too distant future, but for now I am happy to wind this down and enjoy the moment..

One thing you could do for me..please encourage everyone you know, especially kids to have an imagination..that may lead to dreams..without those, we all go nowhere. Those dreams may turn into adventures that you could encourage your kids and friends to get out a actually try. Adventure is something we should all grasp with bot hands no matter what it may be.

To all our sponsors and supporters I hope you felt a part of this..I truly value your involvement.

To William Bligh..it was never really a race, but it was fun chasing you and your men who are close to us in so many ways now..yes it was a game for us, we did not have to do it, but I saw you everyday along side us in all the different conditions and with all our similar frustrations and fears. For me that was special and made the entire journey worthwhile. We could never get the same feel for the things you went through, but we do understand it better now. Saving your life and the lives of your men is part of the human instinct I suppose , but any lesser man I doubt could have done it the way you so admirably did. You are to be congratulated Sir..in the strongest terms from the crew of the Talisker Bounty Boat..you have our total respect!

To Margie..thanks for putting up with it all one last time….

To the crew of the next boat to re sail Bligh’s incredible open boat journey….Good luck!

Don

"Tummies & Salmon Trout In Timor"

2010-06-19T20:49:00.008+10:00

Rachael ( Our Very Special Roving Corespondent in the Far East) has just been able to give us more information on the Talisker Bounty Boat Boy's, she was able to pass this on to us via Bali, as the internet connections where the TBBBs are staying are very patchy at best!

After all the celebrations (Partying) Don has gone down with another severe attack of "Salmon Trout"( Gout), David W is all "Tea-ed up" David P has lost his voice, and poor young Chris has got Kupang Belly.

Don & Chris are due to leave for Australia in 4 day's time! so lets hope that they have recovered by then. As a fellow Gout sufferer I know how painful it can be,and it does not clear up overnight, even if you have the best drugs for it.

It is only to be expected that these brave men would be susceptible to infections and any underlying medical problems would flare up after their 48 day ordeal and diet. It was a price that they were prepared to pay, to help us build the SITraN building.

I have just looked up via Google Earth the location of the Talisker Bounty Boat, and it looks as if it has been moved about 8 times ashore since arrival in Kupang, the reason for these movements would probably be for media photo shoots! it went inland about two blocks,as well as going east & west and is now back close to where the beach starts, land-wood side, I also presume that it must have been manhandled as the TBB trailer is in Australia.

In my book the Talisker Bounty Boat Boys are" The Greatest" and I look forward to be able to thank them in person, on behalf of all Neurological diseases victims.

Watch this space, for details when they are coming to England
Thanks for all your support
Stuart

2010-06-19T20:49:00.001+10:00

"From Our Special Correspondent in Timor"

2010-06-19T00:26:00.004+10:00

We have just received this blog after poor satellite links "From Our Special Correspondent in Timor"

OK so the story is that Don and the crew have been inundated doing media interviews since landing - the story has gone global being covered in many Australian and UK national papers. Crew have relaxed and enjoyed some amazing Indonesian food and experiencing Kupang. We had a great night out the night after they landed with the crew hitting the karaoke bars and showing their singing skills off especially Dave P( Quilter) even though they were still wobbly on their feet.

Graeme , an Australian originally but who now lives in West Timor with his wonderful family has organized everything for us and hosted us in his gorgeous house. Not to mention drinking his home brewed wine which was excellent and he has taken us to some authentic Indonesian restaurants.

The crew are staying on for a few days to organize the Talisker Bounty Boats return to Australia. The the majority of the media interviews are now complete.

Meeting the crew and bonding over this very special experience and at this special time has been unforgettable and something I will treasure forever.

Hope this helps. Sure Don will blog when he can, but we just have rubbish internet connections!.

Kind regards,

Rachael Shaw
PR Manager
Diageo.

"Safe arrival in Kupang"

2010-06-16T23:40:00.007+10:00

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 moderator to the Talisker Bounty Boat website.

Congratulations from Professor Pam Shaw

2010-06-15T18:34:00.003+10:00

Dear Don, Dave, Dave and Chris,

I am so delighted to hear that you have arrived safely at your destination. What
an adventure you have had - a triumph of the human spirit. You have inspired
us all during the last 48 days with the qualities of determination and
endurance (not to mention maritime skills and sheer physical strength) that you
have brought to this journey. There were times I must admit when I wished you
had a doctor on board to ease the pain!!

You are an inspirational team and we are very proud of what you have achieved.
I am really honored that you chose the Motor Neurone Disease Institute in Sheffield as the charitable cause to support in this adventure. Thanks so much for all you have
done and I look forward to seeing you and thanking you properly and in person.
Kindest regards
Pam Shaw
Sheffield

Race to the Finish...the race is nearly over....!

2010-06-14T22:41:00.005+10:00

A Fish Called Don'Da...(On the Left)

Normally I do the blog just before sunset while it is still light but not tonight..it is now dark..it was the last sunset so I drifted with it on the helm and enjoyed every minute..we are now just40 miles from the turn point at the bottom of Timor and then we have 12 miles up to Kupang..it is now 1830 hrs on the 14th so we could be on the beach at dawn..about three hours before Bligh..but there is no way we could do that...he has always had our respect and having just about completed this incredible journey my feelings for him and his men have grow very strong.

We chose to do this and no matter what we did to make things a little harder on ourselves we could never honestly get to the same levels of deprivation and fear they had every minute of their voyage...just the thought of traveling all that way and then maybe loosing it at the last minute..everyone on Bligh's boat would have known that no one would ever know their story and what they went through so while they were obviously very happy to survive the voyage I truly believe that would also have been excited and joyous in the extreme that at last they knew the world would know what they had endured...

Bligh was a special man in so many ways..so were all the men on his boat..so many things happened over such a long time..now is not the time to go over it but I will enjoy putting my perspective on it when I get to write the book and produce the documentary series of this Talisker Bounty Boat trip...it has been everything and more than I expected...

We have just dropped the mizzen for only the second time since leaving Horne Island..and the light head sail for the first time...that is the only sail handling we have done over the last 1000 miles..we need to slow up dramatically as we cannot turn the corner till after 0600 in the morning..we needed the daylight and the tide to turn..we are doing about 4kts still in a 20kts following breeze..

We switched over to GPS at 1800 hours tonight..we saw Timor for the first time at 1200 hours today and were very surprised as it was not meant to be there till just on Dusk...working down the coast we discovered ultimately that we have had a current helping us..unbelievably it put us exactly 60 mile ahead of our DR position..that is the exact distance that Bligh was assisted by current on the same leg..he did not realize that though as he made one of his very rare miscalculations..only discovered 100 years or so later when reviewing his note book..anyway I knew of this current in Bligh's journey so was being a bit cautious but strange how it worked out to the same distance..

the last 24 hours have been very relaxed sailing..we had a Flying fish come by and I was able to get him back into the water before it was too late..he became trapped on the foredeck..the amount of rubbish in the water has slowly been increasing which is unfortunate..not so many birds anymore and as I needed to film our coconut scales that we use to weigh out lunch portions we all had a free lunch to the great Joy of the crew!!!

I decided to allocate 4 liters of water to all for washing purposes so everyone but me had a bath for the first time since Restoration Island...I watched the whole process waiting for my time and then I started to refle3ct on Bligh again..we have soap on board but had only used it once when it was washed over in one of the knockdowns..another bar was pulled out today...I just decided in the end not to bath out of respect for Bligh...some of you will think that is a bit strange and I don't quite know who to explain it other than ...I just feel better without smelling all pretty!!...not good for the others on board but??

I took a photo of myself last night just to look at my beard...WOW!! it is long and look a bit older..I mean I am not young but I look forward to a beard trim, shower, food soon!! but again I have to admit that I am not really craving anything...well OK a comfortable seat would be nice..Life has become a routine at the moment and I know it will take awhile to settle down again..this may be the last night on board??..strange..

How about toilet paper..that will be very unusual and seriously I don't think as good as washing but I will survive..fruit will be good..

The Dave's made up our Indonesian flag today which should last a few days..it was like a therapy session for them with the sewing kit out..Margie had organized some colored pillow cases to use..thanks Ted!

So the endgame for us includes a bit of media from Australia and the UK etc who are all flying in...we are earlier than expected so they are not ready for us till about 3pm..OOPPS!!..the plan for us is to anchor somewhere while we wait for them ..the ETA on the beach, Bligh's beach!! for us is now 1600hrs and beside the fat lady singing the looks like there may be a reception of sorts for us.Ian Mojo and.Graeme Whitford in Kupang has been flat out organizing things for us for the past few months. Not sure what we would have done without them...

Still a few tricky navigation issues for tonight and it is very dark out there right now but we are hoping for a big day tomorrow.

You can see all our sponsors on this web site ..none of this would have been possible without them..so just want to say a Huge thanks to you all for having faith in me and this project ..especially to Margie for putting up with it all one last time...you can also see the Just Giving website ...PLEASE PLEASE consider helping SIF..we have probably survived this Adventure...most who now have MND will not survive..If you think we have done something worthwhile here, I would feel happy if you made a donation...I will be working on ideas and ways to build on the current amount raised for the rest of this year..for those that have already made a donation THANKS!!

I have been so busy over the last three months or so that I have not had a chance to put up on the web site some of the memorabilia we have been carrying on board...Coins, envelopes etc..I will do ASAP ..all the funds for these will go to SIF. We will even have packets of our ships Biscuits ( left overs and those that were emergency food) that have been carried on board , signed by all the crew available...

If you are in Australia watch out for the 60 minutes story in about two weeks time and we are hoping to have the boat shipped back to Sydney intime for the Sydney International Boat Show..all the crew will be there so come in and say Hi!!..and maybe make a donation to SIF there..our Bailing buckets will be out to throw your coins in !!

OK..Not finished yet but stay tuned for tomorrow..all the guys will blog off then too...we are all enjoying this last night ..it is very special to us...I know many people will be thinking of us here..THANKS!! it has been so good knowing you are all with us.

Finally I would just like to say well done to16 year old Abbey Sunderland...I just heard about her dismasting and ultimate Southern Ocean rescue..she is a brave young sailor and real adventurer...I can imagine what is being said in the media about the cost of rescue etc..I am glad she is safe . Adventure makes better people and communities..we have produced too many Marsh mellow kids already so encourage your kids to dream and explore...life can be full and rich if you do.. See you all tomorrow..Don

"Dawn of the Final Day's......!"

2010-06-13T19:18:00.003+10:00

Dancing with the Dolphin's

Dawn of the 12th. Wake up. Brush teeth. Fill water. Get joined by twenty flipper dolphins in the soft morning light. Wait, what? Just when I thought this amazing experience was drawing to a close, something like that happens - I even found myself welling up a bit. It's times like these, it's like my inner monologue chimes in and says, "Hey kid, don't you ever forget this."

So we're almost there, 250 miles to go. Doesn't seem like much at all now. We've slowed to a steady average of 4kts with the breeze broad reaching from the SSE in droves of 10-15kts. However my opinion of the Arafura Sea remains pretty low, it was a bit of a stress sailing in the choppy confusion that was the first week or so past Cape York. I mean, c'mon, we make it basically 3000 miles without a knockdown and then in the space of a few days we get near enough three. The knockdowns themselves? Not so bad at all. I'm pretty confident in my own helming ability and when the seas got a bit tougher I made sure I stayed vigilant. I was telling myself if we're going to get knocked down and capsized, make sure you can look the others in the eye and say, "I did my best. There was nothing more I could do."

I had spotted the wave just before Don, swung the tiller hard over in preparation, but the wave carried so much force I just didn't have the strength to hold it. The best example of our teamwork has been during these tense moments. There's no blame-throwing or snide comments, everyone just knuckles down and strives to keep our little boat afloat. It goes to show how confident we are in our safety gear and in Bounty Boat, that our prime concern when water is rushing in is our gear and not our own lives. I was glad to see my diary survived the turmoil, but it was a damn shame we lost another camera.

Now I've never grown my facial hair this long, so I was hoping I'd have a handsome beard by the time we hopped off in Kupang. A Tom Selleck mustache would have been great. Maybe some cool Hugh Jackman sideburns. But no, each day that passes I look more and more like Abraham Lincoln...

Some of the sights I've seen, I almost cannot fully process them, such is the magnitude of their awesomeness. Burning red sunsets, gleaming blankets of stars, sand as white and soft as snow that gleams in the heat. Perhaps if I'd seen those things in a different context they may not have had the same profound impact, but when you're out cruising in the deep blue, it just firmly seeds itself in your memory. On top of all that I can now stick 'Finding Nemo' in the DVD player and say that I've met near enough the entire cast first hand, good times.

Dave and I were arguing again midweek, I went off at him pretty viciously but not without cause. I understand this voyage has been especially tough on him and he tries hard, in fact he's one of the most trying people I've ever met. He just manages to get on my nerves with ease. In this close environment he does have a few habits and mannerisms that can be pretty detestable. It has gotten to the point where it's like...it's like he makes me want to rip off my own arm, just so I could have something to throw at him. But the kicker is he's so damn charming and polite the rest of the time, it is impossible to stay angry against him. His overwhelming generosity and pleasant company along the way I'm happy to say far outweigh our petty clashes.

I had another look at Bligh's notebook account yesterday and jeez, we've had an easy ride. I'm especially happy that I've managed to get through everything we've faced with relative ease. And that isn't casual arrogance, I honestly thought it would be more like 'The Perfect Storm' all the way, so i'd geared myself up for a serious struggle for survival. Now looking back it has been more of a spectacular cruise. When Don told me at the start, "Chris, by the end of this you'll be a completely different person". I was totally skeptical and yet now I wholeheartedly agree with him.

I'll save all the soppy gratitude's and acknowledgments for my final blog, I've been sat here for too long already writing out this erratic bunch of paragraphs.

Catch you later,
Chris - The Cabin Boy.

300 counting Miles!!!! ..Not KNOCKDOWNS

2010-06-12T19:39:00.004+10:00

Photo 1 - Sleeping geared up, ready for another knockdown.

Photo 2 - Tonight's incredible sunset, hoping for a good night.

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 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 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.

Everytime 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!! and we did not loose any gear...we have lost our two top cameras to water and the electrical box 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 bea 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 apear..we are alsdo seeing more plastic and rubish 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 un British 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 botlles of Talisker whiskey onboard 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

"Crazy..... Gets Crazier!"

2010-06-11T18:04:00.002+10:00

The past week has seen us rocket across the Arafura Sea toward Kupang, where all our minds are focused. (well except when designing the new micro cabin interior, landscaping or planning the bike ride around the world)

The weirdest thing happened this week too. The Captain in his infinite wisdom concluded that after forty days of starvation rations which has seen us all loose significant weight and result in the appearance of key-tones in half the crew's urine, we were in fact "overeating". Consequently lunch was canceled for the rest of the voyage.

Wilco and I had independently concluded that Kupang, at 600 miles off, was close enough for us to stop eating the "bully beef". It had been a necessary evil as the major part of "bounty boat" diet for forty days. Now I think we are better starving than eating any more of this processed tinned animal anus. Consequently without the handful of nuts and sultanas for lunch and no more bully beef we are eating it out on four survival biscuits.

The most amusing aspect of this was to see the captain and the cabin boy sit down and devour double meat rations at dinner. Having canceled lunch on the basis of over eating they proceeded to consume nine time the daily meat ration of Bligh's men. Clearly "overeating" was not the driving force here and I suspect the call from 60 minutes asking for footage of on board arguments was the cause. What better way to create conflict and unrest than dramatically reducing rations? 36 hours after the cancellation of lunch all was delivered last night when Chris stepped up to the mark and tore strips off Wilco in a splendid performance, agrevated by our laughter and recorded for all on camera by Don. Check out 60 Minutes for the national television release of this truly magnificent outburst.

More drama followed last night with our knockdown and subsequent swamping so I was confident this morning that lunch may have been restored today but alas it was not to be.

Every watch now is an opportunity to sail hard and fast for Kupang, to win my LUNCH! to win my FREEDOM!

Adios amigos, its been fun.

Dave Pryce / Quilter

PS Nuts and Bolts
Still zipping along at about six knots before a 20 knot SE trade wind with all sail set. Light cumulus clouds and a strong sun warm us up.

Night Knock Down......The Worst So Far.......!

2010-06-11T08:12:00.003+10:00

Conditions had moderated during tonight and the atmosphere on board was very relaxed...I had four hours good sleep and had just been on the helm for two hours..there was very little breaking seas..about 3 mtr waves and 15 to 20kts of wind....we did not consider ourselves in the danger zone of big seas and a dying wind which can make them dump...I did not have my harness or life jacket on..it was 0100hrs...the two Dave's were asleep below...Chris was on the helm and the stars were booming out from the milky way again..life was good!!

I hears the wave break about 8mtrs on our port side and come toward us at 90degrees to everything else all night..I stood up thinking I would get wet as I was sitting on the life raft...it hit hard..the boat slowly lifted as she went over with the mast lingering on the water as the boat continued to move forward as we had been sailing at about 5-6kts...then we stopped dead with water pouring over the starboard side filling the boat..I had been thrown down to that side and watched as the mast started to go under...At that point I knew the Daves were headed out to bucket but I screamed out get your life jackets as it looked like we would be inverted withing seconds...I reached in the now side past the vertical dodger to get my life Jacket...after holding on it's side for too long..maybe only 30 seconds ..fortunately we started to slowly recover..the boat was flooded but we were vertical..waves were now coming freely in to the cockpit as Dave. W and I started Bucketing..Dave W was still getting his jacket on and getting the cooking pot to bail...I told Chris to hold dead down wind and we went for it as fast as we could..Dave W then went into the aft cockpit and used the cooking pot..within a few minutes we were winning the race and the last bit was pumped out..

We have lost a bit of gear over the side but nothing important..most things in the dodger got very wet including the log and one iridium phone but all look salvageable...

Plenty of laughs all round and I suppose it was a wake up call..it is never over till the fat lady sings!!

I am truly amazed about this knockdown..the conditions were totally benign...very pleasant in fact so this one really caught us out...last night I slept in my Harness/life jacket...looks like more of the same for the rest of this evening..

It was a scary sight watching the mast slowly sink below the waves once we stopped..I was sure we were going in and in a strange way it was all the training about to kick in so I was pretty calm...as long as we all got to our life jacket/Harness and got out from under the dodger...if not big problems...our harness's are vital..they include knife, Cyalume sticks,Rocket flares and red/smoke flares and importantly all our individual Fast Find 406 GPS PLB's...we would have had a good fight getting the boat upright again ...so all those other things are just a last resort..but nice to know they are there...

I wonder how Bligh would have coped with a similar wave...I think TBB is an excellent sea boat but being smaller than Bligh's launch may be the only weakness...who knows..TBB is a very safe boat well prepared and crewed but I always said from the very begining that this adventure has an unknown outcome which is the attraction.....

We have trained for an inversion...I just prefere it not to happen...someone is looking over us...just maybe it is Bligh...he would want us to get to the end I am sure....

Note my Tilly hat in the photo..I found it floating in my bucket about to chuck it...somehow it floated out from under the dodger where it was jammed in high on the oars????...the boat is very wet but organized and we are making 5kts ( with masts vertical the Dave's just mentioned!!..they are on watch now) on track to Kupang..life is OH so good!!!...Don

Knockdowns,wind,waves and no lunch..............!

2010-06-10T19:15:00.003+10:00

It's been a few exciting days and the wind is finally softening a bit. Yesterday we had great sailing,sea snakes and a huge sunfish. Last night it was dolphins and large confused seas with 30kts of wind..if you are following the tracker you will see we have been flying surfing every few minutes and nearly hitting a 150 mile day...but it has been demanding on all of us as conditions were in the danger zone for a roll over and we had another knockdown and a few layovers with water coming into the boat over the rails...Chris and I slept in our safety harnesses as it was a night that anything could happen...

We knew it was building all night, with water all over the boat..it was a case of hang on for the ride and do not go over the side..did I ever tell you how hard it is to Pee of Talisker Bounty Boat..it is very hard...In the morning it was like being back in the Southern Ocean..steely gray with 4mtr seas breaking all over the place...as the afternoon progressed we had what we call 20 minute specials...6mtr walls of water at regular intervals, 3 or 4 one after the other that would send us off in a rush...fortunately only a couple broke to give us any concern but we swallowed hard often..we have great faith in Talisker Bounty Boat..and the conditions, while short and steep( because of the shallow water) are not good, they would normally be just challenging ...so so..but then when I remind myself that we are not self righting, and would float upside down, I focus clearly on the importance of proper helming...as we all do...everyone does a great job!.

Dave W was on the helm when we were knocked flat again..Chris ended up on top of me under the dodger and gear went every where..that was repeated a few times to a lesser extent during the day...Now..1800hr we are all thinking it will be an easier night with winds back to 15-20kts , Big swells but they do not appear to be breaking as often...

Of course we played up the fun side of all this speed!! While surfing we calculated that we could be in Kupang around the 14th as we have covered half the distance in just four days..CAN WE CATCH BLIGH???..he was ashore on the morning of the 15th??..I think now we will be there on the 16th?

I am trying for a noon sight every day now to make sure we hit Timor..yesterday was not good and put us about 20 miles north of the DR position and today I just gave up..bad horizon and too much sea..hopefully tomorrow will be better!!

Roger " Clouds" Badam has been our weather man on standby for late Cyclones or bad storms..we have not asked for daily forecasts as Bligh had none, but this afternoon we needed to calculate our ETA for all the media/friends heading to Kupang so we asked for the first time...Thanks for being there during this trip Roger..I am so glad we did not need you to track any Cyclones!!!..based on Rogers forecast I think it will be the afternoon on the 16th?? we shall see.

Dave W was just serving up dinner..Baked beans...he slid off the life raft and crashed into the electrical Box..something went crack...I asked he not do that again??..one minute later he slid off again with another wave..he was apologetic..I worried about the electrical....three minutes latter he did it a third time..this time loosing someones dinner in the bilge as another wave came into the cockpit...and then nearly a fourth time!! ..I am yet to check the electrical??

So ..LUNCH..when I mentioned canceling it for fun two days ago there was lots of laughs and comments like push me overboard..lost me marbles etc..when I told the crew yesterday it was for real there was silence...I know we are getting too much food as we are all being picky..Dave P is the only one who eats everything so he will miss lunch..but he had decided not to eat the tinned beef anymore as he can see Kupang in the distance...At last nights dinner the beef was opened and then Dave W said he will not eat it anymore either?? so Chris and I had to eat half a can each..which upset the equation a bit.and Dave W thought I was being a hypocrite for eating it and it should be thrown away if we want to starve ourselves...so as the Dave's are not eating beef..Chris and I will only get a can ever other day...all rather strange ...Now the Dave's are just eating 4 biscuits a day...in protest I think...and Dave P gets three dates for lunch as do Chris and I..but Dave W will not eat them either....it all got a little heated the discussion and it is yet to play out as food can be a touchy subject...but an interesting exercise by the time we get into Kupang..maybe the Hamburger will be eaten after all...

So now things are drying out a bit...yes the dodger leaked and we all got wet... we are hoping for a fast but quiet night....fingers crossed...Don..can we catch Bligh??..

Salamet............

2010-06-09T21:02:00.002+10:00

Oh yes..... We are on the move... this is champagne sailing at its best.... Ever since we left Australia, we have had 20+ knots of wind, SE and pushing us a a fast rate direct for Kupang.... It doesn't get better than this!! we are currently gaining about 120 miles per day! The swells of 3+ meters gives us the chance to surf 12+ knots, the vibration through the boat is thrilling...

The only hope is the wind holds up, and if so we could make Kupang by the 16th.. Oh yes baby... The routine seems to have re-established itself very easily on board, and with the speed of sailing concentration is required, oh yes, and its wet again!!

Sailing in the Great Barrier Reef simply blew me away, I could never have imagined how beautiful it truly is, to witness such a thriving and diverse marine life is credit to the Australian authorities, a fine balance between fishing needs and the environment seems to have been achieved and I will definitely be coming back to learn more. I found it strangely thrilling being so close to crocodiles and sharks, we create such a fear in our own minds at such animals, with no real knowledge or understanding, its such a shame, for we shy away from nature in its purest form. I was humbled by our time within the reef and being able to witness the food chain first hand.

I understand from talking with Don he has put a request for certain foods upon arrival, I am uncertain as to whether he did or did not request a burger and chips for me? To avoid any confusion, or offense to anyone being kind enough to assist, please DO NOT provide me with burger and chips, reality is, other than a few meals at Fresh Beach hut in Tonga, and the fresh fish we caught, I have only eaten junk or processed food since leaving Hong Kong almost three months ago, and I have no desire to eat any more of such when we arrive in Timor, or for a long time!! I long for fruit and fresh vegetable's, I intend to check in the hotel and immediately find a local restaurant that can serve fresh healthy local produce. So I thank anyone in advance if you can suggest any establishment near the Crystal Hotel.

That's all there is to report this week, with arrival imminent, moods are high here on Bounty Boat, and I for one are really looking forward to my nice cuppa tea in about a weeks time

David W

PERSONAL MESSAGE - Hi Lucinda and Isabelle, I cant believe it, only 700 miles to go, we have covered over 3000 miles so far and I will be home very soon. I will call you both as soon as we arrive, I love you Dad xx

"Wierd?..... Counting the Day's"

2010-06-08T18:41:00.002+10:00

Only about 800 miles to go and we are all distracted by the prospect of finishing this trip...it is really weird and personalty I try not to think about it and stay focused about this little boat on a Very Big Ocean..we have been surfing a bit today coming off the backs of some random 4mtr seas..most are about 3mtr but all of a sudden we can drop into these holes..I have been steering most afternoon and there have been some good ones..the sun is shinning with about 25kts wind and it is warm so pretty ideal for making miles...everyone keeps working out the ETA based on our fastest speeds but I recon it will still be the 17th??

I have been thinking of cutting out our free lunch from tomorrow...really splitting Bligh s rations by four has been quite easy...we are not starving..Hungry yes and Dave W only eats the free lunch and biscuits..often missing the beef...Chris is all for starving us all this last week just to put some pressure on us and get the feel for what Bligh really went through...if I did it I will get accused of playing mind games but I will sleep on it...It was always a free lunch as it was not part of the Bligh total food...we worried in Sydney that we just could not survive on four biscuits a day...now I am not sure??...lunch is only a few nuts and dried fruit..less than 100 grams but it will be interesting to take that away and see how people think...stay tuned!!!

Could not get a noon sight off today as we had clouds so we are hoping to be clear of Cape Wessel..we know it has a light house on it but we will be in the area at about midnight..we have no idea of currents though are quite suspicious as the sea is really strange at times and we know it is shallow...

Last night was just one of those nights you will remember forever..a sailors dream..fast dry sailing with total clear sky and all the stars above..the Milky way was BOOMING! it was awesome and we had constant falling stars..I kept reminding Chris to pinch himself as it is a long way from the UK but he knows that...

Everything is changing on board..we can smell the finish and there is no looking back..Tonga just seems like a long time ago..today was very pleasant in every-way..even Dave and Dave both got heaps of sleep so lots of Chatter going on at the moment as we eat our tinned Beef..life is still good!!

Tonight promises to be another OK experience as the gurgling and surging of water rushes down the hull a constant reminder of miles ticking by...

I still can't believe I have not opened my bag for weeks..still in the same shirt and shorts...I use my jacket as a pillow in the cockpit when on the helm and for my head under the dodger when sleeping..sometimes I put it on for rain or spray but very rarely...when I made the decision to not use Musto and go normal jackets Mike Perham really was worried..I had real trouble trying to explain how the tropics would work...and I did not tell the crew before but the Jackets I bought are not even water proof..just rain water repellent...just for the challenge..they look the part and are heaps better than Bligh had...so no complaints from any of the crew on that...we all love our jackets but what will they say if I decide ...No more Lunches!!!..could get interesting here soon...!!!

The more I think about it the more Monty Python it is .....I like that...

Maybe Dave will want his Hamburger on the beach then..anyway Chris, Dave P and I have all decided that we will eat it so if someone is putting the order together...go the Hamburger too!!!...and Chris just wanted to remind everyone about the girls!!! yes that is with an S...Plural!!

I think we can get by without the free Lunch!!..let you know tomorrow!!! ...Don

Time Goes By By.........!

2010-06-07T18:25:00.002+10:00

Re watches..our $1000 period pocket watches including the Kendall all failed some time ago...as we have media commitments we need to know the time so unfortunately we have had to use a normal watch..I mentioned this in the Blogs....beaten by Bligh here.but we did not spend all that money for nothing just to use our watches..?? it happens..my modern watch also failed so we just have Dave"s and his is broken but keeps time..

Torches we use for official business ..like writing the blog at night..and for safety of the boat in very trying conditions to look at the compass...we have experienced many many occasions of great difficulty on this trip without torches so understand what Bligh went through ..it is not nice...Dave W. forgot his night glasses so I have had to allow him to use his torch often....

GPS is used for emergencies and as described previously...

Blogging is not an emergency..it is what sharing this expedition is all about and we have always said we will use the sat. comms..to talk to media and blog every day..sometime I wish I was Bligh!!

Must be some confusion re the noon sights as I have never taken daily sights..for this leg to Kupang I will probably only take every other day depending on clouds and where we think we are??..our DR positions have been relatively accurate..the scariest part is just not knowing what is up front...that is different I can tell you and we have had plenty of serious frights...more than enough in my lifetime anyway...I have already decided that once we have made landfall on the tip of Timor...I will use my GPS as Bligh used his local Pilot to get him in..that is going to be challenging but we cannot get a local pilot because of modern customs requirements...all fun!!

Morning and evening calls to Margie are standard safety log ins every day across the Pacific..now after we arrived at the Barrier Reef it is only once a day and we are using Marketa as the safety check in..Margie has gone to Europe and I have not spoken to her since the 29th.Checking into Expedition Headquarters is a critical way to minimize risk with any expedition and the only way things get organized.I am dealing with Media, camera boats, helicopters,Customs,freight agents,airlines,Govt. permits..to name just a few...Bligh wins again!! so the calls are very important or we have no expedition..

I think some people are loosing sight of the fact that we have always said safety is a priority and getting close to Bligh and his men is what we are trying to achieve..we have not used one piece of toilet paper and we have little food and a little boat that is being managed very skillfully so far, so we are still at it..I am very glad about that..what we call easy seas..others would be horrified to see...Dave W is always amazed at the seas ..more so than Dave P and I as we have spent many years in the Southern Ocean but we both know that we have been in seas that could capsize the boat any time!!..even now ..today..if you did things wrong the boat could be upside down without too much trouble....but so far so good...we are and have been very close to Bligh...I think of them out here every day...I really think he would be having fun with us alongside him ...and I strongly believe our sailing challenge is the same boat for boat...we are smaller and very low like him...so I believe we are doing what we set out to do...it is challenging while being as safe as we can make it..no apologies for that...

Always good to get your comments..I will never be half the man that Bligh was...but it is fun being part of his journey!!..Don

"Food Orders for KUPANG"

2010-06-07T18:09:00.003+10:00

Hello..anyone in Kupang following this blog??..here is our wish list for when we hit the beach in Kupang...Dave W would like hot water for his tea bag, a hamburger with the lot..fries...Dave Pryce would like Nasi Goreng,Veg. spring rolls and a banana milk shake...Chris would like a diet coke, Peperoni Pizza, Fries and loads of Ketchup..( a few good looking girls would please him too??)..and I would like a club sandwich with fries,loads of Ketchup and a bitter lemon and a Mango juice with a sliced mango on the side??..will update you regularly of ETA so it can be waiting on time...thanks!!

We are rollicking along at 6kts at the moment in a rather confused sea..been like this all night so managed a 120mile day which is only just keeping us up with Bligh as he took off in this part of the world too so he is still a couple of days ahead ..we have water coming into the boat every now and then but nothing like Bligh so all is good..the drama for today is all about our cameras..the main Video camera has a glitch in it and now will not turn on..Bummer..we ave plenty of others but even our 2nd camera a High Definition lipstic recorder which was about $4000 has a defect straight out of the box!!..We only discovered it playing back footage at restoration Island so we are disappointed with that...only five cameras left operating on board but that will be OK..

My legs are a bit of a mess now with festering Restoration Island sand fly bights..always something..but everything else is better now..so should be in peak health and fitness by the time we make Kupang..it seems really close now and we run the risk of getting very frustrated if we run out of wind..this will be a roller coaster of emotions and feelings ..so close but so far..

Dave P. is very relaxed with the attitude of we get there when we do but it will be fun on the day..Chris has calculated that if we average 6kts all the way we will be there in a few days..Dave W is still not settled and even though he got 14 hours sleep yesterday at Horne Island and an afternoon sleep he still says he is shattered as he can't sleep because Chris and I talk too much on watch...he is still here though and that is a good thing..he will be there at the end which will be big news for him but last night was funny..Dave P asked him to check that the buckets were tied on..conditions were getting rough..and Dave asked which buckets??.. so maybe he is getting tired or confused?? we only have two and they are both always in the cockpit..

As for my feelings ..I just find it hard to believe that it is nearly all over...anything can yet happen but I am starting to see some familiar elements creep into this trip from other expeditions we have done...plan for the worst and hope for the best...it usually works and has been so far,...just that about now I start to worry that we will have to pay the piper soon and time is running out..so yes I will be happy to get to Kupang...can our luck hold ???

Maybe the worst thing that could happen is no one on the beach to meet us when we get in...the final approach is going to be very tricky with many hazards and wind challenges..Bligh had to pick up a local pilot to help him get in around the corner...wonder what we will get...for now it is the last 1000 miles..??

Our replacement regulator on the solar Panels just died so no power getting into the batteries at the moment but we can hot wire it to bypass that so we can keep things working..there were qite a few ships last night.

Dave W is cracking up again...quite seriously!!.. as I write this.amazing...sometimes he just does not get it!!..he now wants to cancel his hamburger order as he is worried someone will spend two weeks wages to bring him that hamburger and he may not like it..so would prefer to organize his own!!...all three of us just gave him curry over that!!...he got upset...so cancel the burger!!!!...but the rest of the team are up for it and Chris has asked me to remind everyone about the girls??

Dave W is looking forward to a good sleep I think??...

For the rest of us the sun is shinning and we are sitting on 6kts!!!...way to go.....Don

...PS..Chris can finally tie a bowline, clove hitch, rolling hitch, round turn and two half hitches...but he did not know what a marina was!!...turning into quite the sailor..last night helming really well in the dark just feeling the boat..no compass...WOW!!

Just Awesome.......!

2010-06-06T19:22:00.001+10:00

My last blog was pretty weak I must admit. My bad if it came off really whiny, you've got to understand that I was just using it as a means to vent so as to avoid creating unnecessary conflicts in our little home away from home. But now I hope all that business is way behind us.

This last week has really made the expedition for me. The sights - Restoration, the reef, the coast, the cape, the cays - incredible. The people we met on Restoration, as well as those we met in Tonga, it was just an amazing experience to hear their rich and interesting and diverse stories. The food! Ah, huge crayfish tails, plenty of chicken stew (I had five portions...both nights) and freeze-dried meals that were a real tasty change from ship's biscuits.

What has struck me is the great consequence seemingly unimportant decisions have had. Our choice to stop at the Cay the other day, which led to a great meal and Dave W's apology. What if we had just continued on in search of a coastal anchorage? Would he still have got up and apologized? Would the crew still be in the same high morale? The same goes for a lot of things, one tiny decision changing everything. I could have never looked at the paper on that fateful April afternoon, never read that article calling for crew members. Then where would I be? Talk about chaos theory...

By far, the best thing about this trip has been the people. Even if you stripped everything else away and just left me the opportunity to meet them all, I'd be more than content. Just hearing their stories has opened my eyes to lifestyles and ways of thinking that I'd always just brushed off in the past.

Another thing that has surprised me is just how friendly everyone has been! I mean, when we pulled up on the Cay, with the Cossack Pearl in anchor nearby, I just swam over to say hey and before I knew it they were so generously offering us a load of free crayfish. That's the sort of friendliness we've experienced right the way across from start to here, almost at the finish.

I feel so indebted to the other guys for their support all the way, especially Don, without him I'd still be sat at home daydreaming about things like this. Whereas now, there's a new excitement in the pit of my stomach as I'm just aching to get back and sort my life out.

Only ten days to go and we've all got smiles on our faces. Rejuvenated and with some incredible experiences under my belt, I'm all set for this last burst across the Arafura Sea to Kupang. In the words of Bruce, the skipper of Wild-card, "These boys have a back yard as far as the eye can see. And they don't even have to mow the back lawn."

Put simply, everything is just awesome.

Cheers,
Chris

Top Day...Kupang Here We Come

2010-06-06T00:10:00.005+10:00

The bounty boys hit the tip of Australia!

It was a slow night with 10kts of breeze but again very enjoyable..there were no surprises like reefs or islands and at around 0800 we were alongside Turtle Island where Bligh hid from some very strong winds....at that point he became very confused as to what or where Cape York actually was...the Nav publication he had put it about 23miles further south than it actually was...we just stuck to the coast and went through a narrow pass just as we saw the tide turning...there was a two knot current against us but we stuck to the edges of the pass and got some back eddies which helped..only one scare when reef came up very quickly...

About an hour later there it was...Cape York...we were sailing about three miles offshore and then saw a small pass between the Cape and two islands north of that...we decided to cut through it as we are shallow draught and thought we could anchor off it which is exactly what we did..about 15 mtrs off the very tip of Cape York!! what a buzz..I let all the crew swim ashore first as we were in a two knot current and very exposed...they took their pictures and came back so I could do the same thing...it was all over in 20 minutes and we were underway again to Horn Island .

Half way across we met up with Stu in the chopper who flew around us for a bit over an hour...both he and I doing some crazy stuff in this time ...then it was all speed to the anchorage arriving at about1800 as the sun was setting...what a great day with plenty of memories..we must have seen 25 turtles during the last hour of approach here...

We spoke to Customs today and we are set to clear Customs and Immigration tomorrow at 0930 on the wharf which is really convenient for us...Bob and Margaret are picking us up in their dingy in the morning to transfer us ashore and if all goes well we should be back on board and away by about 1100 and then it is off to Kupang....we are all really keen now to head back out into the Ocean..Bligh had some real issues with the weather on this leg so we are not expecting our run of good weather to last forever...the boat is good to go and so are we.....a big sleep tonight will top that off big time..!!

We part company with Stu here and he will fly to Kupang ready to film our arrival...Touch wood..not sure when we will get there but we are only two days behind Bligh now....so it may be a close thing...we managed not to eat our normal rations so have at least nine days of rations left....I reckon we may be there on the 16th ??? so it will go close...

Big day tomorrow...Tonga seems like so long ago!!...Don

Parallel Universe...!

2010-06-04T22:56:00.002+10:00

Bligh's plight with eighteen men crammed in his tiny boat near starvation still seems along way from ours but I am amazed at the parallels. Last night as we ghosted through the reefs a sea snake swam by and sure enough Bligh had seen one in this area during his voyage 221 years prior.

Last night we also passed Sunday Island unable to stop in the dark. It was here that Bligh's authority was challenged by one of his men and to settle the matter Bligh in turn challenged him to a duel on the beach. The stop at Restoration Island at the end of the epic crossing had lifted the lid on interpersonal frictions and this came to a head as they crammed themselves back into their tiny boat and resumed the voyage.

We were all keen to be on our way again from Restoration Island despite the amazing hospitality and company there. The final stage of our voyage beckoned but like Bligh's men, returning to the tiny bounty boat raised interpersonal issues. Wilco's on again, off again struggle had left a dent in the team I feel and yesterday felt horrible as we all grated against each other like gears that just wouldn't quite mesh. While we missed Sunday Island last night we found our own cay today that Bligh would have loved. 221 years on a duel on the beach wasn't the path to conflict resolution and instead we resorted to frank discussion. I take my hat off to the humility of my crew mates in the way the matter was addressed. An evening of eating crayfish on the sand cay under a stary sky around a driftwood fire, there seems no doubt we couldn't be better placed as a crew to really revel in the final stage. Not to say it wont be a struggle and there wont be moments of frustration but it looks like we have the ability to deal with what may arise.

The race to catch Bligh resumes again. A few moments after sending this blog around midnight we will push off from the beach and head off into the night on a course we sighted today during daylight across what seems like clear water for at least enough distance to keep us safe in the dark hours.

A warm breeze beckons so I will see you next week.

Dave Pryce / Quilter

Leaving Restoration Island & More Dramas.........YUK

2010-06-03T23:09:00.003+10:00

What a time at Restoration Island but we are all happy to be underway chasing Bligh once again...we departed at 0700 this morning after just a few hours sleep last night ..we had delays trying to send out High Def. pictures to some media outlets..anyway all done and the other thing was that yes we got hit by sand flies last night and the night before so I have very itchy legs again..these are the Aussie flies..bigger bites..or Pee I should say as they do not bite but pee on you...so that will be fun for the next few days...

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.

We had one more stew our only food for the day and managed to get quite a few jobs completed..the good news is that the solar panel problem was located..a failed Regulator which we replaced and all is functional again so we have power!!

Now a whole new set of challenges..how to sail through the reef without charts....well we have our planning chart which shows all the next leg to Cape York in about 1 inch so that is useless but I do have then chart that Bligh drew while in the boat..it shows where he stopped but it is going to be tough...especially at night...we have already this afternoon had a very close call!!

Dave Pryce was on the helm...Dave Wilkins was on the bow looking for reefs as we were close inshore..I had told Dave W that it is very serious now so stay alert and said look for colour changes..

I was under the Dodger when Dave P called out 'Fish".we hooked up big time...as I rushed up the line broke but I looked over the side and to my horror we were sailing at 5kts over coral about 1mtr below the keel!!

I shouted out to all we were over reef..dropped all the sheets and asked Dave to head up to starboard as the edge was clearly 140mtrs to windward...it was very tense as the dept occasionally dropped to less than 40 cm under the keel and a few Bommies were passed to leeward that we would have hit...we got away with it but it was close..this was in the middle of the day in excellent conditions..Dave W was very apologetic and said he noticed the change from water to reef but thought we had enough dept....??

Not sure how we will go or what we will do tonight..we look like not being by an anchorage at dusk so may have to sail on...we are in a big Bay that nearly trapped Bligh..Sunday Island is on the other side of this big bay so in about 20 miles we will be in the dark and not be able to see what is going on..we have shipping around and also some beacon lights so will not ignore them...so who knows what will play out tonight?? but we have to keep going now..it is currently 1700hrs..

We are eating Mackerel tonight..a small one but Chris filleted and skinned it..a first for him..very clever..he also had his first for deck workout today setting sails , Gybing and booming out etc so getting to be quite the sailor now ..but still no good with ropes..we all laugh about that but still a long way to Kupang!!.

Stu has been filming our departure this morning..met up again with Bob and Margaret on the boat about 10am..then left us for a few hours. They are backs along side filming now but they leave at dusk and head for Horn Island so we are on our own for those that worry we have an escort boat to help us navigate!

No Moon...Dark night..15kts wind..half Mtr sea...at least the sailing is dry..we are now doing 3.5kts...this is another serious challenge tonight and yes I am little uneasy so will try to be very Cautious..but if Bligh could get through so will we!! He leaves the top end tomorrow to head for Kupang and spends tonight on anchor so we are only 100 miles behind him..the closest we have been for a long time..that feels good.

Our wildlife event for the day was very special..huge schools of Mackerel ripping the water apart all around us when a large school of big Trevally huddled under the boat as we sailed along at 4kts..this was the school that the Mackerel were after so they cut in and our around us killing many and then a huge 3mtr shark cruised into the school from behind only a mtr or so from our rudder..all very exciting to watch!! right under us..plenty of large turtle and Dugong too..

This part of the world is very interesting an very alive..I love it..

We just rigged our radar reflector for the first time..some of these huge tankers are moving very fast!!!

Look forward to reporting in tomorrow...stay tuned!!...Don

What a Difference A Day Makes ...........!

2010-06-03T01:38:00.004+10:00

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

"REPLIES TO BLOG COMMENTS"

2010-06-02T22:06:00.002+10:00

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!!!!

Please keep the comments coming..good and bad...better to have an opinion that say nothing all your life...we are out of here tomorrow something I am really looking forward too....Half of Bligh's men were right and half were wrong when the crew were split on leaving or staying!!!...you work it out....Don

Arrival Restoration Island........

2010-06-02T18:19:00.002+10:00

Too much wind would have been a good problem to have a few days ago..but not the night before we are due to go through Bligh Boat passage...it picked up to 30kts plus with up to 3.5 mtr breaking seas and we had to try slowing down or risk overshooting the pass...when I came on watch at 2200hrs we only had 20 miles to go yet could not get there till 0700 the next day...I dropped all sail except for the jib then continued to ride the seas precariously beam on to the North to North East..away from the pass.. till I saw a big set coming in the moon light and headed off Down wind to the west ish?..it was a long watch as I needed to steer all the way...Chris was there ready to assist but it was potentially dangerous..so I gave it to him for 30 minutes at 0130 in the morning and he did a great Job..he continues to amaze me every time..he love all the challenges and is going to be a changed person when all this is over...after four hours we had held position bit and were now only 17miles to the pass...Quilter and Wilco took over and the conditions settled a bit so in the end we made a rendezvous with Supr at 0730 about 5 miles outside the pass..took some great footage then headed into the flat blue lagoon of the Barrier Reef at 0900...it was amazing to think of Bligh going through this little passage..a touching moment for all...did I tell you flat water is great!!

A few hour later another coast watch plane came by then we met up with the 60 minutes film crew boat as the customs chopper buzzed us. we slowly sailed up to the most amazing Beach at Restoration Island..Bring on the Stew!!

We dug a ditch in the sand below the low waterline , started the fire , chopped up the Chicken, covered with water, boiled,added potatoes, peas and latter the cabbages...we had two gallons of it and it was gone in two hours..Dave apologized profusely and tucked in..it was superb!!..we then sat around all night with Dave from the island and some of the trawler crews, Bob and Margaret and had a very social occasion...Chris was the only one that slept on the boat..I slept on the beach with NO!! sand flies or mosquitoes!!! it was heaven..

All our cameras, computers, phones and in fact the batteries off the Talisker Bounty Boat we transferred to the 60 minutes support boat for charging over night so I could not write this blog!!,,...sorry...now the sun is shining, blue sky..good breezes and plenty of anticipation about setting out from here...with Dave I am happy to say...at first light tomorrow..still a long way to go so ???

At the moment life is good...big party planned for tonight but we are all still on Bounty Boat Rules...so we watch them all getting into everything...I want to get going already...Don

Restoation Island Tomorrow.... Batteries DEAD....

2010-05-31T19:32:00.002+10:00

The wind has kicked in and we are on GPS which showed us 50 miles further ahead than we thought..our ETA off boat Passage by Bligh Reef is around 5am tomorrow..the tide turns in at about 0700 and our great friends Bob and Margaret Edwards will meet us just outside the entrance at 0730 in their beautiful globe trotting Nordhavn 46 that they have just sailed up from Sydney..they are going to be camera boat for the next week and Stu is on board..

Mixed emotions for me at the moment..hard to believe we have come so far with the days all molding into one after the other...there have been a few occasions over the past 10 days when I was on the verge of getting emotional for various reasons..yes that means crying??..not sure why...never did but it was close and it really surprises me..I had to stop talking a few times on the Phone to Margie and when speaking about some things on the boat..weird!.there is always this pressure on the organizer/Capt. I suppose? the health issues did not help and I don't think the diet is conducive to good nerves either...maybe it is because things have been so good for so long that I am getting worried about when it is going to hit the fan so to speak..or when we have to pay the piper???..I know I was shocked when David W just calmly said he was thinking of walking out on us at Restoration Island...but the three of us will do OK without him if that is his decision...Dave P. is a tower of strength and truly my right hand man.. but I must say Chris is more than pulling his weight so we would be a good team..

The boat is good all except for the batteries that gave up this afternoon while trying to charge one of the cameras so I have enough for this blog and will hopefully have the solar system working when at the Island so been a bit of a juggling act but we survived..we can still charge our sat phone direct off one panel so our safety link is still live..

So this is the end of the next goal for us..just to get here makes us all feel very HAPPY!.

Customs arrive at the island around midday and I recon we will get there about 1300hr so there is a bit of anticipation on board..I have to keep reminding everyone to keep focused on Kupang...myself included..as this is just a quick stop over and some of the trickiest parts are yet to come...we will leave at first light on the 3rd so only one full day stopover..Bligh left this morning at 0400hrs

Last night we had one of those special moments..a Booby was trying to land on the rolling mast at sunset..which he did a few times before getting flicked off by the motion and he was cruising past so I said to Chris who was on the helm..I was filming it..Stick your arm out Quick!..he did and as I thought he landed on his arm!..no this is no little bird! something the size of a big Chicken..of course we were both laughing like crazy and "Brioan" his new name was wondering what the big deal was about..anyway we brought him on board to show the other watch below asleep..more laughs and the first bird poo!..and then we took him and put him on the back of the boat where he stayed all night with us keeping us company till an hour after Dawn when with one last Poo!..about 12 in total..he flew off..a very "COOL!" wildlife encounter..

Saving power so at the moment we have 20kts ESE wind right behind..sailing at 5kts, trade wind clouds with a little rain about..surging along with occasional water splashing into the cockpit,25 degrees and a 2mtr sea with some big rolling on the boat every now and then..but tomorrow it is inside the Great Barrier Reef and tonight it is tinned corned Beef again ..then 24 hours latter..Boiled Chicken Stew!!!..YEEHAAA!

Stand By for a couple of BIG days ahead..will send plenty of Pics when we get more power...Oh yes..Chris picture was really me..I swam ashore without clothes of course..I have been wearing the same shorts and shirt for a month now..never had any fiber pile layers on..only worn my wet weather pants once in the cockpit and once below in the dodger..hardly ever open my bag..so life is simple...same with Dave P. BUT..Chris and Dave W get into Pajamas every night...I just dive in and straight to sleep..tomorrow night I am on the beach!!!

Life is good!..Don

" Captain Bligh, caught nude and stranded on the sand cay"

2010-05-31T02:21:00.003+10:00

Getting There.......................

2010-05-30T21:52:00.001+10:00

What up. So we're still just cruising across the paddock. I guess by the time it gets to Sunday, you've already had all the juicy happenings of the week from the others, so my bad if I'm just reiterating all that has been said.

Highlights of this week? Well early on in the week I blew my top at Dave, his clumsiness, laziness and unreasonable attitude finally got on my last nerve. Something needed to be said, for my benefit at the very least as I was bottling my frustration. Let me paint you a picture with my imagination brush. It was probably Monday, just arriving at noon, the heat of the day pummeling our little boat. Having been off from 6am to 12pm, the last few hours of my morning were spent squaring away my daily duties. It just hit the hour, Dave was set on just going straight to sleep, no questions asked. So after a little complaining that I was now "on shift" - I was under the floorboards getting out water - I suggested he make the most of the oppourtunity to sort his single responsibility as quartermaster and sort the food out to make more space for me. To which he expectedly replied, "I'll do it later".

"Why don't you just do it now Dave?"
"I'll just do it tomorrow when I have to."

*I try gentle persuasion with no result*

"You're fully annoying. Why can't you just do your job?"
"It's my job. You just worry about what you're doing and I'll worry about what I'm doing."
"Seriously, all you have to do everyday is pull out food and divide by four. If you don't do your job efficiently, it makes it harder for me to get my own stuff sorted and in turn the boat suffers."
"Stop being so childish."
"Stuff it."

Okay, I may have cleaned up the dialogue a little...anyway, it got pretty heated for a little bit but by the end of the day we talked about it, apologised and things were cordial again. I have since made it my personal challenge to deal with Dave's habits with a Zen-like attitude to avoid any further conflict, there is after all, a long way to go. I think I might be giving the impression that Hong Kong Dave is a real hindrance, but he's a great guy, I've just been venting my aggravation from him onto here. Since then there has been no other real arguments. Good times.

Well, apart from Quilter's over-reaction at my souvenir shells. Bad times. To cut a short story shorter, I picked up a couple of colourful shells on the Sand Cay we pulled up at, as a memento of this picturesque shore leave. He spouted out the green cross code's old motto, "Take only photos, leave only footprints". Which, reasonably, I take as a subjective guideline rather than an absolute rule. The beach was made up of a fine, coral sand, so soft in places it felt like walking on fresh snow powder. Quilter dumped a load into the bilge from his shoes when he got back. Probably an amount equal to, if not more, than a few eroded shells. He followed up with the overused line, "If everyone did it, there wouldn't be anything left". Not everyone does it and if they did it would probably be deemed socially acceptable, making it a moot point. Now I really do my part for the environment, but that was just a bit silly. Quilter is so passionately dedicated to environmental awareness and conservation, which I wholeheartedly admire. But he also seems to go by, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem".

Got buzzed by an Australian Coast Watch surveillance aircraft, who are dedicated to protecting the coastline. We had to answer a few questions and give them our particulars, all pretty standard and the really low fly-by was a nice interruption from a moment of boredom. Spent a few hours unraveling twine for a new fishing line, SO MUCH FUN. I think I'll take that up as a hobby when I get back.

That's pretty much all I can dramatise from this week's events.

I spoke to a freelance reporter the other day, she asked what I was looking forward to in Kupang. "Bit of culture, a soft bed, warm food and a well earned rest". Since then my thoughts have shifted to all the logistical issues I'll be faced with at the finish line, but with such little contact that's just one thing I'm going to have to just set aside, I can't do anything about it out here.

I had a few lesser revelations this week, just a few smaller aspects of my own life I need to adjust, a few friendships I need to renew.

Anyway, every thing's awesome on the boat, Restoration is just over the horizon and I can pretty much taste that chicken stew.

See you the other side of the reef,
Later,
Chris

"Govt, Help, and Fishing Good & Bad"

2010-05-29T19:09:00.002+10:00

We started our mandatory reporting to Australian Quarantine ,Customs and Immigration today as we approach Australia to make our entry . Unfortunately Restoration Island is not an official entry port which I have known for many months and I have been in close contact with the Govt. departments about procedures...I was hoping that maybe there would be a customs vessel in the area or?? in the end the only way was to fly a team down from Thursday Island at the tip of Cape York by helicopter which would cost about $10,000!!..or go to Cairns...not an option...

I am SO HAPPY to tell you that The Australian Customs service, and AQIS and Immigration all believe that the voyage of Talisker Bounty Boat is of Historical and National importance, and significance so have agreed to cover the cost of the Flight in their National Operating Budgets which is absolutely FANTASTIC news...I cannot thank all the Heads of Departments enough and the relevant Ministers who no doubt had to give approvals and sign this off as a special one off...I was told about this possible opportunity unofficially back in late February during training and just kept my fingers crossed..to tell the truth if I had to find $10000 right now I would have challenges so THANKS AGAIN!!...look forward to seeing the team on the beach soon.

Not sure when that will be as we are still only sailing at about 3kts..very pleasant though and not hot, blue sky, 1mtr waves and plenty of action today..

Two big catches on the fishing line..the first was unfortunately a Blue footed Booby a bird that is about the size of a small turkey...luckily he must have only been on the line Before we saw him..I quickly got Quilter to stop the boat, told Dave W to don gloves and get the multy tool/pliers/knife ready and Chris to don gloves too while I slowly started pulling him in ..I had to stop occasionally to let his head up for air and give him some breath by backing off the line and eventually we had him alongside, reached down and grabbed his body..luckily he was only hooked on the last hook and it had gone through the soft membrane in the center of his lower beak..Chris was carefully able to back the hook out and then we had to cut just a small part of that membrane to remove it completely...the bird was very helpful and full of energy so a final check and he was off..he decided to land and workout what the hell had happened...he was flapping and checking wings etc, shaking head and generally a bit confused but he was back in the air after about four minutes and flew back to us to see what we were about..I am confident he will be fine but we were all a bit disappointed it happened...we had not seen any bird interested in the lure before but this has happened to me back inn 1997 and of course it is a major bird killer in commercial long-lining...

About an hour latter another Booby came past interested in the lure so I was holding it ready to give a quick tug at the last minute if he dived on it...he had two passed but nothing then all of a sudden I almost lost my hand..we were hit big time by a 15KG yellow fin tuna..hard to get in but Brilliantly tail roped by Dave W. just as one of the lure hook in his mouth pulled out alongside the boat and the last hook was straitening...we started eating him withing minutes and now the rest is drying around the boat..in amongst all this we lost all the line and lure as it was not set up correctly when it was put out earlier today...it happens but still a disaster..so now we have to try to make up another one.

Love the moon..Temp, tail winds, company in fact life is good at the moment ..but Kupang is looking like a long time away...get me to Restoration Island!!!..Don

SURPRISE - Sand Cay...........!

2010-05-28T18:17:00.001+10:00

This past week has been some of the most delightful sailing I can remember. The Bounty Boat has been swept along by gentle warm breezes for the most part at a time when I thought we would be hanging on for grim life before 25-35 knot trade winds that threatened to swamp our small craft. I seriously wondered whether we would survive this stage but instead have been pleasantly surprised.

Never have I been more surprised however than today when we saw the bottom of the ocean and shortly after came upon a small sand cay. We looked at each other and there was no question that a landing was required. It had been three weeks I think since we pushed off from the beach in Fiji and Restoration Island seems continually beyond our grasp.

Ted maneuvered us into the lee and we threw the anchor into a sand patch close to shore. A coral reef protected the sand cay so we swam ashore and scrambled over the coral to reach the pristine beach teaming with life. Hermit crabs busied themselves near the tide line while birds massed on the top of the cay in numbers akin to a Hitchcock film. Masked Boobies were nesting on up to two eggs and one poor juvenile stumbled in the sand. His parents were nowhere to be seen and his life was likely to be short. Noddy birds that have been visiting us at night looking for a perch in the rigging were there on mass while the occasional frigate bird circled overhead. This was an amazing experience in a remarkably pristine wilderness, the only debris being a couple of water bottles, fishing floats and of course the old faithful thong (flip flop).

There were miles to sail so we swam back out to our faithful Bounty Boat, up anchored and set sail again. Our interlude was over and we reflected excitedly about what we had seen till Chris produced a bag of shells he had souvenired from the rare piece of wilderness we had visited. Why? When will we humans learn to rise above our basic instincts to aquire and control our environment? When will we learn to appreciate our rare wilderness regions? Why do we feel it is acceptable to bag and souvenir our natural heritage? Would it be Ok to wander into Stonehenge and knock off a lintel for a garden sculpture?

As adventurers we often have the privelege of visiting wild and remote wilderness regions but with that comes the responsibility to behave appropriately. The simple premise of "Take only Photos and leave only footprints" is a good start but as the detrimantal effects of human activity acumulates we should probably expand this to a more proactive policy of "Take only photos and plastic debris and leave only footprints". This way those who enjoy these regions have the opportunity to make a positive impact and contribution to its future.

On a less serious note we concluded that Bligh would have hit the jackpot landing on this cay. He would have walked up and grabbed a bunch of boobies, lots of eggs and caught many fish. In response we cracked open a tin of fruit salad we have been drooling over for weeks and spilit it four ways. It capped off a great day with less impact on our sand cay than it would have suffered 221 years ago!

Dave Pryce / Quilter

PS See Ted's Blog above for all the nuts and bolts info.

BIG SURPRIZE and Lots of Luck Again......!

2010-05-28T18:12:00.002+10:00

We finally started sailing at 1900 last night and had a good run at about 4-5kt. At around 11 am we hooked a small tuna that I had in pieces in minutes so we could down the lot ASAP..it was great and the liver was the sweetest which Chris and I enjoyed. As I came off watch around midday to get ready to take my first noon sight for many days, I looked over the side and thought WOW!..that is the bottom..sure enough we were watching the sand and coral slide past deep below..this was NOT expected..Chris donned goggles to see how deep and we estimated about 30 mtrs??..we were all eyes on the horizon while I waited for the sun to finish climbing in the sky..I asked Dave W if he was keeping a good lookout ..he said yes but nothing seen??..then in between sun shots I spotted a sand Cay!!!..NOT EXPECTED!!...that was the start of some interesting events...in the end the noon sight confirmed we were nearly 70 miles further south than expected and that then concluded that it was probably Diane Bank, which meant that we were also about 65 miles further west than expected!!...

I am not the pedantic navigator like Bligh I admit and having gone through many cloudy days with no sight ,then Kidney stones etc..then calms etc..I have not been refreshing the latitude and we do not look at the one chart we have on board very often....it is only for planning purposes..this chart covers an area from 175 west to 100 east..or from 600 miles west of Australia to 400 miles east of Tonga..so is of no real value, but is something of an equivalent to the navigational info the Bligh had with his publications giving the then known Lat/Long of the key points he needed.

We also have the challenge of wanting to get to Restoration Island..through the same boat Pass that Bligh used..Bligh just wanted to get to the Australian coast below Torres straight..so our challenge is a little different. In an obscure way Dave P. and I are really enjoying the challenge/risk of flying a little blind//..but we also know again it could have been a little different if we hit that Cay..surrounded by reef in the middle of the night..

Anyway our game plan has always been to approach Bligh's boat Pass from the SE. We do not want to get caught with the wrong wind direction in the last days as we do not sail well to windward..that is why we are south of Bligh's course and are now making our war up toward the pass...it was time to make any final approach course changes today..but we got caught we think by the currents during the calm..they may have sent us south..the further distance to the west could be us underestimating our speed or the extra current too..all part of the unknown we face...anyway we know that Osprey and Shark reef are right on our path now so we must be vigilant..we looked at the chart to confirm everything today so at least we have a new known departure point and I am happy about that..I will take a noon sight now every day to check our progress north and we continue to religiously fill out the log every hour..so like Bligh it is fingers crossed...someone was watching over us again..

When we think we are withing the last 100 miles we will use the GPS to locate and navigate through boat Pass as that is the only way we can do it...if we were just Bligh we would wait till we get to the reef , sail north along it till we came to a good pass and slip in..but we want Bligh's Pass..no option!

Dave is about to do his Blog below on the days events..but last night on our watch there was a noddy tern trying to land on the boat..I said to Chris put you arm out and he will land on it...he did..and it did but at the point of landing the camera flash scared him away..it is fun out here..

Currently 20kts SE wind,1mtr sea,26c,sailing at 4-5kts..and getting ready for a special dinner....Don

Slow Days!............. Another Mutiny!

2010-05-27T18:02:00.002+10:00

Yesterday was my worst day for some time...not sure why but I was totally lethargic,no energy at all to the point of concluding I could not go for a swim as I did not have the energy to pull myself back onto the boat..no appetite at all, headache and glands in my throat bulging out and hurting..I wondered if the Flow-max tablets were having a side effect..you are supposed to take them after a big meal??..or was it the rebound from the stress of the Kidney stones ..but one thing for sure I had an infection as my thought was killing me..very hard to swallow...

We often share spoons on board as we are down to one good spoon and one fork?..it was a very hot day so I was not happy..I have since my first Gout session weeks ago thought I would have to crack open the tin of fruit salad in the emergency food to give me some more energy and some food other than Protein..this diet on board is bad for me no doubt...but I could not face the others if I did that so I am sticking with it...

Last night when I was not good I thought I may have to crack a tube of condensed milk to give me an energy kick...but today after taking some cold and Flue tablets I am OK with just a raging soar throat...now I cannot take the condensed milk..even though I know I should as my body is telling me something...I will stick with what we get..I went for a swim today and got back OK!..

On that we have to start cutting our rations..we had 6 weeks at the current rate and knew it was 7 weeks...so on the Great Barrier Reef stage we will try not to use any of our food and live off the land.

We are drifting again today..about less than 1kt average so the last two days we are going nowhere..now I recon we will be at Restoration Island maybe the 2nd ?? and Kupang the 17th/18th...Bligh is roaring ahead

As for life on board it is hotting up..Dave W and Chris had a falling out yesterday over jobs and when they should be done..quite heated and lasted about 15 minutes..Dave Pryce and I just shut up and said nothing. Dave Has a few things on his mind at the moment!

We bare not supposed to be having any outside contact..except for media and expedition logistics and there is plenty of that going on..But Dave really missed his kids so a few days ago I folded and said he could make a call to his kids..to my great surprise it turned into everything but..all about business..could not get the kids..then next day he asked to try again and had to sort his return air fare..that turned into calls to clients in the UK , checking the Dow and stock-markets that are all moving down..I said to him then that this will have to stop as he owes it to himself to keep his head on the boat..he did not agree...

Ive had for some time, the feeling that Dave is not settled into the boat..always uncomfortable,cant sleep as we make too much noise...still unhappy about the food...always just something..most of the time things are fine and he is great company...so I was not surprised today when Dave said he will need to make calls to check on Business things and see how it is all going..if it is no good..HE WILL GET OFF IN RESTORATION ISLAND!

What I have agreed to is that he can ring his partner and ask two questions...how are things good or bad?...Do I need to come back to Hong Kong...that is all..if he then wants to leave then nothing I can do about that!..we shall see..

Last night we had a bird on board all night..a Booby..sat balanced on top of the main mast..beautiful night and spectacular place to be ..But we want to make miles..we are slow slow we now have 9 Goose barnacles on the hull which we will get off before Australia..the amazing one this afternoon was a Cricket crawling out into the cockpit unexpectedly..I freaked and said grab him...and we put him over the side..unbelievably about 10 minutes latter after swimming for a bit he flew back on board...we sent him off again....and when Chris was swimming again about an hour later..there he was hanging onto the side of the boat!!..I said KILL HIM!...gave Chris the cup but he swam away...we have been on watch for a few hours but we think we finally lost him....We also had a big Dragon Fly cruise around today..and plenty of birds..

Wish we were faster!!..Australia here we come..One Day!..currently 28C, cool 5-8kt breeze , a few clouds and a frustrated crew!

Don

"Where Is The Wind...............?"

2010-05-26T18:07:00.003+10:00

Becalmed again, since 5am this morning we have been without wind, a boat speed of between 0.5-1 knot is painful to say the least. We are 550 miles from Restoration Island and at current speed will cover between 12-20 miles per day!!! Off course we will see a wind change, it is however a sobering thought when you are completely Dependent upon the elements.

After the usual becalmed swim, wash, deification there is little else to do and no where to hide from the scorching heat, even under the canvas it is very hot and unpleasant but one can at least avoid sun burn. Moods are affected in the heat and as boredom sets in, the only one who seems unaffected is David Q, his mood never seems to change, just hums his way through the day, though I do wish he would extend his repertoire of songs, Christmas carols in May in the Pacific Ocean is rather unusual to say the least..'

As each day passes, I am more and more concerned as to what is happening at the office? I have never been out of contact for this amount of time and confess to not liking it!! Fortunately my business partners are very supportive and I have a great team to work with, still I feel anxious, when you have sunk your heart and soul into your business so passionately for five years it is difficult to stand by and not know how it is going! I am personally struggling with this and daily find myself wondering what is happening to the markets, and our business.

My biggest challenge is I am missing my daughters terribly, however good company the crew on Talisker Bounty Boat are, they do not replace the love and happiness one feels when with there children, I look forward to being with them, in the mean time I have to just take one day at a time!!

I am concerned at the potential delay, if this continues, how far behind Bligh we will fall, and how long I am able to wait. By the time we reach Restoration Island, we will have covered 2400 miles and with 1400 miles to cover before Timor I wonder if I will have to jump ship in Restoration, return to my real life, my children and the business. It would be a big decision, and one that I will need to assess and we proceed to Australia, and discuss with Don, if it looks at all likely. I respect Don's view and know it will be an honest opinion.

The objective for me was to continue a personal journey and grow, learn and have an extraordinary chapter in an otherwise, ordinary, but extremely pleasant life, on this I am happy with the outcome so far.

One major realization for me, this expedition has compounded how important my relationship with my daughters really is, for all of us! The relationship between father daughter is extremely special and they are growing far to fast! Soon they will be off to university, then into their own adult life, with one at 14, the other 7, there is precious little time to share adventures, and this expedition has made me realize that sharing adventures with my daughters can be the greatest joy of all and then they may grow up with their own hunger for personal adventure, not just computer games and TV. Using Don's definition, an adventure is where the outcome is unknown (I like this) then there are numerous adventures we can share, they do not have to be on this scale and this I wish to make my focus for the forthcoming years, I have many ideas but will wait until I am sat with my daughters and discuss!! I hear them now, saying "oh no, what now" :)

I reviewed the food stock today, we have 19 days of food, including what we are allowed in Restoration Island, and approx 23+ days to go. Therefore we are starting a process of reducing our intake and saving some food for the later week, I confess to reducing Corned Beef is not a problem for me.... On the hunger, I am doing much better and not feeling hungry, my appetite seems to have been reduced, my weight is diminishing which is motivating me, though I am missing some health food....

Hopefully, next time I writ, we will be on Restoration Island and all my concerns will have been alleviated!!

David W (not Quilter)

Personal Message for my daughters - Hi Lucinda and Isabelle, Good gosh I am missing you both, please see the note above about adventures.... I am serious, so put your thinking caps on!! Lets have some fun... I Love you Dad xx

Don is feeling really bad, his worst day so far, no energy nor appetite, sore throat, hot and sticky, maybe side affects of drugs for Kidney stones, which are supposed to be consumed after big meal!! or he says maybe an infection from sharing spoons and forks!! Still thinking of Bligh's men he says.... Silly me, I suggested it could be the appalling diet... surely not... No... can be....

Another kidney Stone Attack!..........Aaaaargh!

2010-05-25T21:21:00.003+10:00

At 0900 this morning it started all over again but faster and much more intense on my right side..another stone on the move...I could not believe it..everyone was at the ready knowing what to do and expect...by 10.30 when the pain was at about 4 out of 10 I had a pee and got rid of two small grains again and the pain was gone..unreal..how lucky was I!!..Margie was convinced all along that they were only small stones that were on the Cat Scan before I left Hobart so all was good..very unusual though to have two like that together..

So do you think I was surprised when 90 minutes later I passed a HUGE 4mm stone!!..Consider me lucky..the first one I had that sent me to hospital in a bad way some years ago was only 3.2mm....YES my stone collection on board is growing..what a fine specimen!!..That one could/should have blocked..Lucky day..

Hopefully that is the end of it all now and I can start thinking of Restoration Island..Progress is very slow at the moment as we drift along in the blue at 2kts..last night was better with steady 20kt winds and two ships coming very close.. so we were all very happy..today the heat has been getting to everyone ..

When Bligh arrived at Restoration Island he cooked up 13ltrs of stew for the crew ..Birds ,Palm hearts,Plant roots,berries they called peas and that really made all feel good...he did that a few times sailing north in the reef, taking Clams and anything they could find..We cannot kill the birds,or the palms or the clams so we have organized to have two chickens,three cabbages,6 potatoes and some dried peas waiting on Restoration Island to make OUR version of Bligh's stew...all on board are excited about that but today it all got a bit messy..

Dave W has wanted it to be Barbecued..but I have always made it clear..or thought I had, that it will be stewed to save all the fat and goodness as this is survival food ..to barbecue it in a fire will loose all sorts of goodness...we did joke around a few days ago about him Barbecuing his own leg but we joke about plenty of the emergency food too like the tins of fruit salad...but we cannot touch that...so apparently Dave has been thinking about his Barbie chicken leg lately...He Hates Boiled Chicken...and when I mentioned again that it will be Boiled he took offense and said I was a hypocrite and that I was moving the goal posts and this whole expedition was a waste of a lot of money! Food seems to be driving most of Dave's discontent I thin at the moment..none of us are perfect ..but no one else on board could confirm what Dave thought I said..I apologized if I had miss-lead him or made him misunderstand me for some reason, but no response so we will have to wait and see..Dave hates the corned beef and reminded me of that in strong terms today again ( but that comes up often) and he has now vowed not to eat the boiled chicken...I hope he does as this is not meant to be a food cruise..what would Bligh think.

Restoration Island is going to be strange..David Glasson lives on the Island now and we are expecting our camera boat there with Stu on board plus a 60 minutes TV film crew and maybe some news reporters. Dick Smith ( Sponsor)may be flying up for the day and he is bringing Roul and Marketa from our crisis management team in Hobart..Marketa is a doctor and will be giving us all a major medical..on top of all this Dave may be inviting some of his local friends over to the island to meet us and have a party with crayfish and prawns etc..this will be tough as we will not be able to touch any of it..( Dave W thought that was bad and we should not allow the Party).but that is cool...we are guests on Restoration Island thanks to Dave so we will go with the flow and have our worlds shattered..in a nice way..for one day and two nights..with all that food around I just hope Dave W gets back on board when we leave..he is a total pleasure to have on board ,always makes us laugh and often looks at things from the other side which is great

Bligh had trouble on Restoration Island too..half the crew wanted to stay..the other half wanted to get to Kupang as soon as possible..?

Another day another milestone..less than a Sydney Hobart race to go to Restoration Island at the moment!! it is great out here right now....Don

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"Please see some more comments from Donators to the Talisker Bounty Boat DIET DAY"

2010-05-24T18:02:00.005+10:00

NIGHTMARE!.... Kidney Stones

2010-05-24T17:13:00.004+10:00

Flying Lamb's Tongue's. Yum!

There was only one thing other than a late Cyclone I did not want for this expedition...a Kidney stone moving as it is excruciatingly painful..well today it happened and the parting words of my Specialist in Hobart were ringing in my ears this morning.."it will not kill you but it will be very very bad"..Having had two bad experiences in the past few years I was not feeling good when at 7am this morning I felt one on the move...more in a minute.....

Chris could not get his blog out last night because of satellite problems and we were not impressed as he decided to write a book..I was waiting outside the cover for over an hour waiting to get some sleep as we were off watch..we blog under cover to keep the water out..anyway we joked that he wanted to send a small one but he did not have time?? and said anyway it was just for his friends not ours?

Saturday night was challenging as we had another cloud front come through and got dumped with rain big time...but I did manage to get a bath to catch up with the Dave's!!..all at 10pm and it was cold..Chris tried to stay dry under the space blankets ..I just got very wet..we also sat becalmed in all that for three hours .0 miles!!.Sunday was then the most amazingly relaxing day with gentle breezes , flat blue sea..we all enjoyed it and dreamed of other things..the only problem is that we were not getting to Restoration Island in a hurry.

A Noddy tern landed on the boat Sat. night and the Dave's could easily caught it..so we got a tin of lambs toungs..none of the others could eat it so I ate the lot!!..great.

Last night was a mixed bag but we had the moon which is really something and we have kept moving..two day average was about 95 miles a day so not too bad and today has been rollicking along. I seem to be cracking up..I had to laugh going onto the bow to change sails..everything hurts..I have a huge black bruise the size of my hand on my right buttock from the whack I took during our knock down weeks ago..my little toe still sticks out..I cant kneel in my right knee yet as the launch day gash is still weeping and heeling..my left thumb is inflamed and infected and to top all that off my pants kept falling down trying to get back into the cockpit because I am loosing weight..It was a saga I tell you!! and very funny..

The kidney stones were not funny..it started at 0515 this morning..had the urge for a pee that was strange but resisted as I was up on watch at 0600..then had a pee with some funny feelings..at 0630 I suspected a Kidney stone was moving so started drinking heaps again hoping I would pass it..at 0730 I was getting worried as the pains were moving to I went to the toilet to empty my bowels twice in case I would be having suppository pain killers soon...at 0800 I told the crew..and had a tablet to open my urethra to help pass anything...by 0900 I was in raising pain..I rang Margie for advice and she started things rolling in Hobart with our doctor..I was very emotional at that point as I knew I was in trouble..yes I was scared!..like looking at the world as a condemned man about to go through maybe 24 hours of serious pain that in the past had nearly made me collapse in the first few hours..Dave and Chris had the first aid kit out and we made plans for the suppositories and everything up to Morphine..the good news was that I could still Pee..

Anyway as the pain had built in a scale to 4 out of 10 and I was about to start everything happening...I sat down to check with Margie again and all of a sudden there was a knife edge pain in my penis and Bang..withing two minutes all pain was gone..My colour came back..I stopped perspiring and felt fine..all while on the phone to a much relieved Margie and Dave Pryce..about to administer the first Suppository..for me I was just in heaven...anyway I took two Panadol and rested taking heaps of water and for the rest of the day peed into a bucket looking for the stone..Bing..at 0430 this afternoon I got three pieces of kidney stone in the bucket!!..YEEHA!!...Happy chappy!!..I have kept them and may think about auctioning them off for SIF!!

What a saga...what a day..what an A team..it was comforting to know Margie and the team were onto it and as for the Talisker Bounty Boat crew they were great..thanks guys!! Been sailing at 5-6kts all day and some thunder squalls are on the horizon so not sure what tonight will bring but who cares..after that little scare life is good...700 miles to go to the reef..wind 20kts from the SE ..sea 1.5mtr,,7/8th cloud cover..Temp 29c .I really did keep the stones!!..all smiles...Don.

'Time Passes Slowly'

2010-05-24T17:12:00.004+10:00

'Time Passes Slowly' - Bob Dylan,

I've had that stuck in my head for the past few days, somewhat ironically - we're not making especially fast progress, sometimes not moving at all. Still, I'm trying not to concern myself about it, we'll make it eventually. So this week I've noticed a subtle, steady change in the group. We're talking a lot more. I've been trying at times to get a decent conversation going about something from popular culture - good films, tv series, books. But when no-one else on this boat watches anything on tv but the news, only watches the occasional film while mid-flight somewhere and have completely different tastes in the little media they expose themselves to, suffice to say it was like trying to get blood from a stone. They're considerably more out of touch with world media than I expected.

Still, while passing time we've found ourselves talking over maaany different things. Childhood to adulthood, family, friends, religion, hopes and plans and dreams. And of course food. Food. Food. Food. I don't think we've gone a day without musing about what delicious something we want to get our teeth into. Though, while I find myself immensely inspired by the others, our talks have made me a lot more thankful for having a strong sense of my own mindset and way of life. While these guys do live amazing lives, there are definitely certain aspects of their lifestyles I'm really not envious of. Erm, how do I explain...Okay, for instance, the other day I found myself in a discussion, a little in shock, defending monogamy vs infidelity and affairs in relationships, with all three of them against me!

That, along with many other things we've talked about, just reminded me how vastly differently we'd formed our own beliefs and the effects our very different societies have had on us. Nevertheless, 'each to their own', as they say. Our talks on the whole have been extremely beneficial to me. With the helpful advice, guidance and words of experience from the others, i've reached conclusions regarding my own future that will no doubt prove invaluable. I think I'll endeavor to pick their brains right up to Kupang to gain all I can from the tales of their successes.

To be honest, all those real, spontaneous moments over the weeks have rarely occurred on camera. Considering there is going to be a documentary on all this, it's a bit of a shame. As for being on film, I struggle. I'd like to think of myself as quite composed but point a camera at me and I turn into a shy, blabbering wreck. So pretty much all footage of me up to now will be me making an ass of myself. Which fills me with apprehension when it comes to doing more pieces to camera. For now, I'm much more comfortable being in the background or capturing the others, who are considerably more articulate on film.

Fully hard to write this blog with the others distracting me every two seconds. It's hard enough to amalgamate a week's happenings into this tiny window of time I get. It would be so much easier if we all blogged daily...at least on me at any rate. Still, "rules is rules". Pah.

Impossible not to think of back home with all the spare time you have around here. A huge barbecue, with everyone over, beers on ice. Chicken, burgers, sausages. Standard. That's definitely on the cards. Aaaand there's a huge pepperoni pizza back there with my name on it. Damn, I'm really going to have to show some self-restraint when I get back because if I give into these mega-cravings I'll be morbidly obese in hours. Roast dinner, granny smith apples, orange juice, diet coke aaaaand a massive bowl of noodles. Om nom nom nom.

My ipod playlist is burned into my mind, so I'm constantly shuffling that to keep myself from going insane. Though it's making me get more and more psyched for Reading Festival. That's going to be so awesome. And films too, can't wait to get to the cinema and catch up with all the new releases. Iron Man 2, Clash of the Titans, Shutter Island. Oh and that Spielberg - Hanks, Band of Brothers-esque thing looks swweeeet. 'Pacific', I think it is.

Heh, okay, so I'm pretty strongly attached to media, I guess this shows how large a part in my life it plays. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way!

Hopefully by the time of my next blog we'll be at Restoration Island enjoying some much wanted...restoration, in the form of boiled cabbage and chicken stew, nice.

Remember to donate to SIF if you haven't already,

Stay Classy,
Chris

Agony & Ecstasy!

2010-05-22T17:25:00.002+10:00

It was a tough night last night..just after Dave wrote the blog a local front came through with a sudden wind shift,very dramatic cloud front,rain and sudden wind increase..we were kept busy for awhile getting settled then with the wind forward of the beam is was a very uncomfortable ride under the cover with one falling on the other ..of course the saltwater was getting through so it was good to see the light of day and a drop in wind with a shift astern..can't complain really as Bligh was getting hammered regularly in this part of the world with much stronger winds and bigger seas. Food has been the topic of the day..everyone has been randomly bringing up all the stuff missed the most..we are all hungry now and can see weight dropping off..our water has a funny white algae in it but still tastes OK..Dave W is impressed as he thinks his double chin is gone and he is hoping to be at his ideal weight when we get to Kupang..but will he/we be able to keep it that way...the strangest thing is when we go to the toilet..I know you may not want to know about this so skip to the next paragraph if that is the case.....OK ...still here??..well we are not eating much food right..but the amount coming out is amazing..for every one unit going in we recon there is at least 2 units coming out!!!..we are all surprised..the toilet is bum over the down wind side by the back of the tent...you Butt is right at the water line so water washing is no problem and you have to have all your clothes off because if the boat takes a roll at that moment you go under water to your waist which happens most times...but washing is far better than paper so that issue is a non event..we do not miss it! We have been making over 100 mile days for the last three but have slowed now..we are about 850 miles from the entrance to the Great Barrier Reef so my estimate is that we could arrive there on the morning of the 30th at the earliest just over a week away...it will be good to get in behind the reef..we have had some big seas and a few times layed over but we all know they could very easy be bigger?? so far so good...for those thinking of coming to Kupang my ETA now is about the 16th June at the earliest, probably the 17th? so we still have not caught Bligh yet..we are moving faster in the water for equivalent weather but Bligh just had stronger winds..on that basis I am happy to be behind him still.. We have some blue sky at the moment, temp about 30c,wind from SE 10kts, sea about 1.5mtrs ,sailing at 3 kts....still no Noon sight today as overcast again but we just add up our speed estimates and courses to give us our Dead Reckoning position.. The two Dave's stink at the moment..they both had a fresh water shower in one squall..Chris and I were off watch in the Tent and remain real men..what would Bligh think!! I think of them in their boat out here all the time ..wonder what they would have been talking about and how they would have raced to sail their boat fast to port..calms would have been very frustrating.. All good here....Don

Running Like Mad Across the Paddock

2010-05-21T19:02:00.001+10:00

Wind Speed : 20 knots Boat Speed: 6 knots Cloud Cover : 8/8 total cloud cover all day has kept the temperature down to bearable levels. Barometer: Just risen a couple of millibars.We are romping along again after a lull today that ended abruptly with the arrival of a cloud bank 15 minutes ago. The wind swung to the N abruptly and I scampered forward to retrieve the drifter sail and bring in the pole. A little unnerving as we have been having a glory run with lovely SE winds pushing us along at about 100 miles a day since passing through the Vanuatu island group. It has been great to make some serious miles on this, our longest and most vulnerable leg of the journey. Progress is good and we estimate we are about 900 miles from the boat passage in the Great Barrier Reef, our gateway to safety. It is all very encouraging but I for one still feel very vulnerable in our small boat on the big ocean. The focus is to sail as fast as possible and get as many miles under the keel to minimize exposure. Exposure is one ingredient of risk we may have a small level of control over. Life on board is going well and we are really performing as a crew now. An unlikely bunch of guys bonded by the need to survive. A few days ago I noticed we started having long conversations about a wide variety of subjects, such a trait of voyaging on small craft. Life is good and going well aboard the Bounty Boat. Dave Pryce / Quilter

Fast Sailing & Lost Lunch

2010-05-21T18:57:00.001+10:00

Well they look like the trade winds , smell like the trade winds, feel like the trade winds but I am still not convinced they are..the clouds and fog/mist/haze make me a little cautious but who cares..the sailing is great!..last night and the night before had us moving at 5 to 7kts with no water on deck a few stars and the start of the moon ..it was just too exciting to think about sleep so there were long conversations in the shimmering light..the days we a bit lumpy and the 25kt winds dropped off leaving strange seas for awhile and makes us think there are some current eddies that will sometimes go against us..last night the seas were way down in relation to the wind strength so we suspect we had a strong current going with us..but we will not really know till we find Australia soon..we think there is about 1035miles to go so still Chasing Bligh?

The routine continues watch after watch and for the first time I am starting to sense a loss on energy not moving around but when I go to get up after sleeping etc..my food intake is very little..same as the others but Dave W and I usually only take one Biscuit morning and night..but do not feel hungry..strange..BUT!! I was annoyed today when I lost my LUNCH??

Chris is excellent on the helm but he will only watch the compass and is not aware of what is happening around the boat..I have for many days been trying to get him to watch the clouds ,waves and sails to get the feel for the Boat..under protest at night he has to if it is dark and we all hate that unless there are stars out...but during the day he still stares at the compass...and not his surroundings..anyway about an hour before lunch I had a go at him and said watch the sails and the boat but he said NO ..he likes staring at the compass and daydreaming!!

So lunch was all served into our mugs..nuts raisins and apricots..Chris is on the helm ..staring at the compass and wallop!! he missed a wave and did not recover fast enough ..the boat went down the wave came into the cockpit..and my lunch went into the bilge..others over the seat under the tent..

I recovered three apricots from the bilge water and ate them but as Dave W has a pussy foot infection and there are lots of other grimy bits around the rest was committed to the deep..everyone had a go at Chris..he said it was his first wave and continued staring at the compass!!..he had his lunch which was saved...so a bit more training required there..he is a worker though so all part of a package which is very good..I am pleading for a few apricots for dinner tonight...there was not going to be any as it was not one of the five nights for dinner but a bird landed on the main Yard so that allows us to have a small can of turkey luncheon meat!! Yippppeee!!

All very gray as I write..a 2 mtr confused sea but yesterday was a 120 mile day and today another 124 mile day so we will put up with anything..Dave W is having real trouble reading the compass at night as he has the wrong glasses and to his horror I made him aware that as his hair is growing out from being shaved about 25% are coming back Grey!!..he is impressed with that!

We have all been caught by random waves today taking a drenching..Dave P caught a big one while sleeping in the bilge..I got mine while on the helm this morning so the salt grime is slowly working through things..we are just so happy to have caught that water days ago..we have had no rain since.

Yesterday we passed a huge container ship about six miles away..the sea was big but he saw us and it was good to chat with him..he was going to check out the web site after the call....Oopps...Just had a wave crash over the boat and Dave W was laying on the life raft..he is now VERY wet..he was too scared to lay in the bilge but it got him anyway..tonight could be fun??

Wind about 15kts ..sea 2.5mtr..total cloud..temp 22c...sea warm!!..BOAT SPEED 5.5kts...way to go!...Don

We Love Corned Beef

2010-05-19T18:58:00.002+10:00

Another week has passed.... WOW.... We have been at sea now for 21 days and if i'm honest it still feels like a very large mountain has to be climbed! I am trying to cease counting the days as I find I am unable to live in the moment and enjoy the beautiful moments at sea, and there are plenty! It is the agony and the Ecstasy for me, and I have to take each hour as it comes. Our moods seem directly linked to the winds, the better, the faster we go, the happier we are, when becalmed, in the relentless heat, it all seems so futile. We are all very grateful for the rain fall as now with 200 litres on board, we are not restricted to 1 litre a day, which was difficult for all of us, 2 litres seems to suffice without discomfort.Don) have considerable weight, I guess for me around 6kg and, my thoughts were with Bligh and his men, I often wonder how they felt at this stage in the journey, I don't think we can recreate the hopelessness they must have experienced, when I need to lift my spirits, I imaging boarding the Cathay Pacific flight home, to Hong Kong. The comfort of business class lounge, and on arrival I will be greeted by my daughters, Max the dog wagging his tail, deep hot baths, flat screen TV's and the wonderful cooking of Listya my (now wonderful) home help. Bligh and his men had to look forward to 18 months journey back to England, faced with so much uncertainty, hunger, thirst and discomfort I often wonder how they kept their spirits up, I have utmost respect for all of them!!

Our days here are pretty much settled into a routine of sleeping, watches, and individual responsibilities, I have the easy task of food!! The irony of it....

I (and Don) have lost a lot of weight, I estimate myself around 6kg and as a result feel continually tired, weak and lethargic. My stomach has shrunk to the extent I can no longer eat the full rations and surviving on around 50%, I am monitoring carefully to ensure I am eating sufficient, to avoid the previous mood swings. For the record... I HATE corned beef!! I dream of port sausages on the BBQ dipped into whole grain mustard, I can smell them now!! I continually think of a nice cuppa tea and reflect back to on board Ianthe (the su0pport boat) and the yummy teas that Mark and Sam would make there, along with the porridge... Oh stop..... Create the opportunity to sail with them, you can even learn welsh...

As strange as this may sound, I am so grateful to be a part of this expedition, it is challenging every part of me., In my professional life, as with most men of my age, I consider myself a master on my own field, here, I am not, and this makes me vulnerable, this is good for me!!

The following lines I have noted these few weeks, they amused me and I hope you!!

Yum Yum,,,, Ooooh Divine...,. Oh yes delicious... Those white lumps must be the olive oil setting... I love it.... meow meow.... Woof Woof... (eating corned beef)

I'm so grateful for loosing weight, I can almost fit in the bunk...

You must be grumpy because you've had too much sleep (oh yes.... nice one Don)

Thank god I don't have to use toilet paper while hanging on like this...

Can I go home now... (me :))

Its really lucky for a wooden boat to leak (Don) Forgive me.. but please...

On a final note... Before leaving Tonga I had my head shaved for practical reasons, for some reason, it has grown back completely Grey6.... OMG!!!

Well, talk in a week, hope you have lots of yummy food grhhhhhh

David

Personal Message : Hi Lucinda and Isabelle, Hope you are both having fun and eating lots of goooood food, I promise you both, I Will NEVER make you eat Corned Beef... It is revolting... See you soon.. Love you Dad xx

FRUSTRATION

2010-05-18T18:36:00.000+10:00

We had a fantastic night of sailing at 6 & 7 kts headed for Australia with high hopes but then at 4am it stopped..we drifted for about four hours then sailed at 1 to .5kt all day till about 4pm when it has finally returned..there is not the feeling of Trade winds out here at the moment so I have a feeling this could be a long trip..hope not but I cannot see the fluffy white clouds..Bligh is going to get away from us??

Near disaster today..I had some lime pips in the bottom of my drink bottle and I was trying to flick them out before refilling it..I had to flick it really hard as they were stuck in the bottom..when..gone..I dropped it over the side..I yelled out .MY BOTTLE!! not seeing it float past and to my amazement it was caught in the side of the lee cloth of the cockpit..a amazing one in a million chance..I would have been in trouble without my bottle!! Our limes are all going off fast now so we will run out in a few days I recon..

We have a lucky dip tin for dinner tonight..we have no idea what is in it..they are usually Backed beans or Corned beef..and we only get them 5 nights out of 7..one tin split four ways so who knows what it is??

I woke very hungry this morning again and my stomach is very flat now..food comes up in conversation every day now..water no problem..still unrestricted for now but will go on 2 liters a day on Friday..went for a swim again today and a HUGE Dolphin fish or Mahi Mahi fish swam slowly past..we are trailing the lure but nothing for many days...

No good for noon sights for the past five days as always over cast so we are Dead reckoning our westerly course by adding our speeds each hour and taking that off the distance to Australia or our last known departure point..this is the same as Bligh..most people do not realize he had the Latitude and Long. of many of the places he was bound for in a navigation publication on the boat..he had also planned the trip home in the Bounty by this route and has studied all the available charts and Publications on the Bounty in great detail before he was cast adrift...so we are not looking out for the Barier Reef in Australia yet but just hoping to get breeze to get us there...we also have the very real challenge now of trying to get to Restoration Island..a destination or point that Bligh was not trying to do..he just wanted to hit Australia and get inside the reef at the first pass he came across..he had been there some years before as Navigator with Capt. Cook.....

The routine continues..we are sailing well now at about 4kts and looks like we will have breeze so fingers crossed..wind south 15kts sea slight 7/8 cloud cover temp 26c..

Today's excitement was talking with Jo Royle the skipper of Plastiki..see theplastiki.com Jo is a great friend of Dave Pryce who helped build this crazy Cat..from pet coke bottles and now sailing from San Fransisco towards Sydney to raise awareness of Marine Debris..it is a great project and an amazing adventure for the crew..we sail better though!! when we have wind but they have real food!!..we have seen a bit of debris about but not as much as expected...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA!!!

Don

See all the comments from "TBB Diet Day" from Donators

2010-05-17T19:30:00.002+10:00

Through Vanuatu!Restoration Next Stop

2010-05-17T19:09:00.002+10:00

We had a windy night last night with water coming into the boat on regular occasions..a few sneaking up without warning and one nearly getting under the tent..no moon or stars as usual so very challenging on the helm with 3 mtr seas and some bigger sets but we were fast ..so who cares!!! we were doing 9 to 10kts on some of the waves but if you were in the tent it was very hard to get any sleep as the motion was very jerky..it is a funny move to get your wet gear off outside, slip into the tent before the next wave,try to suda cream your bum and put on some dry thermals before laying down on the damp lambswool..but who care!! we were headed west...

It has been a bit frustrating knowing Bligh is still out front.

I woke up this morning really hungry and for a split second thought I would get a big breakfast..then realized where I was..strange..still hungry all day today and we get only two biscuits for dinner..Chris just gave us the finger pricker to check blood Glucose and everyone is normal so things can't be too bad.

For all those giving us ideas on our solar panel problems I forgot to mention that our multimeter spat the dummy..which makes it hard to track problems..anyway Margie has organized a couple of flexi panels from Chris Bray to be sent to Restoration Island just in case.

We hit the islands in Vanuatu pretty much as we expected early this morning which was good for DR nav and compass course..we had headed a little south of Bligh as there was the risk that we would have to stop for water on one of the islands..but now we have enough water on board for 3 liters a day!! cool

Dave P is starting to get an allergy to all the mold on the boat..a few are sneezing..yes there are some interesting clothing smells around as it is hard to air things..my Tilly hat has a nice layer of black spots!

The drama at the moment is our ships clocks..I have a very expensive 1882 pocket watch and another from 1834..both have gone on the blink..Bligh lost his watches on the Queensland coast...I have regular media calls and now have had to flash up our watches again!! Bligh wins again..Bummer

So the big topic for today was the various states of growth!! on face and head..the bald heads now have a small cover but Dave W beard is non existent..so too Chris..follow the pictures latter..as for me luckily we are not eating anything with gravy!! it would be all over my face fuzz!

Now the wind is 18kts from the SE,total cloud cover,1.5mtr sea,temp about 24c and we are making about 4kts so hopefully we will have a fast but comfortable dry night..the funny part about this next stage of the voyage is we just hold the one course all the way for the next two weeks..hopefully we will catch "HIM!" and make Restoration Island on the 29th??..we shall see....

Thanks to all those who joined the Talisker Bounty Boat Challenge and made a donation to SIF after starving for yesterday..hope it was fun..I am hungry right now!!...Don

Becalmed

2010-05-17T18:56:00.001+10:00

So much for a hectic night last night...we went glassy calm at about 8pm and did not get any wind till about 4am this morning..we dropped the sails and just sat there with stars in the sky and on the water, all very beautiful unless you are trying to catch Bligh..at least it was not raining?..so the morning was a very slow sail till about midday when a breeze filled in from the south. we have 100 miles to go to the first of the Vanuatu Islands..big day tomorrow!! but a very slow trip across here.

A few days ago we had a bird,Noddy Tern land on the boat for a few seconds which meant we could eat a bonus tin of lambs tongues..YES!!..it took us a few days to find the tins..Dave W would not touch them, Dave price the same and Chris had one mouth full and said no thanks..I got the whole tin..very small ..and more protein which is a worry for my gout but I am washing it down with heaps of water now...no way will I pass up food other than the survival biscuits..two a day is my limit.

My favourite Antarctic birds are around at the moment..Wilson Storm Petrels..they have little orange webbed feet and fly along dancing on the water..I call them Jesus Birds..they pick up plankton with their feet and then eat it off while in the air..They breed in Antarctica in Summer and were with us on Cape Dennison when Margie and I lived there for a year in 1995..they were also with me during the BOC Challenge solo around the world yacht race in 1990..in the middle of huge storms they would be dancing around making me smile and worry less..they are the size of Budgies..

Tried to hot wire our solar panels direct to the battery today and set up a charging system from Panel direct to appliance..that worked and we were able to charge the iridium phone direct..but the computer may be a problem as we have to go through an inverter..our Batteries are close to 55% now and we are trying every thing and are even trying to get some new panels sent to restoration Island..this is all something that Bligh did not have to worry about ..so we are still on the air at the moment..

Kept thinking of Jess eating all that fresh fruit and new food last night!..not to mention a bed..we sleep two only under the dodger and one in the Bilge in the cockpit while the other is on watch..we sleep on sheep skins which we fight to keep dry but they are getting a bit manky now..the other night in the rain Chris used his to keep the water off him ..there were a few grumbles about that!!

The routine continues here..our limes are going off fast..the last of the coconuts were thrown over the side today as they went moldy..still trying to catch fish but no luck..I am hoping for more Birds to land on Talisker bounty boat, we are enjoying free water greatly and all on-board are hopping that you are not feeling too hungry with the Bligh challenge..It's good hey!!..so thanks for the support..I look forward to reading your comments on our just giving site..

Just before signing off..Dave W has just come off the helm and is now lying in the Bilge..SNORING and Gagging g just minutes after getting his head down..there is plenty of sleeping going on in the TBB..all good..temp about 28degrees, wind 15kts ,total cloud cover,1.5mtr sea occasionally splashing on-board, 5kts boat speed..thinking Restoration Island!!...Don

Fast, Food & Donate

2010-05-16T18:12:00.000+10:00

This week seems to have passed surprisingly quickly. Then again, not a lot has really happened. Half a week of sweltering heat, then a few days of sporadic and sometimes torrential downpours. We haven't made a lot of ground, though that doesn't bother me as much as the others. We're moving, slowly but surely, so we'll get there eventually.

In the days before our first decent downpour, I got a taste of what it was like to have an unquenchable thirst. A litre a day sounds like a lot at first, but I found you really have to drink conservatively in order to make it last the whole 24 hours. It wasn't an unbearable feeling, just...uncomfortable. Like having gravel in your shoe, or an itch you can't scratch, or like really needing to pee with no toilet around. On a deeper level, it allowed me to empathise with the peoples of third-world nations, where water just isn't available without extreme effort. I mean, any of you could do what I did, a few days with less water. But to live a lifetime like that? I know I couldn't. So after those days, I was left with a new found respect for those who humbly make do with very little.

And then it rained. A lot. We were soaking wet but our spirits soared. We no longer had to stop to procure provisions at the next set of islands. We'll easily be able to make the water we gathered last, which is a good feeling. I'd much rather us making it to Kupang self-sufficiently.

Crew is less tense lately, and Hong Kong Dave is much less annoying since he almost dropped out. One thing I don't understand is why he continues to complain about the quality of our food. Sure, it's not a perfectly cooked Fillet Steak, topped with peppercorn sauce avec pommes frites et petit pois. But it's a damn sight better than the food Bligh and his men ate. Bligh rationed a small piece of bread and a mouthful of water a day. We get up to four survival biscuits, a decent amount of fruit and nuts and a decent amount of baked beans or corned beef. Bligh's crew would be lucky to hit 200 calories a day, whereas we're hitting 1200-1600. WAY more than we need to survive and the food is more than palatable. It's not great, but it's not bad. If he whines with this much food on your plate, I dread to think of what he'd be like if we cut the rations to a quarter. I suppose he's just used to a certain standard of living, which no doubt makes being in this situation all the more a shock to the system for him.

I guess my point is that this thing, so far, hasn't been hard to endure. Hopefully it will remain that way.

Anyway, there is something of particular worth I have to say today. I want you all to remember while following this expedition, that any hardships we face along the way, the sufferers and families of those with Motor Neurone Disorder have it a thousand fold worse. Just head to the Donate area of the bounty boat website to get the link to the Just Giving site. Give something, anything. Doesn't matter if it's 10p or ten pounds, it all counts towards the real goal.

Chris

Somebody Forgot To Turn the ?????

2010-05-15T16:58:00.002+10:00

We have water big time..last night we had a monster dump so over an hour or so we were able to fill everything on board..we set off with 108ltrs of water and now we have nearly 200 ltrs..so it is free drinks all round..I worry about the 200kg of weight so we will drink up for awhile and then start rationing again...I had gone back to 1 ltr so I am very happy to drink heaps..we would get our ration in the morning at 6am so I would drink 600mls by 6pm and the rest during the night..funny thing is that now we have drinks we do not crave them and have instantly gone back to thinking of food!!

The other drama of course was that someone forgot to turn the tap off and it poured for about 12 hours..we all were drenched and inside the dodger also..I put my waterproof pants on when I got inside to sleep and that is the first time for the trip..fortunately we had a few hours to dry out today before another major rain dump and squall with 30kts of wind then nothing and swinging all round the compass again ..so a mixed bag for our chances of catching Bligh..he is moving away from us again but we did get some good sailing in Heaps of Gybes and sail changes, getting wet in the rain then burnt in the sun?.

I have hit my little toe again a few times..poor little fella sticks out on his own and catches everything! My knee gash has finally healed but my beard is the big deal for me..the others shaved there heads before the start and now cannot grow a beard?..mine has gone very bushy but have no mirror..just itching a bit..

Our dick sticks are showing up some interesting things..much to Dave W concern he is the first to show Keytones so he is using up muscle..he thinks he has lost 4kg..I recon I am at least that too...we are all surprisingly happy with the amount of food we are getting ..I think it is because we are not using up energy..Dave Pryce recons he is putting on weight as he gets everyone's left overs..we all get plenty of sleep and are sticking with watches 6 hours on and six hours off during the day and 4 on and 4 off during the night.The two davs are together and I am with Chris.

I am really excited about not having to stop in Vanuatu for water so this is our world at the moment..the boat has become bigger as I knew it would. We all have our space and know the routine but I have to say it is all a bit too comfortable at the moment..we are managing to keep our living spaces reasonably well organized and dry..I know it will get tougher in the days ahead..we are not into the trades yet which I expect will kick in after Vanuatu..right now there are thunder storms all around so could be a busy night..one of the squalls today was a white out with I recon up to 40kts of wind and just missed us by about half a mile!!

Great to see Jessica safely home ..I am looking forward to catching up when I get out of here..I can imagine the food and showers she is about to have.

So we have about a month ..or so?? to go..all is happy..ARE YOU READY ?? for the Talisker Bounty Boat Challenge tomorrow??..every Dollar, Pound counts so please have some fun and give generously..THANKS...Don

Water and Speed

2010-05-14T18:31:00.005+10:00

Chris helms as Don & others gather much needed rain water.

Amazing how the mood changes when you start sailing and get water,,very exciting stuff!..we are now at least two days behind Bligh and chasing him again..it was a fast night sailing passing another ship..that did not stop to offer soft drinks??..and a bit more rain but not worth catching..this morning the wind went soft for awhile and we all held our breath but it has held up pretty well and one squall had us sailing at 7kts again...

We still have no answers on the solar panels which is a worry as voltage is down again so trying to save power every where which is hard as we only use this computer and the phone and the cameras??...but we can only put in about 1.5 amps at 12v a day..not much..

My gout is gone but I keep hitting my little toe as it sticks out permanently now..have been in agony twice today so will have to live with it taped but the good news is that I have finally stopped itching..the fresh water bath last night was good but I left my shirt under the dodger which is now a bit on the nose?..we all have some interesting odours I can assure you..

I have the new dilemma now of not trying to eat all the protein in our diet..everything except the fruit is protien onboard..we have extra fruit but how can I ask the crew to do it tough if I am eating fruit..I have joined their water ration again so back to one litre a day..but may have to up that...we get the water at dawn..I try to drink no more than 600mls by 6pm at night then the remaining 400 mils during the night...after I drank the 3 litres the other day I still did not Pee till the next day which is a sure sign of serious dehydration..not good for gout or Kidney stones...

Margie has the biggest challenges though back in the office..I report in morning and night to her on progress and she is trying g to manage everything else in my life at the same time so not sure what I can say about that...we are trying to maintain our isolation but I have to put up with and organize many more things than Bligh did..the sat phone is a blessing and a curse at the same time
and dealing with modern society is far more challenging.

Tomorrow is the big day for Jessica Watson..Happy to be here but it would be fun to see her in..I can't believe all the knockers that apparently are coming out of the woodwork again..you know Adventure is a very positive thing for anyone to be involved with..and she is an inspiration...WELL DONE JESS!...see you when I get out of this ....

So are you gearing up for the Talisker Bounty Boat Challenge...only our food for sunday!! and one litre of water...toilet paper optional and then the money you save on food send into SIF as a donation on our just giving site..with a fun comment...when I get to read the comments I will give the funniest one one of our special numbered envelopes we are carrying onboard...we have one for every day of the voyage so you will get sundays envelope..they have Bligh stamps,a hand drawing of the boat and are post marked in Tonga and Kupang , have the official expedition stamp and will be signed by all the crew..there will only be 48 envelopes..I hope?..so very rare...so please make a donation on that day and a funny comment when you put it in...

If you want to make a bid on one of the other 47 envelopes I will tell you how latter..all money will go to SIF

So lets hope we keep sailing and make power..the water is looking better now...still sinking a little and very definitely need your help on Sunday...THANKS...Don

On The Road Again

2010-05-14T18:17:00.004+10:00

We are off again after days of drifting slowly away from Fiji. It feels great and above all it is cooler. Our days had become a routine of swimming round the Bounty Boat, sitting on the bow with my feet in the sea and then steering in the sun. Soaking the shirt in the sea provided regular relief from the intense heat but it wasn't long before the shirt had to be wet again.

The cooler SE trades brought rain which has not only washed the Bounty Boat clean but means there is water in our tanks. A very nice feeling as we head across these latitudes. The temperature dropped markedly and like Bligh I began to feel the cold by dusk last night. The sea water was hot though and I could easily see how Bligh ordered his men to soak there clothes in the sea to warm up.

It is never all plain sailing however and this time the solar panels just aren't putting in what they should. Picking our brains for a solution to that one.

Half way to Vanuatu feels good but a small step in the big scheme. The next step heading out from Vanuatu toward restoration Island is the most daunting. The week ahead looks exciting negotiating the Vanuatu group. Long may these fair breezes last and the odd squall fill our water bottles.

Petit Bateaux, Grande Aventure

Dave Pryce / Quilter

Getting Hot and Going Nowhere

2010-05-13T19:03:00.009+10:00

Tonight there is a lot of water about and not possible to write the blog and this message was phoned through.

Everyone is well onboard. It’s been a stinking hot, dull day. At 5pm a front came through and the wind changed direction from a north easterly to a south easterly. It rained for an hour which allowed us to catch 32 litres of water. It’s great to have a bit of water and a freshwater shower! Now we are sailing again at 5knots. I drank three litres of water yesterday and managed to get rid of the gout in my foot. We still have an electrical problem which is puzzling us so trying to conserve power....Don

Food For Thought!

2010-05-12T18:04:00.005+10:00

Well, what an interesting week.... I wont report on positions, courses or sailing matters as I am aware that Don is reporting on this and therefore don't wish to duplicate. Having said that, Don has been hit with a dose of gout today, started at 7am this morning, seems this delightful diet is just not too good for him, as a result he has had to drink four liters of water today, dose up on medicine and everything seems to be settling down, it does leave a question on his diet moving forward but will leave Don to report on that.

I always knew the diet (or lack of) would be the biggest challenge and this has proved to be the case, I have experienced two major blows as a result of food deprivation, the first at Tofua Island and then at Naighai Island after the knock down. It was sudden and left me disoriented, I found myself isolating from the others and my mind set became very negative, I could only see the doom.... and this is not good, while repacking the food after our knockdown I became depressed when I realized we really would be living on Corned Beef for over 60% of the time, not just corned beef, but the worst I have ever tasted, saturated in salt, it really smelt, looked and tasted like cat food. Unlike the two old salty sea dogs here, I seem unable to convince myself that dog poo can actually be a delight to eat... I spoke with Don, expressed my concern and said I would like to secure some edible provisions, which I believed were available the other side of the island. He declined... What a pettle... I slept on the matter and awoke in the morning deciding I was to leave the expedition, return to my children in Hong Kong and within a few days I could be with them, flicking the channels while discussing the adventure I had walked away from. I could see no alternative, I really did not believe I could survive on the provisions, I was already weak, extremely hungry and miserable. I told Don and the crew of my decision and Don as expected handled it very professionally, he did not try to convince me either way, discussed the reasons and suggested I thought on it for an hour and then let him know... I was out and what a relief....

I walked up the beach, sat alone and thought long and hard, I recalled how I had felt like this in Tofua and that 24 hours later I was fine, I realized I had completely mismanaged my foot intake, I had not been eating the sea survival biscuits, instead storing them as if a good meal lay ahead, my sudden mood change I realized was simply food deprivation, of my own doing... I thought about some of the difficulties I had faced in the past, to now be beaten by a tin of corned beef seemed so sad, I thought about my daughters, if they had sunk so much of themselves into a project and were going to give in, then sort my advice, would I just say, "thats OK, just walk away" I hope not! I returned to the crew, explained to Don that I wished to continue, he discussed the reasons why, his concern was that I may be trying to avoid letting the rest of the crew down, it wasn't even part of my consideration, this was personal, much more personal.... As we sailed during the next few nights, at one time with dolphins following us for an hour, I shed a private tear, grateful that I had found the courage to continue. I now manage my food intake very carefully and force feed myself sea survival biscuits at least every two hours. Don't misunderstand me, they are still disgusting and I cant eat the sodding corned beef (as it dehydrates me) but I am eating sufficient to keep myself going. Its tuff! The water is now limited to 1 liter per day, I am managing on this, but know I will struggle on less, we have had no rain so this is possible.

The mackerel caught by Don was delicious, this lifted my spirits very much, but again, I was surprised how much this dehydrated me a lot. Still, it was worth it....

When I get really hungry, which is 75% of the time I try and think of those people in countries of famine and this seems to give me the gratitude I prefer.

We have been becalmed for another day now, yawn... swimming has been a welcome break.... so has being able to submerge yourself in the water for number 2's...

All the crew seem to be getting along fine, though there are moments... I am learning more about my own character defects, which is frustrating and irritating... I never realized how grumpy I can be when I am tired, ( I can hear those who know me laugh) I had to apologise to Chris the other morning for ripping his head off for not vacating the bunk within 2 minutes after my 2-6am watch had finished. I find Don and David Q amusing characters, sometimes I think they are straight from an adventure novel, I mean it respectfully, they are fascinating characters. Mostly, they do stuff, like men used too, stuff that I watch and think, why can't I do that, for example, we had leaks on the lee cloth, two bits of wood, bit of old sail and rope, needle and thread they made covers to tie on, its simple with hindsight, but definitely a skill....

That's all for me this week, its an adventure for sure, and i am glad to be part of it... 1 secret.... In my Tilley hat there is a hiding place for keeping $100 in case of an emergency, I have stored in there 4 tea bags, two breakfast and two Earle Grey, oh I dream of arriving in Kupang, finding the nearest kettle and making myself a lovely cuppa tea, incidentally I have two hidden in my life jacket too, never be caught short where a cuppa tea is concerned....

Private Message - Lucinda and Isabelle, almost 25% of the way, becalmed, 360 degree view of water horizons, its really beautiful, dolphins have been following us at night, its very special, but I am missing you both very much and don't wish to be away from you for this long again... I love you both x Dad

Captain Cracks First

2010-05-12T17:52:00.003+10:00

When I woke at 5:30 this morning, my left foot felt a bit strange. I thought I must have worked a muscle getting out of the water after a swim. By 7am it was becoming stiff and pain was increasing from the centre of the foot. It occurred to me it may be gout. For the past 17 years I have taken daily tablets to prevent this. But dehydration and a high protein diet are the worst conditions for this problem. By 8am I had discussed the issue with the crew, said I would "immediately have to drink 4-5 litres of water today." At which point, they all thought they had similar symptoms. After a day of rehydration and a handful of anti-inflammatories, I have stopped the onset of a very painful ailment, which was critical. If I had not done that immediately it could have developed into days of sheer agony. I had a gout attack when I first arrived in Tonga. Probably due to stress?

This is all tough for me as the challenge of Bligh rations is part of this adventure, but I now have to be mindful of not only gout but the possibility of moving a kidney stone. We're all thinking about this over the next 24 hours. If it doesn't rain we will have to stop in Vanuatu to restock our water provisions. Many rain clouds are on the horizon as I write this. This is a real blow to me. But at least we're on top of it. Bligh had his headaches, I've got my gout. Don.

HELP!

2010-05-11T19:40:00.002+10:00

We need your help!

We are starting to do it tough here at the moment. Still no rain, 436 sandfly bites on my left leg below the knee - yes I counted them and I have two legs and the rest of my body so estimate that I have around 1200 bites. Really hot today so very uncomfortable in the dodger and only drifting along at 1-3 kts most of the day. So really chasing Bligh again and the biggest thing on my mind today is our JustGiving site raising money for SIF! I hear we have some donations coming in but how would you like to live part of this voyage and help SIF at the same time?

We get two small biscuits for breakfast, 50 grams nuts and 50grams dried fruit for lunch, two small biscuits and 85grams of tinned corned beef for dinner. If you want to help us and SIF we are going to make this Sunday 16th May TALISKER BOUNTY BOAT "Challenge" day. We want you to only eat the same as us on that day and only drink one litre of water for the whole day and if you really want to be keen you could try going without toilet paper too!! Then we want you to work out how much money you saved on food that day and donate that amount of money to SIF on our JustGiving site. You can all make silly comments with the donation. I will read every one when I get back and be very grateful for your help. Why not ask all your friends over for the day. Feed them Bounty rations, remove the toilet paper and have some fun then get onto the JustGiving site...PLEASE?

We may do this again one more time during the expedition so I really hope this works. You may only end up donating five pounds but that would be great!! And it will make us feel good about going without on the boat here. Tell all your friends to tell all there friends...I dare you...THANKS!!..More later but have some fun with this and think of all the people you will be helping.

Last night we drifted around in the dark..all slow and today it got so hot I decided it was time for a swim. The best thing I have done in ages. It was really cool. Took some interesting shots and did not want to get out. The others followed. We are really chasing Bligh now so hope we catch him. No sign of rain which is a worry. We are down to 60 litres of water now and I really hesitate giving out less than a litre. You have no idea how much I dream of drinks each hour. I only eat one of my biscuits in the morning and evening. Still can't face them. We have dried some of the mackerel which looks good so get that tonight.

Big drama for the day is a problem with our solar panels. Can't work it out but only getting about 20% charging so will pull the system apart again tomorrow. Power is very important for all our comms so fingers crossed.

How exciting to think of Jessica Watson getting home on Sunday!! She is an amazing little lady. Wish I was there in a way but it is pretty cool out here too. Just that it is taking so long to get moving again. I think we were just very spoilt with our high speeds to Fiji.

As I write the sun is setting with little fluffy clouds about, the wind 10kts from the NE and there is a long 2-3mtr ground swell with a calm sea rolling in from the south and the north so when you are on the top the wind picks up but no wind in the troughs. The wind is dying slowly as it always does at dusk and dawn but there are no rain clouds around at all!!..BUMMER!

Last night we passed a small boat. We have been dreaming of meeting another all day and maybe he can pass us over a few cans of soft drink. Bligh would be OK with that!!

PLEASE HELP US! Thanks so much...all the best from a happy but thirsty ship...Don

Nearly Lost Dave and We Are Leaking!

2010-05-10T18:43:00.002+10:00

It is so good to be out on the ocean again after the calm seas in the lee of Fiji. We broke out last night and my personal nightmare is my sandfly bites. They are driving me nuts! My feet and legs are a real mess and we all suffer together but we are now making 5kts for Vanuatu so no complaints.

Dave W. has been doing it tough over the last few days and it all came to a head on the last day on the island when he decided to leave the expedition. He was happy with the boat, safety and the challenge ahead - even the crew. But he had decided that I was being reckless and irresponsible feeding him tinned corned beef and such short rations?? He worried it would permanently effect his health and he cannot eat it. This all came up during the first night on the island. I had caught a fish and we found a bunch of bananas but the reality of eating corned beef in the weeks ahead was not appealing. During the day a boat arrived from a resort on the opposite side of the island. It was only a one hour walk....they took credit cards. He really wanted to go over there and buy more baked beans but I would not allow it. I had to remind him that not only did he help with the shopping for all the food in Sydney, but we had posted the menu on the web site about 18 months ago! And then he personally was responsible for making and packing the individual weekly food bundles. He then agreed that he did not realise how bad it was at the time. I reminded him we had all signed on for the deprivations a long time ago!

I could see there was going to be an issue and said to Dave Pryce "I think we will lose Dave". The next day in the afternoon he came to us and said he cannot continue. I asked him to think hard about it and give me his final decision in an hour as it would mean some logistics issues for me. Myself, Chris and Dave P. were up for it by ourselves but we still had an emergency reserve - Zach Sunderland from the USA (Abbey Sunderland's brother). The 18 year old solo circumnavigator (whose record was taken by Mike Perham) had been in touch two days after I had chosen Chris. When he heard about the vacancy he agreed to be on standby so I was ready to ring him. But after a tough time looking at all the issues and to his great credit Dave said he had to finish this thing so all ended well. It was a challenging time for all.

This trip is not easy. I am REALLY thirsty and craving a cold soft drink! I am not so hungry and can only eat half my biscuits. I have no appetite. My infected knee gash from launch day (forgot to tell you about that) is nearly better but still cannot kneel and my crutch rot is not getting better. Chris and Dave W. have the same. My little toe that took the hit in the knockdown is not quite fitting in with the other toes as a team ( I am laughing)! My side muscle injury from the knockdown is coming out as a HUGE bruise. I have been in the same clothes for 6 days and all the sandfly bites have made my legs swollen. I just ate marinated mackerel in lime juices - all good but now the thirst sets in with a vengeance and I have only 500 ml of water left for the next 12 hours. The thirst for me is the pits!! Someone said that by now all our food intakes should make all our flatulence the same but I can assure you that is not the case. So there are plenty of reasons to get off this boat but I am happy. Dave was just tempted in his mind on the island by the distraction over the hill - normality! I am so glad he is here with us as I know it would have been his biggest regret not finishing this trip. Anything really worth having is worth fighting for. He cannot get off now!! Dave is great fun and makes us laugh often - I like him.

Things have been calm for the past few days with no water over the boat but we noticed the bilges keep filling. We are technically sinking now with about 2 litres an hour coming in somewhere. Nothing we cannot cope with and we think it must be the centreboard case so cannot fix it till the end when we take the boat out of the water. The centreboard was jammed with sand after beaching it and it took nearly an hour for us to get it down again. Dave W. was underwater with hacksaw blades working it free while we were hammering from above. This may be the cause of the leak. Did I tell you that it is bad luck for a wooden boat not to leak?

Now we just want rain. Winds are from the NE and the sky is overcast so we should get something good soon I hope. We are sailing at 4kts after two days of drifting which feels very fast. The boat hook is holding out our headsail and the solar panels are giving no input so the little boat battery is getting low. Sun or rain? RAIN PLEASE! Bligh is still beating us as we chase him to the west now. He came onboard last night and killed our compass light. We were drifting onto reefs at about 1 kt as the sun set so I decided again things were dangerous and had to use the GPS and compass light to get through. There was total darkness again. Three hours into it the compass light went out. I think Bligh thought we were cheating. I make no excuses for using the torches/GPS when it would be certain disaster without them. It has made me realise how lucky and impressive Bligh was on a few occasions, running straight over reefs without knowing. I am really starting to think he is watching us - strange! Anyway we are doing it tough, but having fun and I would not want to be anywhere else at the moment ...except in Kupang at the end once we have done it. What will the next five days to Vanuatu bring? WATER I hope!..Don

Life At Sea

2010-05-09T20:56:00.002+10:00

In a way it feels like a month has passed since I last wrote on here, yet only seven days have passed. There is no doubt that time will appear to speed up as routine sets in deeper. The days are already beginning to wash by in the swell. Lately I'm thinking less and less of the three week sojourn ahead of us and the hardships to come - of which I believe emotional tension amongst the crew will be most prominent. I say that because I find myself, at times, getting a little sick of certain personality traits and habits. Though, I'm sure that is probably to be expected for any group of people living in close proximity.

Honestly, when I started writing this a couple of hours ago off watch, I was just going to have a big rant about everyone in turn. But the events of the last couple of hours quelled my need to vent. What events? Well, we just had a big fish for dinner. A big, tasty, 20 kilo Mackerel. We caught it this afternoon quite unexpectedly. I say "we", I just filmed it and provided...moral support, so I can't really take any credit. Skip filleted it, sliced it up and we cooked it with a bunch of fresh limes in our questionably clean pot. Surprisingly good eatin', quickest "source to plate" meal I've ever had. Anyway, my point was that a good meal can raise spirits high enough to give you perspective on how pointless it is to get worked up over the little things. So here's hoping we catch another fish.

One random thing I forgot to add to my last blog - back on Ianthe, I let a Welsh skipper, armed with an electric trimmer, deal with my overly thick head of hair. He gave me a mo-hawk, upon request...which swiftly turned into a crew cut, as it would have been a ridiculous look for the whole trip. Even so, as per usual my hair is growing back as swift as ever. By the way, if you ever need a charter boat, book the Ianthe. They were the ultimate support boat.

Okay, so backtracking a bit, to the start of the heavy weather. I have to say, through those few shifts I was eating my own words about this all being "a cinch". It was just another shock to the system how draining working in those conditions can be. But I knew the gales would pass sooner or later. Sure enough they did, but not without giving us a good knockdown, hopefully not the first of many. Strangely, that burst of excitement from imminent danger made for an interesting shift. To be honest, when you get a low-point and everything seems a bit shit and you start wishing you were somewhere else, you can either just give up or man up. And I'm glad we're all set on the latter. So drained and soggy, we decided to make for a nearby anchorage as the opportunity to do so would soon pass. Tentatively, the more experienced of the crew guided Bounty Boat through the narrow opening in the reef and before long we were at a standstill in the shadow of the almost-paradise island.

Anyway, I'll try not to repeat what has already been said, but basically, those last couple of days were so welcome. Now we're away the storage area is clean, ordered and accessible - quite the opposite of the state it was in just after we first set off. And for the guy that spends most of his time diving into the depths of the stored kit, i've saved myself a lot of grief. Something a little unexpected happened out of the blue on the dawn of the second day, just as Don broke out the camera for some morning interviews. Hong Kong Dave came out with, "I'm 98% sure I want to quit." It seemed the pressures had got to him, one way or another. After some time to deliberate, he came to the decision that he would be sticking this out to the bitter end. Which I'm glad, for a couple of reasons. One, as he's invested so much time, money and heart into this expedition already. And two, the replacement for him was going to be the guy in reserve, Zach Sunderland (I think). Who's eighteen, like me, except he sailed solo around the world, is a born adventurer and is probably much more handsome and charismatic than I am. So yeah, I'm *truly* upset that he isn't going to be here to show me up. Don't worry though, I'll get over it.

As for me, my confidence is growing. I no longer feel like the weak link of the group nor a hindrance to the crew. Kindly, Don makes sure to let me know at every opportunity that i'm doing a good job. So it's simple, keep working hard - impress the skipper. "You've got 5 minutes to finish that blog Chris, you've been writing forever." Don growls as I make the most of this one opportunity I get. We all seem to be scratching a lot now, our hands and feet were annihilated by sand flies on Naghai island. Otherwise, we're all in ship-shape, for lack of a better phrase. Right this moment, we're currently passing up past the Yasawa Island Chain and should pass the northern tip tonight. Then it's straight for Vanuatu in the NW. There has been a bit of deja vu in the air today. The relaxed conditions we left Tofua in have been mimicked. I just hope this time the calm seas and weather aren't just easing us into another storm. Either way, we're all glad to be back on track and most importantly, away from the biting bugs of Naghai Island. Reckon that's enough blabbing for one night. Later, Chris

Let's Get Going

2010-05-08T17:42:00.001+10:00

The dawn broke this morning with us having been ravished by sandflies all night. I for one was keen to be at sea again. Our Dr Moreau Island had been amazing and yielded fruit and shelter when we really needed it, but after yesterday's working bee we were ready for the next leg of our adventure. Last night we had feasted on a hand of ripe bananas that Ted found near our camp along with some plantains roasted in the fire. Welcome additions to our regular faire.

As the tide moved gently up the coral sand beach this morning to free the stranded Bounty Boat, we beavered away to load and pack. A last wash was in order too. Work progresses slowly now and we are all lethargic from minimal food and water. We don't feel that hungry which is not what I expected. I have a sneaky suspicion that the survival biscuits that we are eating may have an appetite suppressant in them. I also suspect that the survival biscuit engineers anticipated constipation being an issue, as I did, but have countered this with such a high fibre biscuit that we are all firing regularly. Hats off to those cooks at Seven Seas Survival Biscuits.

The Bounty Boat came free from the beach's grip around midday and we hauled out to the anchor and set sail. Not so fast as the centreboard refused to move so we dropped the anchor again. Wilco went over the side to attack the problem from under the water while Ted hammered away from on deck. Persistence overcame the coral sand wedged in the casing and we were free again. We slung the anchor aboard and set sail again across Bligh Water. This large sheltered waterway between the two major islands of Fiji is like a giant inland lake as we gently make our way toward the Yasawa Islands under full sail. The trade winds have certainly backed off from the 30 knots when we arrived and puff away today at around 10 knots. Champagne sailing! Long may it last. Dave Pryce / Quilter

Pinch Me Please

2010-05-07T17:33:00.002+10:00

I still cannot believe I am party to this expedition, however, I am hungry, I mean really hungry, the mainstay of our diet is two survival biscuits at breakfast and dinner, every time I eat one I gag and struggle to stop myself vomiting. To compliment this, we have nuts and raisins for lunch, a whole handful all at once! I'm sick of the bloody things, last week's were sea sodden and akin to eating grandma's old toe nails. To compliment dinner we have a tin of corned beef, 1 tin between 4. I took one mouthful and proceeded to project overboard at a rate of knots. With only 400grams allowed each day, I do think better thought could have gone into the menu - where is the nutritionist when you want one! So far on three occasions, and I am told will be approx 50% of the time a replacement for corned beef, we have baked beans, a whole 25% of a can each, and I almost have an orgasm! Sad but true..... Oh God I miss my home help's cooking....

Food out of the way.... I'm wet, continually wet, whenever I do manage to get dry, I appear in the cockpit, and surprise surprise, a big wave hits and I'm wet again, sods law. I have sea salt sores on my bum, crutch rot, I ache, I mean really, really ache in places I didn't know you could ache. My back hurts from sitting at the helm, my neck so stiff as I can't straighten myself under the canvas as if I do I end up with my nose under David Q's unwashed (4 days) arm pit, mine are unwashed too, the bathroom has been continually busy! I try my best not to suffer the indignity of using the toilet for number 2's. The process is: strip naked, place yourself and in particular your bottom outside the life line 8 inches from the water hanging on for dear life while Bounty Boat surfs down 5 metre waves. Believe me every muscle in your body is under stress while I try my best to relax the one essential muscle to complete the task! Its impossible!! My only solution is is to avoid going for three days so I am so desperate none of the above matters!!

But there is excitement too. While at the helm, David Q was on look out and commented on an island ahead, then breaking waters 50 metres ahead. BREAKING WATERS!!! That means reefs!! "Bear off ", he shouted. I did so, and as we sailed to safer waters, I wondered what use our reef boots would have been had we ended up on the reef. With 2 metre swells behind us, I could only imagine it smashing our little boat on the reefs. I felt vulnerable, fearful and WET!! On another occasion, Don saw a reef ahead, which seemed to run a long way out, so he took the helm and took us like a bat out of hell again to safer waters, as the boat bashed against the ocean. I wondered if she would survive - she did! and I have a lot more faith in her.

On this occasion, I found Chris inside the canvas cover and for the first time saw fear in his eyes. "We are going f****** fast", he commented. I am sure he would deny his fear, which would be a shame as it proved him to be a very courageous man. Despite it, he came out on watch and continued his duties,for which he has my utmost respect!! I've heard it said, and agree it to be true that a man who has no fear of the sea,is a lunatic and a liability to be sailing with!! Chris is neither and it is an honor to be sailing with him. I hope he is very proud of his achievements on-board Talisker Bounty Boat.

On our 4th day, we were sailing in 30 blowing 40 knots of wind, with swells that were reaching 6.5-7 metres in height. My confidence grew as Talisker Bounty Boat sailed gracefully, surfing down the waves sometimes reaching 15+ knots of speed. It was exhilarating, though it made it difficult to get any sleep when off watch. Changing course put us on a beam reach and it became very uncomfortable again. I finished my watch, went under the canvas, removed my life jacket and wet gear, laid down and tried to sleep. A few minutes later we were knocked down, it happened in what seemed like slow motion. Without any effort on my side I went from horizontal to vertical. Standing on the port side gunnel, I reached across to grab my life jacket and the capsize drill immediately ran through my head. Thanks to the sea survival course in Sydney, I genuinely felt at ease. I saw the water level rise and was ready to bust out of the tent once she had completely turned over when to my surprise she started to right. I threw all my weight and tried to drag as much of the heavy gear I could to the starboard side to help her in the righting. Once upright, I emerged to see our little boat full of water. It is very scary to see the water level inside the boat the same as outside.

There is no better bilge pump than a motivated crew member with a bucket and I can confirm this to be very true!! Don calmly gave instructions to bail quickly before another wave hit us, no one panicked, we just bailed with buckets and cooking pot until our boat was once again stable. With everything now wet and redistributed around the boat, we began trying to create order. Don told me to step down, go back off watch as we sailed as fast as possible seeking protection from Fiji some 45 miles away. I went under canvas, attempted to tidy up, then completely soaked, donned in my life jacket, I put on my wet gear to keep me warm and tried to sleep. The canvas leaked like a sieve as the waves bashed across our bow. I marveled at how sea worthy Talisker Bounty Boat is and how the crew had come together without drama. David Q came to rest, I tied myself to the starboard bulkhead to stop me rolling on to him, closed my eyes and fell asleep.

I have never experienced being so completely wet and uncomfortable, sleep deprived, food deprived and seemingly always exhausted. I struggle mainly with the lack of and selection of food, however I will do my best to eat what is available. This may seem as if I am complaining, - I'm not. Truth be told, I am loving it. I feel alive and 90% of the time have a big fat smile in my soul. This experience will be with me for the rest of my life. I am learning about myself, discomfort and perseverance. I am learning about working with others in close proximity, about respecting and about accepting what is not in my control. Only 40 more days to go..... What else will be out there? David W

PERSONAL MESSAGE TO MY DAUGHTERS - Lucinda nad Isabelle, I'm having the time of my life, my tummy is slowly disappearing and when I get home I am going to drive you crazy with all the stories - I love you both dearly, say hi to Max - Dad xx