‘Taliskar Bounty Boat’ Expedition

'Talisker Bounty Boat'

On Friday, 27th November 2009 I posted an article* with the title, ‘Bounty Launch’. It was about Captain William Bligh’s 3,618 mile voyage after he and a crew of 18 were set adrift in a ship’s launch. This was a remarkable feat of endurance and seamanship under extreme conditions of survival. Films have been made about the Mutiny on the ‘Bounty’ when Fletcher Christian assumed control of the ‘Bounty’. The voyage started near the island of Tofua in the Tongan archipelago and ended at the Dutch colony of Timor.


Don McIntyre and his crew of three are attempting to re-enact the voyage, but with less crew aboard his open ‘Talisker Bounty Boat’. Originally, Mike Perham, the young English sailor who holds the record for being the youngest person to sail around the world on his own, was to crew for Don, but he has had to withdraw at a very late stage because of suffering from appendicitis. An 18 year old complete novice sailor, Chris Wilde from Warwick has stepped in to take his place. The other crew members are 48 year old David Wilkinson and Stuart Kershaw.


McIntyre had intended equipping his crew with Gor-tex jackets, but he has now elected not to do so, presumably because the spirit of replicating Bligh’s voyage will have been made void. Instead he has tried to be as faithful as possible by having aboard similar items and food to those on the original ship’s launch of the ‘Bounty’, including an 18th century octant and sextant, two 18th century pocket watches, nautical tables, a ship’s compass, telescope, rope knot meter, lead line, ink, pens, notebooks, a logbook and a magnifying glass.


The valiant sailors started their voyage on 29th April, 221 years after Bligh was cast adrift. Their first objective was to sail or row to Tofua to collect water and food before continuing in the wake of the original Bounty boat. You can follow their Blog by going to the first link below. They will need good fortune and the grace of God to succeed.


Links


Blog (Here the story unfolds.)

http://www.bountyboat.blogspot.com/


The main Bounty Boat Website

http://www.taliskerbountyboat.com/


YouTube Video Promotions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfN6UeXEDag&feature=player_embedded#!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wp4vhZVjEY&feature=related


*My Previous Blog

http://bills-log.blogspot.com/2009/11/bounty-launch.html


Bligh’s Voyage

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/pitcairn.html


Buffalo News Article

http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/04/20/1024630/expedition-recreates-bounty-survival.html


Mike Perham

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Perham


Mike Perham replaced as Crew

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:bOuqvvBshuIJ:www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/national/sailing_novice_replaces_perham_on_bligh_challenge_1_384804+bills-log+bounty+boat&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk