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
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
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13 comments:
I'm afraid I've only just begun with your journey after I listened to your interview with abc radio in Sydney.
I'm really interested in all the wildlife you see and whether you see lots of rubbish on your journey. I remember reading the Kon-Tiki and Thor Heyerdahl writing he came across many shipping containers that had fallen from container ships. Have you seen any?
cheers
Doug
Where is Resolution Island please?
We can't find it!
Agree with Charlotte's blog.
Understood there was to be no communication to Bounty Boat, only from it.
Has this rule been changed?
Hi Don,
I've been following Jessica and posting on every one of her blogs since last October. Absolutely amazing person, that Jesse. Thought I'd drop by and say hello. How is your leak doing? How do you all spend the day? Do you talk much to each other, or play games? Or do the crew members keep to themselves? The personal dynamic seems to be the heart of your adventure, especially as you are on restricted rations. Let's hope you won't have to resort to the "custom of the sea" !
Richard
It is amazing how much whining Hong Kong Dave does about food. What did he think this trip was going to be, a cruise ship? Guys with money can really get soft, and I'm sure he could stand to lose some weight anyway. Zac Sunderland would have been a far better choice anyway!
P.S. I am a US Marine and have endured food and water deprivation plenty of times; just so you all don't think I'm just commenting without basis here. In the Marines we'd tell Hong Kong Dave to shut up and suck it up!
Uh oh - "losing your bottle" is not a positive move - it means same as "losing your courage or losing your marbles.........." not a good omen while sailing aimlessly (tongue in cheek!) around the Ocean. Amazing you found it - that must be a good Omen!! Sounds really frustrating out there - hope dinner was a nice surprise (Baked Beans for Dave W sake)!! Stay safe you bunch of Loonies!! Appreciate your blogs and the honesty with them. You are an inspiration to us landlubbers!! MJ from Brisbane.
It's great you guys are going well. Heaps of water and what's wrong with corned beef mmmm yum. I had a scotch fillet steak today at the pub with some mashed potato, heaps of fresh bread, in fact I may have ate to much bread rolls cause I couldn't eat all my steak so just chucked it out. Don't we take food for granted sometimes?
Hey Don, maybe if you did lose your bottle you could have pinched one off the side of the Crazy Cat.
Have you speared any fish yet?
Isn't it great that Jess is home, it's like a big welcome home from Australia but boy am I going to miss her blog and the way she writes to everyone and boosts their spirits. Happy Birthday Jess!
Take care guys!
Billy!
Dear All,
Further to my answers to previous comments,
There is normally no communication from land to the Talisker Bounty Boat, unless there is some kind of emergency, loosing the voltage from the solar panels is not good news, and Don could not get through via the normal channels to publish the blog so he spoke via sat phone. and Margie passed his blog to me, to be published.I normally get the blog sent direct to me here in the U.K.
The watches that he carries are very similar to the watches that Bligh carried. They are from about the same period. they are not chronometers!
The TBB is now heading for "RESTORATION ISLAND" not resolution Island!
RESTORATION ISLAND IS off The North East coast of Australia.
Please keep commenting as the crew will read all blogs at the end of there journey, a book will be written, your comments a vital to set the adventures record straight. There will also a documentary, So please do comment and be part of this brave adventure.
Thank you all Stuart The Moderator
@William Mansfield Watson - your title has changed a bit with the addition of 'Mansfield" to it. Not just William Watson. Did you move up in the world - like take out Kiwi citizenship or something???...........Or are your just having a bit of a midlife crisis??:-)
Anyway I hear what you are saying about the food - probably good thing they can't read our blogs cos I just had the BESTEST ever chicken satay I have ever had and mopped it up with garlic and cheese bread...........won't be able to sleep cos feel like a beached whale now!! "Beached as Bro"!! MJ from Brisbane.
Stuart,
Sorry, we slipped up there.
Thanks for your help.
@ M.J From Brisbane. mmmm Chicken satay with garlic.
My name is actually Stuart Mansfield Watson. (Mansfield because of a great great great great grandpa called William Mansfield the elder) My dad said if I can solve the story of the Mansfield Million when I am older and with the original documents that he gave me , then I will be rich. Long story but it's why I started my blog and it go's back to Van Demons Land. I have almost solved it but need to start writing now. Just got to learn how to write, think and use the computer better.
I was only slowed down because of some crazy chick who smashed into a bulk carrier. She bloody threw me a bit but glad she's home.
So not a mid life crises. I haven't even wormed up yet.
So what's your story MJ? You got a name?
Yeah mate, I have a life and a comment but not putting it on here!! Cheers You.....William Mansfield Watson..............Stuart knows my email address and he can send that onto you with my permision. Keep up the humor!!
Hey William Mansfield Watson - solve Grandads stuff and you will become rich!!
I am a eigth generation kiwi which means my parents were descended from convicts!.. My great, great, great grandmother was Hannh King - the first white woman to give birth to a child in New Zealand....she came over with Samuel Marsden............How awesome is all that history to follow..................
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