Back in TONGA!! At the start again!

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.