On April 28, 2010 following in the footsteps of William Bligh when cast adrift from the Bounty, Don McIntyre and the crew onboard the “Talisker Bounty Boat” will sail for Tonga to find extra food and water, then set off to sail across the top of the Fiji and the Vanuatu Island groups, before setting course for the Queensland Coast and a landing at Restoration Island following four weeks at sea on light rations. They then sail north inside the Great Barrier Reef to Thursday Island, and across to Kupang and Timor.
If successful it will be the first time that anyone has ever sailed the same course, in the same way that William Bligh did 221 years before. (1983 and 1990 attempts both used almanacs and charts for navigation, torches, modern time pieces etc, and also made unscheduled stopovers or did not follow the same route or were escorted part of the way). We’ll have no charts, no nautical almanacs, no modern watches, no torches, no toilet paper, no extra landings, all in a boat less than half the size of Bligh’s original “Bounty Boat”…. But let’s get to the finish line and then talk about it.
Talisker, the famous single malt whisky distilled on the Isle of Skye today announces its sponsorship of an epic sailing adventure which will be the first to recreate the exact journey of Captain William Bligh’s epic 4,000-mile open boat ‘Mutiny on the Bounty ’voyage. Led by Australian adventurer Don McIntyre and a crew of three, the reenactment will follow the journey across the Pacific from Tonga to Timor and aims to raise vital funds and awareness for the world’s first international research centre into Motor Neurone Disease, currently being built by the Sheffield Institute Foundation.
McIntyre returned to his roots and the roots of Talisker on the Isle of Skye to trace his Scottish ancestry, and hold a Clan reunion at the famous Talisker Distillery. His grandparents Thomas and Mary McIntyre emigrated to Australia shortly after their marriage in 1901 and this was Don’s first visit to the island and Scotland. The 54 year-old adventurer, who successfully sailed single-handed around the world in 1992 and has led a series of expeditions down to Antarctica, brought with him the 25ft replica of the Bounty Boat to give his fellow McIntyres an insight into the extraordinary fight for survival that Captain Bligh and his crew faced following the infamous mutiny on HMS Bounty led by Fletcher Christian.
McIntyre and his three-man crew will face the same deprivations as the original Bounty Boat crew, with little food, no charts or toilet paper and only the limited navigation implements that were available to Bligh. They will start the adventure on the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after the original mutiny journey.
Fiona McIntyre, Talisker distillery employee, said: “As a McIntrye myself and employee at the distillery, it was a proud moment for Talisker to announce our sponsorship of this wonderful adventure and welcome Don to the Isle of Skye to meet his fellow McIntyres. It’s amazing to think that Don and the crew will sail thousands of miles in the very open boat he has brought to the island and we’ll be supporting them every step of the way.”
Don McIntrye, adventurer, said: “I am bowled over by the warm welcome I have received on the Isle of Skye. It has been like coming home, and to have met so many of my namesakes has been fantastic. I am also surprised by the number of people on the Island who have had a direct experience of Motor Nurone Disease. It is a fatal disease that we know far too little about. I hope that this voyage will raise far greater awareness and fund vital work by The Sheffield Institute Foundation to find a cure.”
Steve Wood, global marketing manager for Talisker, Diageo, said: “This is an incredibly exciting adventure for Talisker to sponsor and we are urging people to support the expedition by visiting www.taliskerbountyboat.com. Not only will we be a part of sailing history but the expedition will also raise vital funds for research into Motor Neurone Disease through the Sheffield Institute Foundation. Talisker is the only malt whisky made on the Isle of Skye and has a strong affinity with the sea.”
The Challenge:
Following in the footsteps of William Bligh when cast adrift from the Bounty, Don McIntyre and the crew onboard the “Talisker Bounty Boat” will sail for Tonga to find extra food and water, then set off to sail across the top of the Fiji and the Vanuatu Island groups, before setting course for the Queensland Coast and a landing at Restoration Island following four weeks at sea on light rations. They then sail north inside the Great Barrier Reef to Thursday Island, and across to Kupang and Timor.
If successful it will be the first time that anyone has ever sailed the same course, in the same way that William Bligh did 221 years before. (1983 and 1990 attempts both used almanacs and charts for navigation, torches, modern time pieces etc, and also made unscheduled stopovers or did not follow the same route or were escorted part of the way). We’ll have no charts, no nautical almanacs, no modern watches, no torches, no toilet paper, no extra landings, all in a boat less than half the size of Bligh’s original “Bounty Boat”…. But let’s get to the finish line and then talk about it.
The Route
Talisker Bounty Boat positions will automatically be logged onto Google Earth maps for you to follow, every two hours during the voyage. Daily Blogs, Photo’s and audio clips will tell the story.
Tuesday April 28 – 1789 Fletcher Christian Mutinies on HMS Bounty then sets sail for Pitcairn Island. Bligh and 18 men are abandoned into a long boat with just 150lb of ships biscuits, 16 two pound pieces of Pork, 6 quarts of Rum, 6 Bottles of wine and 28 gallons of water. Their overcrowded boat has just 8 inches of freeboard. They sail for Tofua one day away.
Sunday 3rd May on Tofua , one man is killed by natives. Bligh sails away headed for Fiji.
Thursday 7th May – Bligh sails through Fiji Islands chased by hostile natives in canoes so cannot stop and sails on.
Thursday 14th May – Bligh passes through the New Hebrides but decides not to stop fearing attack.
Crossing the coral sea the face constant storms and gales, bailing to stay afloat 24 hours a day, desperately short of food and water.
Thursday 28th May – First sight of New Holland and the Great Barrier reef. Next day, after 26 days at sea, they land on Restoration island half dead, but all still surviving. They eat oysters, berries, birds and fish.
Friday 12th June – Timor is sighted and on the 14th they arrive in Kupang, 48 days and 4000 miles after the Mutiny, and their ordeal becomes one of the greatest open boat voyages in maritime history.
The Bounty Boat 2010 Voyage Provisions:
The Gear
Navigation gear….
Original 18th century octant and sextant, two original 18th century pocket watches, Nautical tables, boat compass, telescope, rope knot meter, leadline, ink pens and ink, note books, log book, magnifying glass. No charts allowed, no modern watches, no nautical almanac, no compass light.
Clothing and personal kits……each crew
Sun hat, warm hat, expedition shirt, expedition long pants, tough shorts, thermal top, thermal pants, waterproof shoes, Gore-tex weather jacket and pants, sheep skin, inflatable life-jacket/ safety harness with knife torch and strobe, 406-GPS POB. No torches will be used and no ipods nor books to read.
Safety equipment….
Six man ocean life raft with AYF pack, 406-GPS EPIRB, survior O6 manual desalinator, 6 para, 6 red, 2 white, 2 smoke flares, 4 sea dyemarkers, 6 cyalume stick, heliograph, V-sheet, knife, torch and spare battery, comprehensive medical kit, 1 thermal survival bag, 1 Iridium phone, waterproof VHF handheld/ GPS, rechargeable spot light, 30 man-days emergency food.
9 ft parachute anchor and rigging, 3 portable bilge pumps, 3 buckets, 2 anchors and lines, 1 fitted bilge pump and spares.
Communication equipment….
Iridium automatic satellite tracking system link to Google Earth web map, 2 Iridium phone, VHF waterproof HH, fitted VHF. No incoming communications will be allowed thus maintaining total isolation…only outgoing info for the web page will be sent from Talisker Bounty Boat.
Electrical system……
3 X 38 watt FLEXICELL solar panels, 2 X 25 Amp Gelcell battery, require LED Nav Lights.
Food……
Talisker Bounty Boat will set off with the same weight of food and water that Bligh had when he was cast adrift from the Bounty.
Daily per person for 25 days only ( The Voyage is approx 40 days)
Breakfast: museli bar 35g, baked beans 210g, ship biscuit 90g, 1 liter water
Lunch: nuts 100g, raisins 75g
Dinner: museli bar 35g,beef 170g, ship biscuit 90g, 1 litre water
6 X 750ml bottles rum, 6 X 750ml bottles wine
Note: Hope to catch fish, gather a supply of fruit, vegetable and coconuts in Tonga, not catch and eat birds but instead use substitute on days Bligh did catch birds and supplement our 28 Gallons of water with rain water.
The Crew:
Don McIntyre
53 year old Don McIntyre is one of Australias most experienced sailors, having competed in the 1990 BOC Challenge Single Handed Around the World Yacht Race ,coming second in Class, the highest placing for an Australian at the time. He then embarked on numeros Antarctic sailing Expeditions, including in 1995, living in a 2.4m X 3.6m box for a year, together alone in Antarctica, with his wife Margie, chained to rocks at Cape Dennison, the site of Sir Douglass Mawson’s Hut and an area called the Home of the Blizzard. Having been awarded an Australian Geographic Society silver medal for the Spirit of Adventure in 1993, Don and Margie were Awarded the Australian Geographic Society’s highest honour in 1996…a Gold Medal as Adventurers of the Year, the youngest to ever recieve it at that time. Their award winning documentary and best selling book “Two Below Zero” are still in demand ten years on.
In 2000 McIntyre purchased a 36m 600 tonne ” ICE” ship in Finland ( renamed” Sir Hubert Wilkins”), then brought it back across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to New Zealand for a major refit, including the installation of a helipad and a Hughes 300 helicopter, before embarking on four major voyages of discovery and exploration in Antarctica over three summer seasons all thanks to major sponsorship from DICK SMITH FOODS. Three years later, a 5 man recompression chamber and sophisticated dive support gear and Nitrox compressors were installed before setting of on a 6 month treasure hunting adventure in the Phillipines….no Gold! Then followed a successful four year tarmac rally racing campaign in a Peugeot 206 Gti 180 with some impressive results….and a few “DINGS!”
An ongoing interest in aviation has provided some great fun when time allows, flying fixed-wing “three axis”, a little helicopter time, trike” weight-shift” experience, and in 2007 McIntyre became the first person to fly an ultralight gyro-copter around Australia, a world first flight….see OzGyro Website
McIntyre has been involved with skydiving, surfing, racing moto-cross and been scuba diving all his life. He formed the Short-handed Sailing Association of Australia in 1983 and went on to manage and promote the 1988 GFW Bicentenial Around Australia Yacht Race which was underwritten by McIntyre Marine Services Pty Ltd…McIntyre’s successful marine equipment importing and boat building company which was sold in 2005.
In April 2008 McIntyre launched his new 15.2m steel, 40 tonne ice strengthend expedition motor-sailer “ICE”, following a three year, 50,000 man hour build in China. This new adventure ship is capable of going anywhere, has a 5000 mile range under power, carries comprehensive dive gear and it’s own Polaris Amphib flying boat for filming and exploration…..The FUN CONTINUES!!!
Mike Perham:
17 year old Mike Perham has signed on as second in comand of the Talisker Bounty Boat! Mike now holds the record as the world’s Youngest Solo Circumnavigator, having sailed his Open 50 Totally Money around the world in 157 days, crossing the finish line on August 27th 2009. He also holds the record as the youngest solo Trans-Atlantic sailor at 14 years of age!
When Mike called into Hobart for repairs during his circumnavigation, he spent nearly five weeks living with Don & Margie McIntyre who assisted Mike with getting back on the road again…during the course of all that, Mike and Don had time to visit Jessica Watson (www.jessicawatson.com.au) who is about to set off on her bid to take Mike’s Solo record away from him!
The McIntyre’s bought the boat for Jessica and are major supporters of her Quest. When Mike heard about the Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition, his imagination began to run wild…so now he too will get close to Bligh.
Mikes profile, Blog and previous adventures are at www.challengemike.com.