Official Press Release

Australian Adventurer set to re-create the greatest voyage of all time - Captain Bligh’s Mutiny on the Bounty Boat

***PRESS CALL ALERT***PRESS CALL ALERT***PRESS CALL ALERT***

EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 FEBRUARY 25th 2010

WHAT’S THE STORY: One of the greatest Australian adventurers of all time, Don McIntyre, is set to embark on an incredible nautical journey to re-create one of the most extraordinary stories of survival and determination – Captain William Bligh’s 4,000 mile open boat ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ voyage. The reenactment, following the journey across the Pacific from Tonga to Timor, will launch on the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after the original mutiny journey. This Thursday 25th February will be the last time that the Talisker Bounty Boat and its crew will be together on Australian shores, before they head off on their astonishing nautical adventure from Tonga on April 28th. Don McIntyre and his crew will be available to answer all media questions and the Talisker Bounty Boat will be displayed on Darling Harbor for picture opportunities.

This isn’t the first extraordinary adventure that Don has undertaken – you may also remember him as one half of the couple who lived in total isolation in a hut on the windiest point of Antarctica for a year, or as the man who flew solo around Australia in an open cockpit Gyro-copter in 20 days! He is also friend and mentor to young solo sailor Jessica Watson and actually provided her with the boat that she is currently sailing around the world in.

The seven week expedition aboard the Talisker Bounty Boat – a 25ft long, 7ft wide, open wooden vessel – will see the crew -facing the same deprivations as the original crew that were cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific, including: no navigation charts; only two weeks of water; hardly any food; and, of course, no luxuries like a torch or toilet paper!

Not content with just taking on this huge challenge, McIntyre and his crew of 3 men are also attempting to raise over $250,000 for The Sheffield Institute Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease (SIF) which is building the world’s first research Institute into Motor Neurone Disease (MND), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

WHERE: The main function room of the National Maritime Museum, Murray Street, Darling Harbour, NSW 2000.

WHEN: Thursday 25th February at 10am – 11am

MORE INFORMATION: Alongside Don McIntyre, one of Australia’s most experienced sailors and adventurers, the international crew includes experienced English sailor David Wilkinson, US sailor and businessman Peter Stier and the youngest ever Solo circumnavigator, 17 year old Brit Mike Perham. The crew met together for the first time a little over two months ago and have spent the last two weeks together in Sydney, training and making last minute preparations for the journey, a journey that has been Don’s dream to complete for 20 years.

WEBSITE: www.taliskerbountyboat.com

CONTACT: Emily Dwiar – (+61) 29281 0004, 0450 1199 35 emilyd@splendidcomms.com

Official Press Release

Talisker® announces sponsorship of the ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ recreation expedition as Australian Captain Don McIntyre returns to his roots on Skye

Monday 17th November 2009, Isle of Skye, Scotland: 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."

Official Press Release

Australian adventurer Don McIntyre and teenage circumnavigator Mike Perham to re-enact Capt William Bligh's epic mutiny on the Bounty open boat voyage.

Dateline: Tuesday 8th September 2009

LONDON: Australian adventurer and solo round the world sailor, Don McIntyre announced today that Mike Perham, the world's youngest solo circumnavigator, has signed up as Second-in-command for the 2010 Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition. This is a 4,000-mile re-enactment 221 years after Capt William Bligh and his supporting crew were forced into an open-boat by the mutineering crew on HMS Bounty and successfully sailed from Tonga to Timor in the Pacific.

McIntyre and Perham will face the same deprivations, with little food, no charts or toilet paper and only the limited navigation implements that were available to Bligh.

The search is now on for two extra crew to join this expedition, which has a serious scientific purpose, as well as raise money for MND research. This opportunity of a lifetime to re-create history will cost each individual £10,000 to participate. Only those with an extreme sense of adventure need apply.

The Route

McIntyre and Perham: will follow in the footsteps of Capt. William Bligh when cast adrift from HMS Bounty in the Pacific on April 28, 1789. This McIntyre and his 3-man crew will board their 25ft ‘Talisker Bounty Boat’ in the same position exactly 221 years to the day of the Bounty Mutiny and follow in the footsteps of Bligh. They will first sail to Tonga to find extra food and water, before heading westwards across the top of Fiji and the Vanuatu Island groups, bound for the Queensland Coast, Australia to land, like Bligh, on Restoration Island. They will then sail north inside the Great Barrier Reef to Thursday Island, and then through the Torres Strait to Kupang and Timor.
If successful, this will be the first time that anyone has sailed the same course in the same way that Bligh did. Previous attempts in 1983 and 1990 both used almanacs and charts for navigation, torches, modern timepieces, and also made unscheduled stopovers, did not follow the same route or were escorted part of the way. McIntyre and Perham will have no charts, no almanacs, modern timepieces or navigation equipment, torches, or toilet paper.

A GPS tracking system: locked away from the crew, will track McIntyre and Perham’s every 2 hours for the outside world to follow. The only other concession to the 21st Century will be a liferaft and other essential safety equipment, together with a satellite computer link for the 4-man crew to send daily blogs, photos and audio clips to tell their story and for psychologists and oceanographic scientists to monitor their progress and findings.

The gear that McIntyre and crew will rely on

Navigation equipment
18th century octant and sextant, two 18th century pocket watches, nautical tables, boat compass, telescope, rope knot meter, lead line, ink pens and ink, note books, log book, magnifying glass. No charts allowed, no modern watches, no nautical almanac, and no compass light.

Clothing and personal kit - 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, no iPod no books
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.

Talisker Bounty Boat details
Construction: Traditional lap strake/clinker
Length overall: 25ft (7.62m)
Beam 6.3ft (1.92m)
Load displacement with 4 crew: 1.6 Tonnes

Visit the Talisker Bounty Boat at the Southampton Boat Show
The Talisker Bounty Boat will be a special feature at the Southampton Boat Show (September 11-20). Don McIntyre and the Talisker Bounty Boat team will be on hand to answer all your questions - Why not pop down and visit us.

Media Release

Mike Perham, the world's youngest solo circumnavigator and Australian adventurer Don McIntyre announce plans to re-enact Capt William Bligh's epic mutiny on the Bounty open boat voyage.

LONDON: Australian adventurer and solo round the world sailor Don McIntyre announces that Mike Perham has signed up as Second-in-command for the 2010 Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition. This is a 4000 mile re-enactment 221 years after Capt William Bligh and his supporting crew were forced into an open whale-boat by the mutineering crew on HMS Bounty and successfully sailed from Tonga to Timor in the Pacific. McIntyre and Perham will face the same deprivations, with little food, no charts or toilet paper and only the limited navigation implements that were available to Bligh. The search begins for two extra crew to join this expedition, which has a serious scientific purpose, as well as raise money for MND research.

WHAT: Launch of Talisker Bounty Boat, Mike Perham's next adventure, Sheffield Institute Foundation fundraising for MND research.

WHERE: THE DICKENS INN St Katharine Dock (near to Tower Bridge) London

WHEN: 11am Tuesday 8th Sept 2009

WHO:

• Don McIntyre , 54 year old. Australian Antarctic Adventurer and Solo Circumnavigator.
• Mike Perham, 17 year old, Record breaking Solo Circumnavigator.
• Irene Beard, Director of the Sheffield Institute Foundation.

Meet Don at the Sydney International Boat Show  [18th Jun 09]

Just a little heads up - Don McIntyre will be at the Sydney International Boat Show, July 30th to August 3rd where he will be giving two talks every day about the Bounty Boat Expedition and you may even find him at the show on Jessica Watson's S&S34 "Pink Lady" - (see www.youngestround.com) as Don is one of her many supporters ....READ MORE >>

Official Launch of the expedition in England, Sept  [18th Jun 09]

We are planning to have the official launch of the Bounty Boat Expedition in England in early September, shortly before exhibiting BB at the Southampton Boat Show - don't forget Captain Bligh was an Englishman! More news to follow in the next few weeks with some very exciting developments....READ MORE >>

Bounty Boat to support SIF charity  [18th Jun 09]

Over the past month, we have been working together with the team at SIF (the Sheffield Institute Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease) looking into ways that we may be able to assist them with a major fundraising plan to help this very valuable organization. Full announcements will be made here soon along with a revamp of the website....READ MORE >>

Chris Bray steps off Bounty Boat    [18th Jun 09]

After much deliberation, I have made the tricky decision to stand aside - Don and three as-yet unknown crew members will sail Bounty Boat without me. Unfortunately, a host of surfacing reasons including differing priorities and schedules, and my own personal financial situation (or lack of!!!) has pressured me into finding money rather than spending it. So I'm going to take a step back from this expedition, and watch it all unfold here on the website next year, from the comfort and well-fed c...READ MORE >>

12 MONTH DELAY - BB now sails on APRIL 28 2010    [27th Jan 09]

Whilst there will be only four crew sailing Bounty Boat across the Pacific, our most important Expedition Team member is Margie (Ted) who will be manning Expedition Headquarters in Hobart for the duration of the voyage, updating the web page and heading up our Media/Crisis Management Team. Over the past two years Margie & I have been working towards an April 2009 Departure date, with everything on track, but on Feb 5th Ted is off to Hospital for a back operation which will require many months of...READ MORE >>

Ships Biscuits!  [8th Nov 08]

Well today we visited the friendly baker who'd generously agreed to bake our ships biscuits for the trip! So Don heaved in the 25kg sack of mill-ground wholemeal flower and some salt, and we stood back as the baker worked his magic (ie added water) and put them in his epic bakers oven. We ate custard tarts for 30 minutes (dangerous place to kill time - in a bakery!) while the bickies cooked, and before we knew it we stood amiring a sample 2kg stack of 25 genuine 1800's ships biscuits - just like...READ MORE >>

Wanted: Two blokes for the adventure of a lifetime  [16th Oct 08]

Herald/Age Article - Reporter Keelie Cranborne Essential requirements include a sense of humor, an ability to live off meagre rations, can do without toilet paper for more than 40 days and the desire to push yourself to your limits. Cost: $20,000. Apply to Don McIntyre & Chris Bray, Australian adventurers. For McIntyre, who calls Antarctica home and has raced solo around-the-world, this latest voyage is the culmination of years of research and the chance to recreate what he considers one o...READ MORE >>

Website Under Construction!  [16th Oct 08]

Well at last we have our web site semi up and running! www.BountyBoat.com - Over the coming weeks we'll be adding all sorts of goodies to the site, heaps more photos, info, videos and so on! We're going to add a forum also, so you can put in your 2c worth about the expedition! Can't wait for this trip - it's going to be awesome!...READ MORE >>