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 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.