Spirit of Mystery
is a replica of the Mount's
Bay
lugger Mystery which made a voyage to
Australia and back in 1854/55.
In 1854 a
discussion in the Star Inn in Newlyn
led seven
fishermen to set sail in the hope of finding their fortunes.
116 days
later, their Cornish lugger, Mystery, a 37ft fishing boat
that had never previously been out of sight of land, arrived in
Melbourne
, 12,000 miles away.
Construction
Spirit
of Mystery was built at Millbrook
by Chris Rees for Pete
Goss. Construction took ten months. She is a replica of
Mystery, which made a return voyage to Australia in
1854-55.
Spirit of Mystery was launched on 21 June 2008.
Incorporated into Spirit of Mystery
is wood from Cutty
Sark
, and HMS Victory
, with some of the rigging coming from SS Great
Britain
.
Construction of
Spirit of Mystery closely followed the
design of the original luggers. The only concessions to modernity
are watertight bulkheads and heavier ballast. Electrics have been
fitted as it is a legal requirement to have masthead lights. An
engine has been fitted but will not be used on the journey to
Australia. Internally, oil lamps will be used, and navigation will
be by the stars, although a satellite tracking device allows the
progress of
Spirit of Mystery to be followed on the
internet. As on the original
Mystery, a coke stove is
installed. However, the diet and clothing of the crew are to modern
standards, and there is a toilet and gas cooker on board.
History
Voyage to Australia
Spirit
of Mystery left Newlyn at 18:00 on
20 October 2008, bound for Cape Town
, just as Mystery did in 1854. Pete
Goss is reported to have been in such a hurry to leave that he left
his socks and pants in a tumble dryer at a launderette.
Spirit
of Mystery crossed the
Equator on 21
November 2008. The crew is Andy Goss, Eliot Goss, Pete Goss and
Andy Maidment.
Spirit of Mystery arrived in
Cape
Town on 25 December 2008 Spirit of Mystery left
Cape Town on 13 January 2009, with an estimated arrival time in
Australia of the first week in March.
At 09:30 hrs local time on 4 March 2009,
Spirit of Mystery
was hit by a wave which rolled her more than 90 degrees on her
side. Although she righted herself, Mark Maidment sustained a
broken leg in the incident. The boat's
liferaft and dinghy were lost overboard in the
incident.
Spirit of Mystery was off Kangaroo Island
and some off the coast of Australia when the
incident happened. Spirit of Mystery sailed towards
Australia in order that Mark Maidment could be airlifted off by
helicopter. He was originally scheduled
to be rescued during the morning of 6 March 2009.
Spirit of
Mystery eventually put into Portland
where Mark Maidment was transferred to an ambulance
for transport to a hospital in Melbourne where he underwent an
operation. The remaining three crewmembers will complete the
journey, with an estimated arrival in Melbourne on 9 or 10 March.
The boat was damaged in the incident, and was reduced to a speed of
.
Spirit of Mystery arrived in Melbourne on 9 March 2009.
The crew were greeted with a
pint and a
pasty.
References
- Time was 23:30 hrs, 3 March 2009 UTC
External links
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