Saturday 15 August 2009

Sailboat 'Spirit of Mystery' Replicates Historic 1854 Voyage to Australia

Now, here's something to aspire to! Pete Goss the famous English round the world racing sailor who competed in several open ocean and 'Vendee Globe' races has just completed the voyage of his life.

Pete is well remembered in Australian waters for turning back in a massive southern ocean storm in the 1996 Vendee Globe race and rescuing fellow competitor, Frenchman Rapheal Dinelli off his sinking yacht. He was awarded the DSO in England and the Croix de Guerre from France for his rescue of Dinelli.

After racing around the globe at maximum speeds (averaging around 14 knots), along with all the benefits of modern technology on board, he was looking for something different.

Being a Cornishman himself he hit upon the idea of replicating the historic voyage that seven fellow Cornishmen made on a whim in 1854 to try their luck in the Australian goldfields.

The following is an extract from Sydney Boating website http://www.sydneyboating.com.au/
'Spirit of Mystery, the 37ft replica wooden lugger that has voyaged 12,000 miles from Cornwall to Australia this year, sailed into Port Melbpourne on the 9th March 2009.

The historic craft has been built and skippered by British adventurer Pete Goss to follow in the wake of the original Mystery, which completed the journey in 1854 becoming the smallest migrant vessel to make it to Australia.

Spirit of Mystery will be one of the special marina exhibits at the Sydney International Boat Show at the end of July. The boat is open to the public during the whole show, and Pete Goss will give daily talks on his heroic voyage.

The original Mystery was an open Mounts Bay lugger built in Newlyn and sailed to Australia by seven Cornishmen wanting to try their luck in the Australian gold rush.

Pete Goss has built Spirit of Mystery 154 years later to celebrate their achievement, sailing to Australia with a crew including his brother Andy Goss, brother in law Mark Maidment and young son Eliot, 14.

The vessel is as true to the original Mystery as possible and, although there are concessions to safety, there are no modern electrical or navigational systems, with navigation being carried out by the traditional methods using the sun and stars.

Information on the craft, her crew and her voyage will be available at the Marine Precinct at the Sydney International Boat Show, where Pete Goss will be working with NSW Maritime to promote safe and responsible boating.

For more information about Pete Goss and Spirit of Mystery and the fantastic voyage visit his website www.petegoss.com

Extract courtesy Sydney Boating and images courtesy Pete Goss.

You can read more about cruising the oceans of our planet in my ebook 'Voyage of the Little Ship 'Tere Moana' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com

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