One might be forgiven in thinking that most of the really adventurous journeys in the world had already been made. Well Cornish sailor Pete Goss and his crew have just completed a truly epic journey retracing the route taken by seven fishermen from west Cornwall over 150 years ago as they searched for a better life in Australia. I'm guessing that many readers will be aware of the replica of the original Mounts Bay lugger 'Mystery' that Pete had built for him but for a little background see my blog here. Much more information can be found on this website. The great news is that 'Spirit of Mystery' has safely arrived in Melbourne but unfortunately the craft was hit by a freak wave shortly before the voyage was completed. As a result one of Pete's crew members , brother-in-law Mark Maidment, sustained a broken leg and had to be put ashore a little further back on the coast. Really tough luck for Mark but evidently no permanent damage done.
I don't always agree with the editorial preferences in the 'Western Morning News' but today, in the Cornish edition at least, they were spot on by devoting the whole of the front page and pages 2 and 3 to the success of the Goss expedition. Plus plenty of warm congratulations in a leader column which I would echo. Pete took advantage of modern communication to keep a weblog going but when it came to other aspects of the trip such as navigation for instance he replicated what the earlier sailors did - he used a sextant and the stars to guide his way!
On arrival in Australia Pete and his crew have actually met up with some of the descendants of those original emigrants from Cornwall. What an incredible feeling that must have been! At the moment the future of 'Spirit of Mystery' seems uncertain other than the fact that Pete would clearly like to see her back in Cornwall. Whether that means he will sail her back is an unknown but it would be quite possible. The capacity for Pete Goss to amaze us all is still evident.
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