Don McIntyre, the Australian adventurer and solo round the world sailor is to host a reunion of fellow McIntyre/Macintyre clan members on Skye over the weekend 14-15th November.
"I would like to share a few drams with any of my namesakes who also have links with the Hebridean Island, and trace as many direct family members as I can across Scotland." says Don, whose grandparents, Thomas and Mary McIntyre emigrated to Australia shortly after their marriage at Larbert, Stirling on June 28th 1901.
Next April, Don is to lead a 4,000 mile expedition in an open boat across the Pacific to re-enact the voyage by Capt William Bligh following the mutiny on HMS Bounty 220 years ago.
Those who can attend this McIntyre Reunion, will have the opportunity to talk to Don about his Bounty Boat Expedition, see the boat that that he and his crew will be sailing - and have the opportunity to sail in her!
If you are a McIntyre or Macintyre and would like to attend the Reunion at Carbost on November 14/15, simply visit Don's website www.bountyboat.com and register.
McIntyre and his 3-man crew will face the same deprivations that the original Bounty crew endured, with little food, no charts or toilet paper and only the limited navigation implements that were available to Bligh.
The voyage has a serious scientific purpose, but will also raise money for research into Motor Neurone Disease (MND), supporting vital work undertaken by the Sheffield Institute Foundation.
McIntyre and his team are using the voyage to monitor sea life and water temperatures in the Pacific and compare their findings with the detailed log that Bligh kept. Scientists from Plymouth University will also study crew stress levels, sleep patterns and their medical well-being.
The Route
McIntyre and his crew will follow in the footsteps of Capt. William Bligh when cast adrift from HMS Bounty in the Pacific on April 28, 1789. McIntyre and his 3-man crew will board their 25ft ‘Bounty Boat’ in the same position 221 years to the day of the Bounty Mutiny and follow in Bligh's wake. They will first sail to Tonga to find extra food and water, then head 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 his crew 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 the Bounty Boat's position 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 original mutiny
April 28, 1789: Fletcher Christian led a mutiny on HMS Bounty then set sail for Pitcairn Island. Bligh and 18 men are abandoned in a longboat with just 150lb (68kg) of ships biscuits, 16 x 2lb (0.9kg pieces of pork, 6 quarts (5.6l) of rum, 6 bottles of wine and 28 gallons (127l) of water. Their overcrowded boat had just 8-inches (0.2m) of freeboard. They set sail for Tofua - one day away.
Sunday May 3: Land on Tofua - one man killed by natives. Bligh sailed away and headed for Fiji.
May 7: Bligh sailed through Fiji Islands chased by hostile natives in canoes so could not stop.
May 14: Bligh passed through the New Hebrides Island, but fearing attack, decided not to stop. Bligh and his crew continued on across the storm-tossed Coral Sea bailing to stay afloat 24 hours a day, and desperately short of food and water.
May 28: First sight of New Holland and the Great Barrier Reef. Next day, after 26 days at sea, they landed on Restoration Island half dead. Bligh and his crew gorged on oysters, berries, birds and fish - and suffered acute gastranomic discomfort!
June 12: Timor is sighted and 2 days later, Bligh landed on Kupang, 48 days and 4000 miles after the mutiny. Their ordeal became one of the greatest open boat voyages in maritime history.
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: Bounty Boat will set off with the same weight of food and water that Bligh had when he was cast adrift from the Bounty.
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