Started around the 2nd January I have now completed this very interesting model.
It is a large model, scale 3/4 inch = 1 foot, of the ships boat that Captain William Bligh and 18 of his crew were cast adrift from the 'Bounty' by Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers in 1789. The actual boat, based on plans from the Greenwich Maritime Museum, was 23 feet long, 6' 9" wide and 2' 9" deep weighing 2.5 tons.
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| Work begins on the building jig. |
Christian and the rest of the mutineers variously made their way to Pitcairn Island, Tahiti and freedom in England or death at the end of a rope.
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| First planks in place |
Due to the fact that Bligh survived and wrote a comprehensive log we have a detailed account of the 4000 mile voyage from Tofua in the Friendly Isles group to Timor near the north west corner of Australia in 48 terrifying days.
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| Planking complete and the jig (mould) removed. |
Dangerously overloaded the launch was typical of boats issued to the Royal Navy ships of the period, It has been calculated that when loaded with 19 men, gear and provisions, she floated with a bare 6 inches of freeboard which is why the men spent all of the time in shifts baling water.
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| Gunwhale and foor planking completed. |
Day after day, Bligh and his crew experienced mountainous seas, rain, wet sleepless nights, and a diet consisting of bread and teaspoons of rum. On lucky days they enjoyed seagull entrails and blood.
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| Completion following a challenging 'Sewing Bee' operation on the sails! |
Little is known about what gear and provisions they carried but Bligh makes reference to "water vessels", whatever they were, and wrote. "Seamen who were to go in the boat collected....an eight and twenty cask of water..." They had containers aboard to carry 60 gallons. These included "four empty beakers" and perhaps some gourd calabashes. A carpenters chest of tools is believed to have been on board.
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| Note water barrels, carpenters chest and ten oars. |
What is for sure is that there would have been very little room in the boat!!
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| Not much room there!! |
No more models planned yet. As Spring slowly approaches there is work to do in the garden, vegetables to plant rehanging the old log store door, painting the back yard and above all ensuring that 'Nellie' is ready for the road and our idyllic picnics in the local fells.....that is if the old body holds together (mine!!!!) and Covid allows.
