Spirit of Mystery – the final Aussie leg

The replica Cornish fishing lugger Spirit of Mystery sets sail on Sunday morning (approx 0700hrs, 21 February 2010) on the last leg of its stay in Australia. Spirit of Mystery will sail southward from Sydney on a short offshore run to Port Kembla where it will be readied for ship transport back to England.

Spirit of Mystery last year retraced the epic original voyage of 1854 when seven people, all of the one family, sailed their small fishing boat out from Cornwall to escape poverty and seek a new life in Australia.

Cornish brothers Pete and Andy Goss built and sailed Spirit of Mystery out on the 11,800 nautical mile voyage in 5 months.

While in Australia, Pete Goss volunteered to become a Safety Ambassador for NSW Maritime.

Pete Goss is a former British Royal Marine who was awarded the MBE by Queen Elizabeth II and the Legion d’Honneur by the French President.

Pete earned the respect of the international maritime community during the 1996-97 Vendee Globe solo round-the-world race when he staged a dramatic mid-ocean rescue of a fellow competitor whose yacht was sinking.

His reputation and experience built over many years are helping the Boat for Life campaign reach out to the boating community with essential safety messages for offshore boating.
 
Pete Goss joined the NSW sportsman and boating media identity Andrew Ettingshausen, and the kayakers Justin Jones and James Castrission as Boat for Life Safety Ambassadors.

The campaign, launched in 2009, is based online at boatforlife.com.au and has NSW Maritime and the Boating Industry Association of NSW as safety partners.

Pete Goss’ safety advice covers:

• Safety Checks – equipment including 406MHz EPIRBs;

• Going Offshore – route planning; check the weather;

• Boating Emergency – distress signals, lifejackets.

To visit the site, go to Boat for Life.