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| Day 116 |
01 August 2000 |
| Gulf of Carpentaria |
| "The Sky" |
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The air is so clear out here in the Gulf that the sun stays
glaringly bright even as it is dipping below the horizon. There
are no clouds to reflect the sunset, but the whole empty sky
turns pale orange. It reflects off Duyfken's oiled timber-work,
making the oak glow a rich honey-red. There are some
compensations for the noise of the motors.
We are all disappointed not to be able to sail the whole of this
leg of the voyage, the final part of our re-enactment, due to
the fact that we are here in the wrong season for going in this
direction and the winds are against us. The reasons for this
compromise in our itinerary are complicated. There are safety
concerns, avoiding the cyclone seasons, and commercial
considerations. Then there is the fact that we must arrive at
Pennefather River by a certain date so that we can be met with
due ceremony, not only by the local people, but also by all
kinds of VIPs and media who must fly in, some of them just for
the day.
The result is that our voyage is less of a sailing expedition
and, as Gary tersely puts it, more of 'an endurance test for the
engines.'
I wonder, though, if it is really inappropriate that we use
modern technology to propel us towards our destination. One of
the clearest messages I will take from my experience of this
voyage is how much the world has changed. Perhaps a world that
no longer has room for a VOC, that no longer wants to tolerate
the likes of the murderous Governor Coen, that welcomes
alternatives to historical orthodoxies, that has reasons for
travel other than trade and conquest, also has no room for slow
old sailing ships with their indeterminate times of arrival.
Much as we on board Duyfken would dearly love to turn the
engines off and set sail, arriving who knows how many weeks from
now, we have commitments that extend well beyond our own oak
rail. There are more people following Duyfken's voyage on the
internet, for example, than would ever fit on her decks.
Our re-enactment is departing from the original script in many
ways. We are in the wrong season, we have taken a different
route, we are eating delicious food and we are using engines.
But what would be the sense of conducting a voyage exactly like
one that has already been done? What could we learn from that,
we who are already reasonably familiar with the existence of the
Great South Land?
Though it would be far preferable to be sailing, I am enjoying
this passage across the Gulf immensely. It might have something
to do with the sky. On the poop deck this afternoon Greg and I
have a very patriotic conversation about the sky, agreeing that
it looks clearer and deeper in this country, whether at sea or
in the bush, than anywhere else in the world that we know of. We
congratulate ourselves on our great good fortune to be born
under it.
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Peter Manthorpe
Master
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