Spirit of Mystery Heads To Australia from Newlyn
Taking advantage of the northerly breeze Pete Goss and his crew on Spirit of Mystery slipped away from Newlyn on Monday night en route to Australia.
Spirit is a replica of the original Mystery a 37ft Mounts Bay lugger, which left Newlyn on the 18 November 1854, bound for the Australian Gold Fields.
116 days later after a voyage of 11,800 miles the intrepid seven-man crew reached Melbourne.
Goss together with his brother Andy, son Eliot and brother in law Mark Maidment are following in the wake of these Cornish fishermen with the aim of highlighting their achievement and raising money for Goss’s charity Cornwall Playing for Success.
Cornwall Playing for Success is an out of school hour’s initiative aimed to involve youngsters in sport and adventure activities and the voyage will feature on the website www.petegoss.com/playing-for-success.php.
Besides the voyage itself the best feature about Mystery and her crew was that the idea originated in the Star Inn at Newlyn.
How many daft brave or foolish ideas originate over a few beers? It is nice to know that even 154 years ago men were still making rash decisions over a pint.