Sailor Pete Goss gives a tour of Spirit of Mystery
A 37ft (11.2m) fishing boat that will take West Country adventurer Pete Goss to Australia using only the stars to navigate is being launched on Saturday.
The lugger Spirit of Mystery has been taking shape in boatyards in Millbrook, Cornwall, for the last nine months.
The journey was inspired by seven Cornishmen who started the voyage of almost 12,000 miles from Newlyn to Melbourne in Australia in 1854.
Their open Mounts Bay lugger Mystery made the epic journey in 116 days.
Spirit of Mystery was built using oak from local woodlands
In October Mr Goss, 46, his son Eliot, 14, brother Andy, 42, and brother-in-law Mark will set sail in a vessel that has been made as close as possible to the original.
The family connection is also a tribute to the first sailors who were all related.
And their voyage will be relying on a sextant and the stars to navigate, first to Cape Town in South Africa and then to Melbourne.
The crew will have an engine and a VHF radio, but the only modern navigation equipment, a GPS machine, will be in the liferaft.
Mr Goss said: "People go on about navigation, but modern equipment is only an aid to navigation.
"Traditional sailing has been going for far longer than the modern stuff.
"We will navigate by the heavenly bodies and follow their course."
Oak from local woodlands has also been used to build the boat.
The seven Cornishmen who made the first journey did so to escape poverty and seek out a new life during the Australian gold rush.
It's going to be a really good, fun, adventure
Pete Goss
Mr Goss and his crew are following in their wake to raise money for charity and satisfy a sense of adventure in Mr Goss who is better know for his sailing adventures in modern boats.
He became an MBE in 1997 for the dramatic rescue of a fellow competitor in a round-the-world race.
In December 2000 he made world headlines again when he and his crew were evacuated from the 120ft-long, �4m catamaran Team Philips in an Atlantic storm.
Devon-born Goss who now lives in Torpoint, Cornwall, said the project was something he had wanted to do since he heard about the voyage of the Mystery.
He said: "Their story got right under my skin. I wanted to shine a light on these guys' achievements and I have always wanted to build a wooden boat.
Breakfast 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
It's going to be a really good, fun, adventure
BBC News
Bookmark with:
What are these?