The First Fleet Reenactment Voyage (also known as the Second First Fleet) was a project to assemble a fleet of

tall ships A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigging, rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a r ...

to sail from England to Australia in a

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational entertainment, educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historical uniforms and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a histor ...

of the

First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...

that colonised Australia in 1788. The reenactment was first conceived in 1977 and organised to commemorate Australia's bicentenary of colonisation. Despite opposition and minimal funding from the Australian government, the project attracted the support of high-profile adventurers

Thor Heyerdahl Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and Ethnography, ethnographer with a background in biology with specialization in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl is notable for his Kon-Tiki expediti ...

Alan Villiers Alan John Villiers, DSC (23 September 1903 – 3 March 1982) was a writer, adventurer, photographer and mariner. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Villiers first went to sea at age 15 and sailed on board traditionally rigged vessels, including t ...

, and Sir

Edmund Hillary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineering, mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa people, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the Timeline of M ...

, as well as former Australian political figures and the

British Royal Family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

. Several corporations offered to sponsor the fleet as a whole or individual ships, and additional money was raised by selling " training crew" berths for the various legs of the voyage. Seven ships—''

Søren Larsen Søren Larsen (; born 6 September 1981) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was a strong player with a decent header and good sense of positioning. He played in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, and the Net ...

'', '' R. Tucker Thompson'', '' Anna Kristina'', '' Amorina'', '' Tradewind'', '' Our Svanen'', and ''

Bounty Bounty or bounties commonly refers to: * Bounty (reward), an amount of money or other reward offered by an organization for a specific task done with a person or thing Bounty or bounties may also refer to: Geography * Bounty, Saskatchewan, a g ...

''—sailed from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in May 1987, following a fleet review by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Attempting to follow the route of the original First Fleet, the ships sailed for Australia via

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

. The initial funding ran out when the ships reached Rio de Janeiro, and the captains planned to call off the voyage until a

radiothon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

on Australia's

Macquarie Radio Network Nine Radio (formerly Macquarie Media Limited) is an Australian media company, owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and headquartered in North Sydney. The company operates radio stations nationally in the capital cities of Sydney, Melbou ...

raised $900,000 and further corporate sponsorships were secured. The seven ships were joined by '' One and All'' off Rio de Janeiro. While crossing the Atlantic to Cape Town, ''Anna Kristina''s

first mate A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the shi ...

Henrik Bak Nielsen was lost overboard. The fleet arrived at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

in early December, where ''

Eye of the Wind ''Eye of the Wind'' is a brigantine converted in the 1970s from the topsail schooner ''Friedrich'' built in 1911 at the C. H. Lühring shipyard in Brake, Lower Saxony, Brake, Germany. History The schooner ''Friedrich'' initially sailed in the S ...

'' was added to the fleet before they crossed southern Australia. The fleet arrived in

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

on Australia Day (26 January) 1988. Despite being recognised as the "Best Event" of the bicentenary, the project made a loss financially.

Background

In 1787, a fleet of eleven small sailing ships departed from England, carrying

convicts A convict is "a person found Guilt (law), guilty of a crime and Sentence (law), sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a commo ...

, marines, and sailors.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. v The ships were heading for

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, the territory claimed by

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

during his first voyage of discovery in 1770, when he located and charted the eastern coast of New Holland (now Australia). The loss of the American penal colonies following the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

(and the resulting pressure it put on the British

gaol A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cri ...

system) combined with the need to secure this new territory against potential Dutch or French claims. The founding of a penal colony in New South Wales was approved by Prime Minister William Pitt, with Captain

Arthur Phillip Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New South Wales, governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Royal Hospital School, Gree ...

selected as the colonisation fleet's commander and the new colony's first Governor. Eleven ships were acquired to be part of this voyage: the convict transports , , , , , and ; the storeships , , and ; and the naval vessels and . The fleet sailed from

on 17 May 1787, and called at

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife (; locally ), commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz, is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and one of the capitals of the Canary Islands, along with Las Palmas. Santa Cruz has a ...

, and

before using the

Roaring Forties The Roaring Forties are strong westerlies, westerly winds that occur in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40th parallel south, 40° and 50th parallel south, 50° south. The strong eastward air currents are caused by ...

to cross the southern Indian Ocean and round

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

. The fleet arrived in

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...

, then relocated to the more suitable

Port Jackson Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...

, where the colony was founded on 26 January 1788.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 79 The

is considered remarkable because it was the longest migratory voyage ever attempted, with all eleven ships reaching their destination within three days of each other, while only 48 of the 1,350 embarked died during the nine-month voyage. To commemorate the 1988

Australian Bicentenary The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. History The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships ...

Jonathan King Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, ...

(descendant of Lieutenant Philip King, Arthur Phillip's aide-de-camp) proposed in 1977 that a reenactment voyage made up of

square-rigged Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars that are perpendicular (or square) to the median plane of the keel and masts of the vessel. These sp ...

sailing vessels similar to those used by the First Fleet be made.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. vi The project was met with opposition from Australian individuals and organisations. There was concern that by emphasising the British colonisation of Australia, the reenactment voyage would negatively remind people of the nations' convict origins. Offending the

Australian Aborigines Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 years ...

, whose land was stolen from them by the colonisation, was also a concern.

Setup

King created the First Fleet Venture as a

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

-backed project in 1978, and approached the Australian Government for funding and assistance.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 16 He was knocked back, with the government refusing to support the project unless it was shown to be commercially viable. King dissolved the university project board in 1982, and created a commercial group. The assistance of entrepreneur Wally Franklin was secured in 1983. Franklin and King secured assistance from

Hoyts The HOYTS Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes HOYTS Cinemas, a cinema chain, and Val Morgan, which sells advertising on cinema screens and digital billboards. The company was established by dentist Arthur Russell in Melbo ...

Michael Edgley Productions Edgley International is a theatrical company, theatre and concert promoter, concert promotions company from Australia, first started in the 1930s and run by several generations. It has also been known as Edgley & Dawe Attractions, Edgley Ventu ...

, as well as Australian Himalayan Expeditions.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 17 Following this, Franklin founded the First Fleet Reenactment Company, and bought out King's group. Franklin, King, and solicitor Philip King sat on the board, along with representatives from Hoyts/Edgley and Australian Himalayan Expeditions. Norwegian adventurer

joined the project as honorary president. New Zealand mountaineer Sir

and Australian mariner

became a patrons of the reenactment. Further support came from former Australian Prime Ministers

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...

and

Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. He held office as the Australian Labor Party, leader of the La ...

, and from the

. Original plans called for a fleet of eleven 18th-century-styled replica ships to be constructed or chartered.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 14 By 1980, this was scaled back to building just two replicas: flagship HMS ''Sirius'' and one of the convict transports. After the replica ''Bounty'' (which was a contemporary and very similar in design to ''Sirius'') became available, the plan to build ships was canned, with the fleet to be made up of modern chartered vessels. Most of the vessels were British- or European-based tall ships chartered during 1985. Funding was promised by the New South Wales Government, which provided a $230,000

seed grant Seed money, also known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor puts capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' suggests ...

for the project, followed by a later contribution of $500,000. Sponsorship for the project was promised by entities including

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media (communication), media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The ...

Westpac Westpac Banking Corporation, also known as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney. Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, it acquired the Commerc ...

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

and

Australian Airlines Australian Airlines was a full-service airline based in Australia, serving Australian and Asian destinations between 2002 and 2006. It was an all-economy, full-service international leisure carrier, and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Qant ...

, and the

Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth City Council is the local authority of the city of Portsmouth, in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Portsmouth has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1997 the council ha ...

. Other companies (including

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation and also known as AusPost, is an Australian Government-State-owned enterprise, owned corporation that provides postal services throughout Australia. Australia Post's head office is loca ...

, and Fuji/

Hanimex Hanimex was an Australian distributor and manufacturer, primarily associated with photographic equipment. History Early years The company was founded by Jack Hannes (1923-2005). Born in Germany and educated in England, Hannes' family fled German ...

) sponsored individual ships. Many of the sponsorship contracts stipulated that at least six ships had to be sailing in company at any time. Additional funding came through the sale of " training crew" berths for each leg of the voyage: these people were expected to supplement the professional crew on each vessel.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 20 With the financial viability of the project appearing to be in hand, the Australian Bicentennial Authority loaned $500,000 to the First Fleet Reenactment Company, but refused to provide any further funding or support.

Ships involved

* ''

'': Flasghip of the reenactment, ''Søren Larsen'' was built in 1949 .Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. vii The Danish-built, British-flagged vessel was chartered for the voyage in 1986, and joined the fleet in London. * '' R. Tucker Thompson'': Built during the 1980s in New Zealand as a modern square-rigged vessel with a steel hull and wood

topsides The topsides on a boat, ship, watercraft, or floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, is that part of the hull between the waterline and the deck.Rognaas, G., Xu, J., Lindseth, S., & Rosendahl, F. (2001). Mobile offshore base c ...

. ''R. Tucker Thompson'' was the first of the fleet to assemble, berthing in London in early April. * '' Anna Kristina'': The oldest ship in the reenactment fleet, the

galeas A galeas is a type of small trade vessel that was common in the Baltic Sea and North Sea from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. The characteristics of the ships depend somewhat from where the ship originated. Swedish variants had two masts an ...

''Anna Kristina'' was built in 1889 on a Norwegian farm. ''Anna Kristina'' joined the fleet in Portsmouth. * '' Amorina'': Originally built in 1934 as a

lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

for the Swedish government, ''Amorina'' was sold into civilian service in 1977.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. viii She sailed with the fleet from London. * '' Tradewind'': The Netherlands-flagged

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''Tradewind'' was built in 1911, and had a long career as a fishing vessel and freighter before being converted for sail training and expedition charter in the 1980s. Departed from London. * '' Our Svanen'': A Danish

barquentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing ...

built in 1922, ''Our Svanen'' served as a trade ship until the 1960s, then was sold to Canadian owners.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 1 She joined the fleet as Portsmouth. * ''

'': A replica of the 18th century , the vessel was built in New Zealand during 1978 and 1979. The full-rigged barque conforms externally to the original ship, but has a wood-clad steel hull and modern fittings. ''Bounty'' sailed from Portsmouth. * '' One and All'': An Australian-flagged

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Ol ...

, ''One and All'' was built during the 1980s, completing in 1987. Immediately after completion, she sailed for the Atlantic to intercept the rest of the fleet en route, meeting them off Rio de Janeiro. * ''

'': A German-built schooner, ''Eye of the Wind'' was involved in cargo hauling and fishing from 1911 until she was damaged by fire in 1969. Repaired and re-rigged as a brigantine, ''Eye of the Wind'' joined the fleet at

for the final legs. * '' Dar Młodzieży'': A Polish sail training ship built in 1981 at the

Gdańsk Shipyard The Gdańsk Shipyard (, formerly Lenin Shipyard) is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk, northern Poland. The yard gained international fame when Polish trade union Solidarity () was founded there in September 1980. It is sit ...

that joined the fleet in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Voyage

''R. Tucker Thompson'', ''Søren Larsen'', ''Amorina'', and ''Tradewind'' assembled in London during April 1987. They departed on 27 April, accompanied by the barque '' Kaskelot'', which only intended to sail with the fleet for a few days once the reenactment voyage commenced, as the ship was committed to the filming of ''Return to Treasure Island''. The ships proceeded to

, where they arrived on 30 April.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 21 Here, the initial flotilla was joined by ''Bounty'', ''Anna Kristina'', and ''Our Svanen''. During their time in British waters, the ships of the reenactment voyage proved very popular with the media and the public. From the British perspective, the First Fleet was a major maritime achievement and a successful experiment.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 27 The voyage proper commenced from the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit whi ...

on 13 May 1987, after a fleet review by

aboard the frigate : the modern ship was selected as the reviewing vessel to recognise the ''Sirius'' that led the original First Fleet.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 34 In addition to the seven re-enactment ships that sailed (''One and All'' was not present: the vessel had only competed

fitting out Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...

in April, and intended to join the rest of the fleet in the Atlantic), ''Kaskelot'', the schooner ''

Johanna Lucretia The ''Johanna Lucretia'' is a British tall ship and is an oak wooden two masted topsail schooner built at the Rhoos Shipyard, Ghent in Belgium in 1945. The ''Johanna Lucretia'' measures 96 ft (28.65m) in length, her beam is 18 ft (5. ...

'', the cadet training brig ''Royalist'', and the charity training ship ''Lord Nelson'' increased the fleet size to the historical eleven. However, when the signal to depart was given, the engine on flagship ''Søren Larsen'' initially failed to start, then kicked over hard enough to warp the

crankshaft A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a reciprocating engine, piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating Shaft (mechanical engineering), shaft containing one or more crankpins, ...

.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', pp. 121-2 Command of the fleet was temporarily handed over to ''Bounty'' (which was originally planned to be flagship of the expedition before the fleet commodore selected ''Søren Larsen''), which led the other ships from Portsmouth while repairs were effected. From Portsmouth, the fleet headed to

in the Canary Islands.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 25 En route, ''Tradewind'' and ''Our Svanen'' were called back by the British

Department of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

for further safety checks, and ''Amorina'' had to divert to

Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Falmouth was founded in 1613 by the Killigrew family on a site near the existing Pendennis Castle. It developed as a po ...

to put ashore an engineer who had developed

renal colic Renal colic (literally, kidney pain), also known as ureteric colic (literally, pain in the ureters), is characterized by severe abdominal pain that is spasmodic in nature. This pain is primarily caused by an obstruction of one or both ureters fr ...

.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 122 On 25 May, the lead ships anchored at

Porto Santo Porto Santo Island () is a Portuguese island and municipality northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean; it is the northernmost and easternmost island of the archipelago of Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean west of Europe an ...

to wait for the rest of the fleet to catch up. All bar ''Our Svanen'' had regrouped by 26 May, and the fleet carried on.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 132 The reenactment fleet arrived off Tenerife on 29 May, and was able to enter the port under full sail.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 133 On 9 June, the fleet sailed from Tenerife for

.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 37 During the voyage, the main

gaff Gaff may refer to: Ankle-worn devices * Spurs in variations of cockfighting * Climbing spikes used to ascend wood poles, such as utility poles Arts and entertainment * A character in the ''Blade Runner'' film franchise * Penny gaff, a 19th- ...

on ''Anna Kristina'' broke.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 42 The ships diverted to

Mindelo Mindelo is a port cityCabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2 ...

in the Cape Verde Islands, where a shipwright was able to sleeve the break with steel. The ships remained for three days while repairs were made.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 43 The decision was made to sail for

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

, then proceed to Rio. The fleet arrived in Salvador on 11 July.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 146 Around this time, ''One and All'' had reached the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, but was forced to make for

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

when a weakened

topmast The masts of traditional sailing ships were not single spars, but were constructed of separate sections or masts, each with its own rigging. The topmast is one of these. The topmast is semi-permanently attached to the upper front of the lower m ...

became evident.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 44 The seven ships of the reenactment fleet sailed into Rio de Jainero on 26 July 1987. The arrival was promoted by the media and press, with 100 small vessels accompanying the tall ships into harbour, and the mayor of Rio presenting the fleet with the keys to the city.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 148 When the fleet reached Rio de Janeiro, the initial funds had run out, and the promised further funding for the captains and crews had not eventuated.Murray, ''Sheer Madness'', ch. 20, p. '1' The Australian government would not provide further assistance, as the reenactment would clash with the

regatta that had been organised. The ships' captains threatened to call off the voyage and return to Southampton unless $1 million was guaranteed. The need for more money was pitched by Wally Franklin to radio presenter

Mike Carlton Michael James Carlton, (born 31 January 1946) is an Australian former media commentator, radio host, television journalist, author and newspaper columnist. He formerly co-hosted the daily breakfast program on Sydney radio station 2UE with Pete ...

, framed as a "David and Goliath" battle of a community-organised reenactment of historical significance unable to gather the support of the government.Murray, ''Sheer Madness'', ch. 20, p. '2' Carlton and the

organised a rolling "Save The Fleet"

across Friday and the weekend, with each presenter continuing the call for donations and radio station

2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia, owned by Nine Radio, that also owns 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2024, 2GB held 14% of the total radio ratings share, making it one of the most widely listened-to radio sta ...

sacrificing half its commercial airtime for ads promoting the radiothon. $900,000 was raised across the weekend, and the fleet's captains were convinced to continue on with the voyage. OneandAll

The reenactment voyage commenced its next leg on 9 August, bound for

.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 57 They were escorted out of harbour by two frigates of the '' Marinha do Brasil''.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 152 After leaving Rio, ''One and All'' finally caught up with the fleet.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 60 The ship called into Rio briefly to replenish, then joined the reenactment fleet. While crossing the Atlantic, at 01:20 on 22 August,

First Mate A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the shi ...

Henrik Nielsen from ''Anna Kristina'' fell overboard while trying to adjust a sail. ''Tradewind'', ''R. Tucker Thompson'', and ''Søren Larsen'' converged on ''Anna Kristina'' and began searching: first in the immediate area by searchlight, then commencing a grid pattern at dawn. The search was called off at 18:35 with no success. The fleet reached Cape Town on 10 September. Some of the ships were slipped for maintenance and repairs.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 70 The voyage continued on 28 September, with the fleet departing for

.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 73 The fleet made good progress, but as the larger ships needed more wind power, they diverted further south, deeper into the

.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 188 When attempting to climb back north-east towards Mauritius, the winds dropped for several days, and ''Amorina'' ran out of fuel for her engine. During a two-day operation, of fuel was shuttled from ''Bounty'' to ''Amorina'' by the former's rescue boat. Spread out by the rough southern Indian Ocean conditions, the arrival at Mauritius was staggered between 24 and 29 October.King, ''Australia's First Fleet'', p. 190 A four-week International Festival of the Sea was organised around the presence of the tall ships, with the Reenactment Voyage as the centrepiece of Australia Week.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 84 During the stay at Mauritius, ''Our Svanen'', which had been British-flagged to this point, was re-registered as a Canadian vessel.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 14 The eight ships departed on 10 November to cross the Indian Ocean to

.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 87 Fremantle was reached on 12 December. Here, they were joined by ''Eye of the Wind''.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 95 On 26 December, the now nine-strong fleet sailed for

.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 97 The fleet briefly called into

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Terri ...

before continuing north to

.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 102 Botany Bay was reached on 18 January 1988, the day the first ships of the original First Fleet arrived in 1788.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 106 While maintaining the ships and waiting to commence the final leg of the voyage, the schooner ''

Solway Lass ''Solway Lass'' is a two- masted schooner. She was built in the Netherlands in 1902 and is currently operated out of Airlie Beach, Australia as a holiday sailor in the Whitsunday Islands. History The ship, originally named ''Stina'', was buil ...

'' and the sail training barquentine ''Leeuwin II'' arrived to bring the reenactment fleet strength up to the historical eleven ships.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 111 At 05:30 on Australia Day (26 January), the Reenactment fleet sailed from Botany Bay.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 108 Four hours later, the ships entered

Sydney Heads The Sydney Heads (also simply known as the Heads) are a series of headlands that form the wide entrance to Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north; South Head and Dunbar Head are to ...

. Their arrival to the moorings off Farm Cove coincided with

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

' speech on the steps of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 112 An estimated 3,000 vessels were on Sydney Harbour to welcome the fleet.

Conclusion

The First Fleet Reenactment Voyage was awarded "Best Event" of the bicentennial.Murray, ''Sheer Madness'', ch. 20, p. '3' In 1988, a 20-minute

radio documentary A radio documentary is a spoken word radio format devoted to non-fiction narrative. It is broadcast on radio as well as distributed through media such as tape, CD, and podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital ...

on the re-enactment of The First Fleet Voyage recorded aboard the Swedish

, the '' Amorina'', as it sailed from

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

produced by Tasmanian '' Country Hour'' presenter Tom Murrell, won Best Special Talks and Documentary - Radio International Open for the Bicentennial Media Awards, the Paters sponsored by the Australian Academy of Broadcast Arts and Sciences. The documentary was broadcast on the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's national

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

show '' Australia All Over''.

Citations

References

* * *
State Library of NSW - First Fleet Re-enactment Company records, 1978-1990: Presented by Trish Franklin and Wally Franklin, 1994
*{{cite web , url=http://www.oceania.org.au/expedition/May%2013th_Speech_Final_Draft_12-05-2016.pdf , title=The First Fleet (1788) and The Re-enactment Fleet (1988) Some Untold History , first1=Wally , last1=Franklin , first2=Trish , last2=Franklin , quote=An address to celebrate the 229th Anniversary of the sailing of the First Fleet from Portsmouth on 13th May 1787 , date=13 May 2016 , via=oceania.org.au , accessdate=23 January 2022 Maritime history of Australia 1988 in Australia Maritime history events Australian bicentennial commemorations