HMB Endeavour sets sail for circumnavigation
by Jeni Bone on 15 Apr 2011
Endeavour SW
The replica of Captain James Cook's HM Bark Endeavour begins an epic circumnavigation of Australia today, bound for Brisbane, where she is scheduled to arrive 26 April.
Hailed as one of the world's most accurate replicas of an historic ship, Endeavour will berth at the Riverside Centre Marina in the Brisbane CBD.
Families will be invited to cross the gangway between April 28 and May 8 and explore what life at sea was like in the 18th Century.
Endeavour is presented as a floating museum, with all the evidence of a working crew and conditions aboard. There's a half-eaten meal in the mess deck, Joseph Banks' journal lies open on his bureau and botanical samples are visible in baskets in the Great Cabin ready for analysis.
The original Endeavour sailed into history as James Cook's vessel of discovery following his remarkable voyage in 1768-71 when he became the first to circumnavigate New Zealand and chart the east coast of Australia.
Endeavour departs Sydney for a 13-month circumnavigation of Australia.
The vessel will call at 18 major and regional ports along the way and be opened to the public in 15 of them.
She sails with a full complement of 16 professional crew and 40 paying voyage crew members who have signed on to learn about 18th century seamanship.
Opportunities still exist for adventure-seekers to join the crew during Endeavour's voyage around Australia or to assist as a volunteer guide in port.
Book your berth at http://www.endeavourvoyages.com.au/
Why is it HMB not HMS Endeavour?
The B stands for Bark. In the 18th century, ships were classified by their hull shape. A ship with a flat bow and square stern was called a bark. If the ship didn't fit any category and its captain's rank was lieutenant, this ship was also classified a bark. Cook himself mostly referred to the original ship as 'His Britannick Majesty's Bark'.
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