In the steps of Explorer Matthew Flinders

by Phillip Hogg on 28 Mar 2003 The cruiser Fine Tolerance reports from the Coral Sea on Day 11 of the 2003 Melbourne to Osaka race.

‘At present we are following in the footsteps of Mathew Flinders. It was just ahead of us where, with all his maps and charts with him, he was heading back to England to fame and glory when the small fleet of three ships he was with came across an uncharted island.

They called this one Cato Island after one of the ships and then they continued to carefully sail on into this uncharted area though the night. Suddenly more reefs appeared and two of the ships ran aground. This group of reefs and cays they called Wreck Reefs after this very incident as two of the ships ended up on the reefs.
He spent many months on these pieces of sand and coral before the ships carpenters built a small sailing dory out of the scavenged pieces and Flinders sailed back to Sydney to lead a rescue ship back to pick up the other survivors.
Cato is now about 70 nm dead ahead of us with Wreck Reefs a further 60 nm on from there. There are no lights on either reef although in this day and age they are well marked on the charts and we should be able to avoid them without too much trouble.


Our old close neighbours 'Team FGI' and 'TMQ Marine' have both cleared out and are up chasing the leaders. It was good to see 'Team FGI' put in their first 200-mile day yesterday, the first of many for them I'm sure and we wish them well.

Soon the rest of the fleet will start clearing away from us with the exception of ‘Naniwa’, which are so closely matched to. At last nights sked half the fleet was still within 100 nm of us so they haven't really got completely away yet.