Spirit arrives
Pete Goss and his Spirit of Mystery have arrived in Melbourne. It's less than a year since I interviewed him before the boat went in to the water. It was a big undertaking and I wondered aloud about the risks, particularly since he was taking his 14-year-old son, Eliot, as part of the crew.
I wouldn't say that Goss thinks about risk the whole time but it's a big part of his thinking, except that he views it as problem solving, not as an impediment. If you're going to need to tackle heavy seas, then you build a seaworthy boat.
He knew there was a chance of a big wave turning the boat over at some stage during the voyage and included extra ballast to give it better righting ability. He believes now that the boat may have gone over 160 deg during the knock down on March 3. Coicidentally it was around this date - a couple of days later - that the original Mystery experienced its worst storm.
I think a lot of people would have thought long and hard about exposing their child to a risk of this nature. I know that Goss did. But every time he thought about it, the potential benefits outweighed the potential risks.
Eliot will have seen and experienced things that are rarely part of a teenager's upbringing. He will have learned about the useful things in life, about making judgements, respecting the elements, and the special relationships that are formed when sharing adversity. Living without risk is impossible and living a life avoiding risk is not living at all.
Ultimately, the boat was tested to the full and proved its seaworthiness. The original voyage was remarkable for its time. Goss has shown that such a voyage is remarkable in our time too. Well done to Pete, Eliot, Andy and Mark and all those who worked to make this voyage happen. There are easier, quicker ways to get to Australia but, as Goss and his crew understand, life's all about the journey isn't it?
I wouldn't say that Goss thinks about risk the whole time but it's a big part of his thinking, except that he views it as problem solving, not as an impediment. If you're going to need to tackle heavy seas, then you build a seaworthy boat.
He knew there was a chance of a big wave turning the boat over at some stage during the voyage and included extra ballast to give it better righting ability. He believes now that the boat may have gone over 160 deg during the knock down on March 3. Coicidentally it was around this date - a couple of days later - that the original Mystery experienced its worst storm.
I think a lot of people would have thought long and hard about exposing their child to a risk of this nature. I know that Goss did. But every time he thought about it, the potential benefits outweighed the potential risks.
Eliot will have seen and experienced things that are rarely part of a teenager's upbringing. He will have learned about the useful things in life, about making judgements, respecting the elements, and the special relationships that are formed when sharing adversity. Living without risk is impossible and living a life avoiding risk is not living at all.
Ultimately, the boat was tested to the full and proved its seaworthiness. The original voyage was remarkable for its time. Goss has shown that such a voyage is remarkable in our time too. Well done to Pete, Eliot, Andy and Mark and all those who worked to make this voyage happen. There are easier, quicker ways to get to Australia but, as Goss and his crew understand, life's all about the journey isn't it?
Labels: Andy Goss, Eliot Goss, Mark Maidement, Pete Goss
posted by Richard Donkin at
11:40 AM
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