The voyage home

The Endeavour is a replica of the ship in which Captain James Cook set out on his first great voyage of discovery to the New World in 1768. When she last sailed into Whitby five years ago, she was greeted by 30,000 ecstatic spectators.

There may not be that many there when she docks at Whitby's Endeavour Wharf tomorrow at the end of her epic voyage - but her crew are assured of a hero's welcome.

The Endeavour and its captain hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Whitby. When the ship set sail on its epic voyage back in 1768, she actually sailed from Deptford Naval Yards on the Thames, where she had gone for a refit.

But she had been built three and a half years earlier in Whitby, and before being bought by the Admiralty in March that year, had plied her trade on the east coast as a coal carrier.

Cook had moved to Whitby at the age of 18 in 1746, where he was apprenticed to a shipping company and worked for Captain John Walker.

So Cook and the Endeavour, says Mayor of Whitby Coun Dalton Peake, represent a link between the Yorkshire fishing port and the wider world. Places such as Australia, New Zealand: he opened up that part of the world," he says. "It is a great source of pride."

The replica Endeavour was built in Australia, but Julian Hicks of the Endeavour Foundation admits that for captain and crew alike, when the ship sails into Whitby it will be like coming home.

After their long voyage, the crew will be looking forward to a few home comforts.

During the last four and a half months, they have sailed along the southern coast of Australia, skirted the southern tip of New Zealand, then crossed the great, empty expanse of the southern pacific to round Cape Horn.

From there, the ship and its crew called into Port Stanley in the Falklands, before heading up the South American coast to Rio de Janeiro and striking out across the Atlantic for the Azores and the English Channel.

It's not as if this four-and-a-half-month voyage was a luxury cruise, either. The Endeavour was built to be as near as possible an exact replica of Cook's ship.

There were some concessions to modern safety standards - but few to comfort. So while the ship has auxiliary engines and even a fax, radar and Global Positioning System, the crew still sleep in hammocks slung below decks. Conditions may not have been as crowded as on board the original Endeavour, which had a crew of nearly 100, but squeezing 54 people on to a wooden ship just 110 feet long didn't make for the most luxurious of conditions.

Coun Peake saw the ship the last time she was in Whitby, and can vouch for the fact conditions were pretty basic. "It is a pretty close copy of the original," he says. "And it must have been a very hard life."

Nevertheless, he says, there is something very special about the sight of the ship at anchor. He first saw her when she was anchored overnight in Runswick Bay five years ago before entering Whitby harbour the next day.

"She looked really beautiful bobbing up and down in the bay," he says. "It took you back in time."

The thousands who turn out to welcome the beautiful ship home tomorrow will also be taken back in time. Back to the great days of exploration, when a coal ship from a tiny Yorkshire port set sail to discover a world.

Throughout the voyage, Camilla van den Broek, clerk to the Endeavour's master, Captain Chris Blake, has kept a diary of the voyage. Here are some of the highlights.

February 23, 2002 - Hobart, Tasmania

We passed Maatruyker Island light, Australia's most southern lighthouse, in the early hours of February 19 and, as daylight came on, the crew on deck were treated to the spectacular sight of the rugged south coast, with the still big swell crashing onto rocks and low cloud rolling down the mountains...

As we entered Sullivan's Cove, we fired a single cannon as a greeting, the echo reverberating from the surrounding hills to let Hobart know that Endeavour had arrived.

March 25, 2002 - southern Pacific Ocean

We've now hit the halfway mark between Bluff, New Zealand and Cape Horn, South America. Looking at a map of the world you'll notice that the latitude and longitude of Endeavour is now hidden by a box that says "World Map". It's the only place that this title can go because there is absolutely nothing but ocean there. Nothing. Except us.

Endeavour has crossed into iceberg territory. At approximately 2000 hours Thursday, March 21, the first (alleged) iceberg of our voyage was sighted. Once the rumour had been confirmed, iceberg fever quickly spread throughout the crew. Everyone on deck duties was busy scanning the horizon and we now have a crew member maintaining constant radar watch, just in case.

The first snowflakes fell in the early hours of Friday, March 22. We are on the edge of the Antarctic convergence line.

April 8, 2002 - southern Pacific

Endeavour crossed the 100 longitude line at 1330 on Wednesday, April 3 while snowflakes fell on the deck. Huge dark grey snow clouds continued to build on the horizon all afternoon. The mass grew closer and was followed by squalls that sent flurries of snow towards us.

The wooden deck was coated in a fine film of snow. Surrounded by falling flakes that attached themselves to beanies, beards and wet weather gear, we looked like we belonged on an Alpine skiing slope not sailing an 18th century replica tallship.

Friday, April 5 brought the Furious Fifties. With the wind starting to blow harder, the fore and main topsails were handed and storm lashings secured. The main course was clewed up and double reefed. A simple theory, but climbing up the shrouds and trying to safely manoeuvre out on to the yard in winds 45 knots gusting to 50 knots, is difficult. The sleet stung our faces and made the rigging icy and slippery, the yards were swaying back and forth with the roll of the ship.

The storm raged all day - the ship pitching and rolling heavily. The wind was still gusting to 50 knots at 2400. Sleep was uncomfortable and interrupted, the hammocks were swaying, touching the ceiling.

April 16 2002 - Cape Horn

"Land Ho!" Two simple words, but ones the crew of Endeavour had been anxiously waiting to hear for weeks. The hazy silhouette of Cape Horn was emerging in the morning twilight of April 16 2002, the jagged peaks still barely visible on the horizon. The first rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds streaming shafts of gold on to the calm ocean.

In the dim lower confines of the ship, the crew emerged from their hammocks, to be greeted on deck by an amazing kaleidoscope sky. The colours changed every second, from the palest of pastels to a fluorescent pink, highlighting the dark outline of the rocky landscape.

April 21 2002 - Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

Perfect timing for Endeavour to be in the Falkland Islands - the Queen's Birthday celebrations were taking place while we opened for exhibition. The main street was filled by uniformed members of the military marching in a parade. A 21-gun salute was fired from the nearby Victory Green and fighter planes buzzed overhead.

The Captain was invited to lunch at the Governor's house after the celebratory parade. This was followed by a special function held by the Governor at the Visitor's Centre to celebrate the arrival of Endeavour. After welcoming Endeavour and her crew, the Governor presented the Captain with a water colour by a local artist of the original Endeavour arriving in the Falklands and a plaque of the Island's crest.

May 5, 2002 - Rio de Janeiro. History repeats itself

On Monday, November 14, 1768, Captain James Cook, Master of HM Bark Endeavour, came to anchor off the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the intention of procuring water and refreshments.

Protocol required Cook to seek leave of the Viceroy for his officers and men to come ashore. Cook encountered, however, a suspicious response to his requests. His men were only permitted ashore when escorted by soldiers and he was required to employ local staff rather than his own, to purchase the required provisions.

Finally 17 days later, Cook weighed anchor and sailed down the Bay only to lose a seaman overboard and to be fired at from the fortifications at the mouth of the Bay.

On Sunday, May 5, 2002, Captain Chris Blake, Master of Endeavour, boarded a pilot to enter the harbour port of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the intention of a 36-hour stay to procure stores and bunkers, and to change some of the voyage crew before continuing northbound en route to Azores and the port of Whitby.

On arrival, Endeavour was presented with unexpected invoices for payment of costs considerably in access of those anticipated and was obliged to remain alongside in Rio de Janeiro until monies were paid into the Brazilian agent's bank account. Despite being sent from Australia on Monday May 6, the funds had not been transferred out of the Brazilian Central Bank to the shipping agent by closing Friday, May 10.

Blake then made a proposal to his crew, a 'tarpaulin muster', in merchant navy parlance. The necessary cash was raised easily and the agent was paid. Port clearance papers were issued and at noon on Saturday, May 11 Endeavour sailed from Rio de Janeiro, clearing the entrance without incident and after firing a friendly salute.

May 29, 2002 - Cape Verde islands

At 1400 on Tuesday, May 28 the distant outlines of the Cape Verde Islands were spotted by Daniel McIntyre who gave out the 'Land Ho' call. The Islands consisted of huge rocky mountains. Waves were crashing against the sheer cliff faces rising from the ocean.

At first there didn't appear to be any beaches, flora or signs of civilisation, but as we passed the first landfall we noticed a town nestled in among the mountains.

One lone building that looked like a lighthouse was perched precariously on a rocky ledge.

Extracts from the Captain's Report courtesy of the Endeavour Foundation.

Log on to www.barkendeavour.com.au for full log

Updated: 11:19 Thursday, June 20, 2002