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The intrepid yachtsman said he “couldn't be happier” with the
replica Cornish Lugger, Spirit of Mystery, which he will use to
recreate an epic voyage.
He
will follow in the wake of seven Newlyn fishermen aboard Mystery in
1854, who sailed to Melbourne to escape poverty and seek out a new life.
Theirs
was a family affair, with all crew members related by blood or
marriage. And when the 2008 version sets sail in October, Mr Goss also
plans to be among his kin.
The
crew will comprise his younger brother Andy, his brother-in-law Mark
Maidment – and the youngest member of the crew, his 14-year-old son,
Eliot.
Mr Goss, 46, of St John near Torpoint, was delighted with the first sail.
He
said: “She is a thing of beauty; an organic living object that is
everything I dreamed of and more. She sails well and is safe, fun,
simple and kind. I couldn't be happier.”
Mr
Goss, who was awarded an MBE after his dramatic rescue of a French
yachtsman attracted international publicity during the 1996-7 Vendée
Globe Race, acknowledged the voyage to Australia would be no easy feat.
He said: “The Southern Ocean is a wild and dangerous place that is unforgiving of mistakes.
“However,
we are training hard, the boat is as strong as anything I have ever
sailed, and we will be fully prepared for the exciting journey and all
it will bring.”
Spirit of Mystery was built in Millbrook, near Torpoint.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN
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