Endeavor

June 29, 2011
We picked Scott up from the airport this afternoon and went down to the Trinity Inlet to see the replica, launched in 1994, of the Endeavor ship while it was in port.   It was an overcast day as we toured the ship that Captain Cook and Mr. Banks sailed on.  Mr. Joseph Banks was a naturalist who funded most of the exploration and collected plant samples as they explored.  Others who joined them on their journey were Charles Green an astronomer and 2 artists, Sydney Parkenson & Alexander Buchan.  The New Zealand 50 cent piece has the Endeavor on it.  The volunteers explained the different areas in the ship and items on board.  There was 39 km of rigging.

Rainy day

mast

bow

Romman size doors

not a lot of space down below

On 29th April 1770 the Endeavor was the first seagoing vessel to reach the east coast of Australia at Botany Bay, New South Wales.  On 11 June, 1770 the Endeavor ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef and it took 7 weeks to repair the hull.  They went to Endeavor River for repairs once it got off the Great Barrier Reef.  Captain Cook mapped the coast line of Australia for 6 months.  A great taste of history for us.