Australia the Hard Way

David Pyle and companion David Derrick take an unusual route in a yacht names Hermes, an 18ft Drascombe lugger (albeit slightly modified, but usually a fishing boat) from the UK to Australia.

It was a very ambitious voyage, undertaken with very little financial backup, and seemingly quite a high risk. Dave Derrick was a stranger who answered an advertisement, and while he wasn't the first choice companion for Pyle, he proved to be quite capable and calm under pressure despite not having much experience at sailing. They made an adequate team despite being quite different personalities.

The unusual part of their journey was inclusion of cutting through the French canal system, a part of overland (the yacht on a truck), and then down the Tigris river in Syria and Iraq. Where the Euphrates is joined by the Tigris, it becomes the Shatt Al Arab, which took them to Kuwait. In Basra the boat is damaged by a ferry, so they limp to Kuwait, and there arrange a lift with a British India Steamship Company vessel to Bahrain where they undertake repairs assisted by the British Navy.

Seaworthy again they set off for United Arab Emirates, and then on to Karachi and down the coast to Bombay (Mumbai). It was here that cumulative delays led to the fact they have 6 months of sailing requiring the assistance of the monsoon, but only five months of monsoon! The call was made to hitch a ride for a thousand kilometres, which takes them close to Singapore by cargo ship.

With stops on the Malaysian peninsular then Singapore it was across to Jakarta on the island of Java, followed by a stop in Bali then Flores followed by East Timor (Timor-Leste) before making south for Darwin, making their landing on April 2nd 1970. So a journey just short of a year (they departed on April 28th 1969), completing the first journey from the UK to Australia in an open boat.

There were of course plenty of trials and tribulations along the way. The writing was good without being flashy or overplayed or overly dramatic. It didn't dwell on the repetitive aspects, and used only the necessary technical jargon.

3.5 stars, rounded up.