The Bounty

The Tall Ships have arrived in Victoria. Here in the Inner Harbour is the replica of the HMS Bounty that became infamous under the command of William Bligh when his crew mutinied and cast him adrift in a small boat. The crew, under the command of Fletcher Christian, went on to settle on Pitcairn Island, where many of their descendants still live. Bligh, then only a lieutenant, was set adrift with 18 of his loyal crew members in a 23 foot launch. Without charts or a compass he then sailed over 6,000 km of open ocean in 47 days to reach Timor, a "remarkable act of seamanship." He went on to become a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy.Above is another shot of the Bounty approaching the Inner Harbour with the condominiums of Vic West in the background.

This Bounty was built especially for the film, "Mutiny on the Bounty," with Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard.

Captain Cook

Another statue graces the Inner Harbour, as prominently displayed as Queen Victoria's, facing the Empress Hotel, that of Captain James Cook. Victoria must be excused a bit of shameless name-dropping here. The famed explorer did not actually stop at Victoria. However, in 1778 he must have passed nearby on his way to Nootka Sound, further up the island. He was looking for a western exit to the fabled northwest passage. Not finding it, he turned around and went back to the South Seas, where he met his untimely end. Travelling with Cook on this voyage were two other later-to-be-famous sailors. Midshipman George Vancouver, who later returned to these waters as Captain Vancouver, has the honor of having Vancouver Island named after him as well as two neighbouring cities, one in British Columbia and another in Washington State, USA. The other famous seaman on Cook's last voyage was the Master of one of Cook's two ships, the Resolution, one William Bligh, later captain of the HMS Bounty when her crew mutinied.

I am particularly fond of this period of nautical history and am looking forward to the Tall Ships Festival later in the year (June 26-29), when Victoria will host sailing ships from many parts of the world. This year we have been promised a visit from the replica of HMS Bounty that was commissioned especially for the film, "Mutiny on the Bounty" starring the late Marlon Brando. I am looking forward to photographing it from stem to stern.