The Reef
Late at night a young sailor pulled up the leadline from the sea and called out, “ Seventeen fathoms. Lots of room for our small ship.”
Almost immediately he was jolted forward and was forced against the ropes. The ship stopped and swung to the east. The wooden hull smashed against the rocks.
The young able seaman had difficulty getting up. Suddenly he saw a tall man appear dressed only in his long underwear.
Captain James Cook calmly and accurately gave orders to start the pumps and get the anchors ready. The crew were suddenly on their feet. They were well-trained and knew exactly what to do. However, underneath the ship they imagined there may be a huge chunk missing which could equal disaster.
They were surrounded by the ocean in the middle of nowhere and there was no-one in sight to help them.
Late at night a young sailor pulled up the leadline from the sea and called out, “ Seventeen fathoms. Lots of room for our small ship.”
Almost immediately he was jolted forward and was forced against the ropes. The ship stopped and swung to the east. The wooden hull smashed against the rocks.
The young able seaman had difficulty getting up. Suddenly he saw a tall man appear dressed only in his long underwear.
Captain James Cook calmly and accurately gave orders to start the pumps and get the anchors ready. The crew were suddenly on their feet. They were well-trained and knew exactly what to do. However, underneath the ship they imagined there may be a huge chunk missing which could equal disaster.
They were surrounded by the ocean in the middle of nowhere and there was no-one in sight to help them.
HARDTACK
Hardtack is a flat hard biscuit made from flour, water and salt. It was inexpensive, long lasting and was a common food eaten by sailors on long sea voyages.
Hardtack was baked twice, even more, to dry it thoroughly for long storage. It became as hard as a rock. To soften, sailors often dunked it in their coffee.
Hardtack would most definitely have been on the menu for Captain Cook and his crew aboard the Endeavour.