On April 28, 1789, an impromptu mutiny unfolded in the remote reaches of the South Pacific. A British Admiralty vessel, HMS Bounty, was commandeered by an aggrieved second-in-command, 22 year old Fletcher Christian. The Bounty's captain, 33 year old William Bligh, was forced into an open boat with nineteen other men and scant provisions. Thus began one of the most famous stories of mutiny ever told. The original Bounty was burned and sunk by the mutineers on Pitcairn Island. In 1960 a replica of the original Bounty was commissioned by a movie studio for the filming of "Mutiny on the Bounty" starring Marlon Brando. This vessel is still sailing today.
It visited Port Washington Wisconsin this past weekend. Port is just 21 miles north of Milwaukee. Hearing that the Bounty was sailing from Port Washington to Chicago, I decided to intercept her off the coast of my home port Milwaukee as she sailed south. Jon and I got up early and sailed Orion out for an exciting day. Check out the pictures. There is nothing like a tall ship under sail. Coming upon one five miles out on the lake was like entering a time machine. Enjoy, . . . . .
