ENDEAVOUR VISIT CANCELLED
A PLANNED visit to Gladstone and several other Queensland coastal ports in October by HMB Endeavour, a replica of Captain James Cook’s vessel of discovery, has been cancelled.
The ship was to be berthed for guided tours and viewings in Gladstone Harbour during the week of October 15-23, as part of the Q150 celebrations and its custodian, the Australian National Maritime Museum’s (ANMM) outreach program.
HMB Endeavour, which was built in Fremantle, Western Australia and launched in 1994, was also to embark on a series of Eastern seaboard journeys, which have also been cancelled.
“Bookings for the various legs of the voyage have been well below expectations,” ANMM Director Mary-Louise Williams said.
Crew members were to pay between $2070 to $3680 per person to help sail the vessel and learn the elements of 18th Century seamanship and navigation.
Ms Williams said Endeavour had made many successful voyages to Australian ports with paying crew members in the past.
“One has to assume that the present economic downturn has had an effect this year," she said.
Ms Williams said the museum remained committed to Endeavour’s sailing program, and would look to develop a program of shorter voyages better suited to the present financial situation.