A Voyage to the South Sea Undertaken by command of His Majesty for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies in His Majesty's ship ... a Dutch settlement in the East Indies Kindle Edition

This book is mostly derived from William Bligh's own daily log. William Bligh (1754-1817 age 63) was an officer in the British Royal Navy, and at later a colonial administrator in New South Wales, Australia. The mutiny on the ship Bounty occurred in 1789 (age 35) near Tahiti. He and 18 other crewmen were forced into a 23-foot launch, with enough provisions to last about 5 days. But fortunately, Bligh asked for and was given his log book and basic navigational instruments (quadrant and compass).With sheer determination and against all odds, they sailed the craft 6,700 km over a period of 47 days, living on a meager ration of 40 grams of bread per day and water, and surviving torrential rains and wind, to reach the Dutch outpost at Timor in Indonesia.By comparison, Columbus sailed from Spain to the Barbados in 71 days covering 6,500 km, although he had to stop in the Canary Islands to repair the rudder, suspected sabotage.Comparing Bligh to Columbus, Bligh was confined to a small over loaded, crowded craft that was in danger of sinking and had to be continually bailed out, was subjected to open conditions of nature heat, cold, storms, limited rations, the concerns of the health of the crew. He navigated by dead reckoning and compass with occasional latitude checks with the quadrant. How he calculated speed without a time piece is not known. Direction was by compass occasionally corrected by true north observations by sun. How he maintained direction at night is not known. To perform celestial observations on a small moving craft, and the discipline to log and calculate position from dead reckoning in a wet windy overloaded craft cannot be conceived. Truly a super-human feat.All men safely reached the Dutch Timor outpost, except one who was killed by natives in the first days of the ordeal on an island landed to secure more food.This has to be one of the greatest survival dramas in history. William Bligh is often painted as a hard-nosed individual who brought on much of his own troubles, but he was an exceptional navigator, and captain who did take great concern in the welfare and health of his crew; people with such abilities cannot shine unless they demand the highest effort of the people he works with. Well worth the read.

This book is written by Captain William Bligh who lost his ship the Bounty by way of a mutiny of crew members. It is derived from his log book entries and covers the beginnings through the end of the voyage that saw him set adrift in not much more than a life boat. While this account is from only his point of view, it tells a great story of his and his officers suffering making the long trip in the small boat. The book keeps the log book type format and much of it is devoted to his general observations during the voyage. Those interested in Fletcher Christian will find almost no mention of him throughout the book and would be better served through other sources. I did enjoy this as I have a great interest in the event and in small island cultures in general.

Great book on adventures in the South Seas among the natives---if you like this book you will also want to read:1.  Faery Lands of the South Seas (1921) (With Active Table of Contents) 2.  Twenty years in the Philippines (Illustrated) (1853) 3.  Captain Quinton: Being a Truthful Record of the Experiences and Escapes of Robert Quinton during his Life Among the Cannibals of the South Seas (1912) 4.  James Chalmers, missionary and explorer of Rarotonga and New Guinea (1887) (Interactive Table of Contents) 5.  The History of the Bonin Islands from the Year 1827 to the Year 1876, and of Nathaniel Savory, One of the Original Settlers 6.  The life and adventures of Alexander Selkirk the real Robinson Crusoe: a narrative founded on facts (1829) 7.  The Sandalwood Trade and Traders of Polynesia (1862 Pamphlet) 8.  Philippine Folk Tales [Illustrated ]9.  Lost Island (1918) (With active table of contents) 10.  The Mystery of Easter Island: The Story of an Expedition (1919) (Linked Contents)

Very educational, considering William Bligh was portrayed as a rogue, in modern times, yet this book shows his concern for the welfare of his crew. The detail in this book, written as a daily log is very informative. Cheers

William Bligh was a great sailor as shown by the journey of the "Bounty" launch. He was also a good writer. His account of the cruise of "Bounty",  A Voyage to the South Sea Undertaken by command of His Majesty for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies in His Majesty's ship ... Timor, a Dutch settlement in the East Indies  is fine reading. It is also a freebee. I suggest that you should acquire it and read it as soon as possible. I give this one five stars.

Interesting to learn about Captain Blighs discipline and sailing expertise, but disappointed in not learning why there was a mutiny in the first place. He probably was in denial, or did not want Truth about his discipline to be known.

Very interesting read, particularly the detail of how they managed to sail in a small launch after the mutiny all the way to Timor.

This is a wonderful read for all those looking for a sea adventure. The book is well written and details all the hard ships the captain and his crew had to deal with when set adrift.

after reading bligh,s account of his time at sea in open boat with eighteen men after the mutiny i wanted to read this log covering events preeceding it. i was fascinated by the mission and its purpose to obtain breadfruit for the west indies. i was interested in the way cooks previous gifts of livestock and fruiting trees had been given to the islanders. bligh by his own words seemed an exceptionaly fair man, treating his crew with the utmost care to ensure their health and welfare. he was far sighted and even had them examined for venereal diseases before allowing them to "mix"with the locals, hardly the actions of a tyrant. i shall read the court martial transcripts next.

Enjoyable if one is interested in a backwater of history. Recommended to anyone interested in sea stories and the history of the period.

An amazing story seen through the eyes of Bligh who was desperate to clear his name, get his story out first and only record things that reflected good on him or in a manner which showed him in a good light. It is still however a very important historical document and the truth of the Mutiny is still hotly debated even today.

Only read a bit so far but seems quite interesting.The language is a bit different to what we are now used to butonce over that I think this will be a fascinating read from 'the other side of the coin'

I enjoyed this book very much, particularly the last 40%, which details the survival after the mutiny. Admittedly, I skim read many sections that gave details of bearings and nautical information, but overall I'm glad I downloaded this book. (The last 40% is a also available as a book in its own right, "A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty" by William Bligh.)