Sailor and adventurer Pete Goss is celebrating a milestone as regards his latest project today (14th March), which is not only straight out of history – it incorporates it too.

On 14th March 153 years ago, a 37ft wooden Mounts Bay lugger calledMysteryarrived in Australia after an epic voyage from Cornwall. Pete is buildingSpirit of Mysteryto bring attention to the bravery of the seven Cornishmen who made the heroic journey to Melbourne to seek out a new life in Australia.

Today, in South East Cornwall,Spirit of Mysteryis about to reach completion of the planking. With just five planks left to fit, she is well on schedule for her planned launch in June. In addition, the construction team of Chris Rees, John Albrecht and Andy Grieve are literally building parts of sailing history into the vessel. Pete has sourced a piece of oak from Nelson’sVictory, teak from theCutty Sarkand a part of the rigging from theSS Great Britain.

Pete says: “Boats can develop real character and asSpirit of Mysterytakes shape you can feel the spirit of history and community in her. I am getting more and more excited about the forthcoming voyage to Australia, but whilst the accommodation is more spacious and comfortable than most of the boats I am used to, the recent gales hit the boatyard hard and gave a timely reminder of what the Southern Ocean has in store for us.”

To find out more about the project, visit www.petegoss.com/mystery/blog.php