The Bounty
- By Richard Branson -
- Feb 13, 2013
Very moved by the story of the Bounty, the ship that sunk during Hurricane Sandy as millions watched the tragedy unfold on TV.
The ship was a stunning replica built in 1960 for the classic Marlon Brando film Mutiny on the Bounty and my family and I were lucky enough to have spent time on board in the past.
We were delighted to have been invited by Captain Robin Walbridge onto the beautiful Bounty. We bought lots of young kids with us who were so excited to be transported back in history. It was such a gorgeous replica and we were privileged to have been able to sail in her for a brief moment in time. Robin and the whole crew were so hospitable and Robin was so proud of the boat. He must have shown thousands of people over it but did so with us as if it was his first time. Still brimming with genuine excitement.
I believe he genuinely wanted us to buy the boat, since its owners had found its upkeep was just too much for them. Sadly I just had too much going on in my life to take on yet another challenge and decided against pursuing the opportunity further.
It was with enormous sadness that all of us who visited the boat heard that it had gone down. The Coast Guard heroically rescued 14 survivors - but couldn’t save the captain and one of his crew.
I didn’t know the story of what happened on the boat that night, but in my imagination I could fully understand Robin being the last man to leave the boat and as a result going down with her. It was with enormous sadness that we learnt that to be the case.
The Coast Guard hearing is underway now, streaming live on www.wavy.com. To find out more head over to outsideonline.com to read Kathryn Miles detailed report on The Bounty.
Image by US Coast Guard
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
