First there was Blue Latitudes, now there is The Ship, which tells the remarkable story of Captain James Cook's voyage on the Endeavour, describing what happened when a team of volunteers boarded a magnificent replica of the ship to retrace a dramatic stretch of its route from Cape Grafton in Australia to Jakarta in Indonesia. Simon Baker, author and seaman, begins by taking a fresh look at Cook and the origins of his first voyage - how it turned from a scientific expedition to observe an eclipse into a far-reaching quest for the Great Southern Continent. Drawing on original journals, he re-examines Cook's motives and reputation, revealing a more complex character than the hero that history has handed down to us. The replica Endeavour provided a unique opportunity to 'test' the achievements of Cook and his company within an authentic 18th-century environment. This involved living on the same diet as Cook and his men, hauling ropes, scrubbing decks, and cleaning cabins. The specialists on board - historians, navigators, a botanist and an artist - replicated the work of their 18th-century counterparts and came to fascinating conclusions about their contributions to science, and navigation. The Ship features:- Spectacular photographs of the replica ship and the places it visited on the voyage. - Journal entries from eighteenth- and twenty-first century participants, giving a dual perspective on the innovative voyage.- Historic maps and charts drawn by Captain Cook and other early explorers.- Original drawings of plants and people by artists past and present who traveled on the Endeavour