The Castaways of Disappointment Island

English · 1911 · 7h 7m · Memoirs

The Castaways of Disappointment Island is the true story of Charles Eyre, who in 1907 was working as apprentice sailor on the Dundonald, a British four-masted steel barque. Caught in a storm, the Dundonald sank after hitting the rocky coastline of a tiny subantarctic island known as Disappointment Island which lies 500 km below New Zealand. Many died in the wreck while the survivors had no choice but to wait, hoping for a passing steamship to rescue them. For seven months, they subsisted on mollymawk flesh, seal meat, seaweed and "root", as they spent the winter wearing barely any clothes in a climate where fog rarely lifts, sun seldom shines and where torrents of rain left them soaked to the skin. - Summary by Barry Eads

Link to the museum where some of the castaways artifacts are on display: https://www.canterburymuseum.com/explore/collections/castaways-and-coracles.