Freddy Benjafield: A band of brothers

During a 17-month voyage to transport breadfruit plants from Tahiti to the West Indies, a British navy ship was on the verge of rebellion. A young captain, William Bligh, was cast away from his ship in the Pacific with 18 of his loyal crew members. Channel 4 filmed the reenactment of the treacherous voyage to see if a group of today’s 21st century contemporary sailors could measure up to their predecessors’ achievements. Sailing from Tahiti to, at the time, a Dutch settlement in Timor the group was pushed to their absolute limits in an intense survival challenge.

Proving that they could stand the test of time, an almost exact replica of the open wooden boat was built, the same rations were shared and an identical 48-day passage was followed. As the modern day castaways sailed through the Pacific, the whole expedition was made even more authentic by the accuracy of their own experiences, aligned to those in Bligh’s journal. The detailed account of the journey made for vivid reading while Freddy and the crew faced the same hardships experienced by Captain Bligh and his men.

The present-day forsaken sailors endured storms, hunger, treacherous reefs, and all the while in a confined space. Although a safety boat travelled 5-10 miles away from them, the dangers were real and, despite warnings, Freddy and the rest of the crew pushed through questionable risks. Risks that brought nine strangers together and made them friends for life.

Sailors, by nature, are explorers interested in other ways of life. This connection brings people together in a way that Freddy can relate to best. During his family sailing trips to France, he notes that: “There will be loads of people [from the sailing community] that will enter into your life and a good 90% of them will stay in your life forever.” The treasure of sailing experiences shared on the water creates an unspoken philosophy of openness and eco-consciousness between sailors.

For nine extremely different men, all from England and with entirely separate lives, the reenactment of the Mutiny on the Bounty gave them an opportunity to interact in a way probably denied in any other walk of life. Brought together by their related skill sets to form a modern-day Bligh’s crew, Freddy assumed the role of third mate. Utilising his knowledge learnt from the Warsash Maritime Academy in Southampton and the countless hours spent on the ocean, Freddy displayed a remarkable capacity for patience and endurance that became vital to succeeding on the journey.

Relying on each other to get themselves safely through the discomfort and danger of this vigorous odyssey, Freddy taught the novice sailors on board rope work and celestial navigation. Learning about one another in such a small space of time, this intimacy and mutual reliance formed bonds that remain today. Reminiscent of their time out on the high seas, Freddy says they still speak most days and continue to joke about some of the more subtle instances that come from spending an extended amount of time together on a small boat.

One of the hardest parts of the trip for Freddy was suffering from cabin fever while at sea. An avid foodie, he would imagine a coconut sorbet being served on a silver dish after an appetizing meal and, although some of the crew would enjoy indulging in his imaginary feast, others were concerned about the mental strain a lack of food and water was having on the crew. However grim it became though, like a true seafarer Freddy would dismiss his food fantasies when needed, but confides that he would console his cravings by writing the recipes down in a book.