Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
(2007) Joan Druett
This book is riveting. Along the lines of Endurance and the story of Shackleton and his crew. In 1864 the Grafton and it’s crew of five are returning from a prospecting trip from Australia to Campbell Island in the sub-Antarctic. They did not find the silver they were looking for so they stopped at Auckland Island to see if there are any seals that could at least come back with something. Unfortunately for them they become shipwrecked on this desolate island with endless freezing rain and wind. The only food is the seals and some roots. How do they survive? Joan Druett would have us believe that it is the teamwork of the group led by Capt. Thomas Musgraves and prospector Francois Raynal. There seem to be a lot of facts backing this up. For instance they had a free election to decide their own leader (Musgraves). The ingenuity of Raynal is amazing. A true Mcgyver! Together they rebuild their small boat and save themselves. Meanwhile there is a group of 19 other sailors who were marooned on the other side of the island who did not fair as well. All but three died. Of course they did not have any seals to eat.
This is a great adventure story!
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