WIND and rain were so strong last Thursday evening that guests invited to the National Library could probably have navigated their way by sail boat. Preferring instead to arrive either by car or foot, they eagerly turned up to see explorer Tim Severin before he departs later this month on a 1,200 mile journey around the Spice Islands off Eastern Indonesia.
The route, it should be explained, it been chosen on a whim; Mr Severin will be following the example of pioneering naturalist Alfred Darwin, Wallace who, with Charles Darwin, first developed the theory of natural selection in the last century. Unlike some contemporary academics, remarked Tim Severin, Wallace - whose paper on his theories was presented at the same time as Darwin's - deferred to his mentor and allowed Darwin to claim all the credit.
Always a stickler for authenticity, Mr Severin intends to use the same kind of small vessel employed by his Victorian predecessor. This was built in the Kei islands by local boatbuilders who used no drawings or measurements for their work. They preferred arm lengths as their guide, had no problem about exactly where a mast should go and employed tools scarcely dissimilar to those their forefathers used to build Wallace's vessel.
Despite Mr Severin's rigid adherence to traditional boat building, he won't be shunning modern technology; light weight satellite communications equipment should keep him in touch with one of his sponsors, IBM, and allow him to send back regular reports to educational institutions in Northern Ireland and the Republic. But it won't be just academics who will be monitoring his progress. Minister for Education Niamh Bhreathnach, who bade him fair winds last Thursday, said she would be taking a personal interest in his travels. As a keen cook, she found the mere mention of the Spice Islands evoked all sorts of aromas and images for her. Presumably Mr Severin will be able to let her know whether these are correct or not.