I think the hardest part of accepting to undertake this second journey with Captain Cook has been leaving my wife and family. My family is still reeling from the loss of my youngest brother Robert and my wife worries about the hardships I will endure. She begged me not to go, but I explained to her that while my physical heart would always belong to her, my spiritual heart belonged to the sea. Upon leaving for Plymouth to meet up with Captain Cook, Anna gave me a necklace with a portrait of her inside it. She said it was a reminder of what would be waiting for me when I returned.

When I arrived in Plymouth, I met Captain Cook and the rest of the lieutenants at a tavern to discuss the status of the crew. He informed us that between the two ships (UMS Resolution & UMS Discovery) there would be approximately 45 sailors embarking on this journey. (25 aboard the Resolution and 20 aboard the Discovery)

Aboard the UMS Resolution:
Captain: James Cook
Lieutenants: Jack Taylor, John Williamson, James Burney
Midshipmen: William Charlton, Richard Hergest, William Midd, James Trevenen, William Shuttleworth, John Hatley, John Watts, James Ward
Master Boatswains: William Bligh, William Ewin
Quartermasters: Patrick Whelan, John Brown, Thomas Roberts
Carpenter: James Cleveley
Sailmaker: William Widdall
Gunner: Robert Anderson
Cook: Robert Morris
Surgeon: William Anderson, John Law
Astronomer: Molesworth Phillips
Artist: John Webber

Aboard the UMS Discovery:
Captain: Charles Clerke
Lieutenants: John Gore, James King, John Rickman
Midshipmen: Edward Riou, George Vancouver, Alexander Mouat, John Martin, William Harvey
Master Boatswains: Thomas Edgar, Aneas Aitken
Quartermasters: William Hollamby, William Stevens
Carpenter: Peter Reynolds
Sailmaker: William Hillsey
Gunner: William Peckover
Cook: Robert Goulding
Surgeon: David Samwell
Astronomer: William Bayly
Artist: James Kich

Overall, it's a modest crew with a mixture of experience and fresh blood. Of the 45 sailors on this voyage, 8 of us have sailed with Captain Cook before. Charles Clerke and William Harvey sailed with Captain Cook on his previous two voyages. John Gore sailed with Captain Cook on his first voyage and decided to rejoin him for his third voyage after missing out on the previous one. James Burney, Patrick Whelan, Robert Anderson, William Bayly and myself all sailed with Captain Cook on his previous voyage to the Pacific and have decided to rejoin him for his third voyage. The rest of the crew has a mixed range of previous experience and some who have never been on a voyage before. That lack of experience bothers some of the more seasoned sailors, but it doesn't really bother me. While there may be some differences among this crew, we are all unified in hoping for a safe and successful voyage.

I look forward to setting sail in the coming days and will provide updates to this log as they come available.

- J. Taylor 1776