I have recently returned from Australia where I was fortunate to have been able to visit the Abrolhos Islands 70 klms off the coast of Western Australia.
It is the location of the sinking of the Batavia in 1629 and the subject of my novel The Undermerchant's Woman.
For me it was a special pilgrimage having lived with the horrific details of the voyage for several years and it felt quite extraordinary being able to see where it all took place.
It was also amazing to see that the islands are exactly as I had imagined them to be. The only thing that shocked me was the distance between two of the islands.
One of the survivors was viciously attacked with a sword and had a severe wound in his shoulder. Bleeding terribly he ran into the sea to escape his attackers and swam to the next island. I considered that an amazing feat in itself but when I saw the two islands and discovered that they were five kilometers apart I was truly staggered. With that much blood in the water I am amazed that he wasn't eaten by sharks.
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