On December 12, 1958, the long-awaited moment became a reality: the crew of the Small World hydrogen balloon took off from the beach at Medano, on the island of Tenerife. At the helm, Captain Bushy Eiloart and his son Tim acted as radio operators and meteorologists. Alongside them, designer-navigator Colin Mudie and photographer Rosemary Mudie embark on a 3,600-mile east-west crossing of the Atlantic. An ambitious project, meticulously prepared for almost 3 years, which ended in shipwreck. In this second part, we look at the ingenuity and adaptability required to navigate the remaining 1,500 miles to Barbados.
An emergency landing
After 94 hours in the air, the Small World team faced a critical situation during their record-breaking attempt to cross the Atlantic in a balloon. On June 25, 1958, although the balloon had been meticulously prepared, it soon found itself in difficulty, plagued by violent gusts of wind forcing the crew to consider an emergency landing. Rosemary Mudie remembers that fateful night: " Just before midnight, we heard Bushy shout: Get up, kids, we're in another thermal lift! All the experts had said that this sort of thing didn't happen at night, but there we were, hurtling along at 9 meters per second, tossed from side to side like a swing at a funfair. I grabbed the altimeter and announced the height. Bushy activated the valve to release the gas. Tim climbed the rope ladder to cut the neck of the balloon; if the expanding gas couldn't get out, the balloon might burst. Colin scooped up as much ballast as he could. We were going to need everything we had to cushion our fall when it came! "
As they reach 4,600 feet, the altimeter stabilizes, but the loss of fuel indicates that they can no longer maintain their altitude. In desperation, the crew throws away everything superfluous. The altimeter finally dies out at 275 metres. Rosemary, frustrated by the lack of visibility, hears Bushy shout: " We're out of the clouds and I can see the water. "Calmly, he waits until the team is a few meters above the surface of the waves before pulling on the release rope, sending the gondola plummeting straight into the ocean.
The crew escaped the ditching safely. After this trying experience, Bushy, captain in the air, hands over command to Colin, more at ease at sea. There are still 1,500 miles to go to Barbados, but as seasoned navigators, they quickly find their bearings and embark on a journey that is both uncomfortable and reassuring, making progress of around 75 miles a day.
Rapid adaptation
The pod, originally designed by Colin Mudie to be transformed into a sailboat in the event of an unscheduled water landing, now floats following the brutal impact with the water. The days that followed were fraught with uncertainty, as each member of the team had to use every means at their disposal to ensure their survival. Rosemary Mudie describes their situation: " We had plenty of food and a sufficient supply of water. We rationed ourselves at the rate of half a pint each per day, keeping a small reserve in case the trip took longer than expected. We also had a small supply of silver nitrite salts, which combine with seawater to produce drinking water. "The days follow one another, marked by a daily routine focused on navigation and keeping a steady course, made possible by the installation of a basic rig.
Although they see two ships and a submarine, neither seems to have noticed them. Their Christmas is spent repairing a broken bar, and on December 29, they celebrate Tim's birthday in a climate of sobriety, the lack of water reducing their food consumption to the essentials.
In her diary, Rosemary emphasizes the confidence they place in Colin's navigational skills.
The latter declared that a light might be visible that night, provided they were in the right position. The next morning, as they followed his directions, dawn revealed the green island of Barbados, exactly where they expected it to be.
Rescue in Barbados
On January 5, 1959, the sea held an unexpected surprise for Barbadian fisherman Da Costa Brathwaite and his son Chesterfield.
Sailing near Crane Beach, Brathwaite, captain of the fishing boat New Providence, spots a strange object floating on the surface of the water. As he approached, he realized it was the gondola of the Small World balloon, with its crew of 4, which had been missing at sea for three weeks. Brathwaite offers to tow the craft across the dangerous reefs to Crane Beach. News of the rescue quickly spread around the island, attracting hundreds of Barbadians to the beach to welcome the adventurers. Rosemary Mudie recalls the moment: " By tea time, our Small World was at anchor and we were ashore, enthusiastically welcomed by the charming Barbadians. We enjoyed a meal of soup, fish, fresh fruit and bottles and bottles of cold drinks. Our journey by sea and air, four days up and twenty days down, was over. "
The 1958 expedition, initiated by Colin and Rosemary Mudie, accompanied by Bushy and Tim Eiloart, will always be remembered as an adventure combining aeronautics and sailing, bravery and ingenuity. The full story of the Small World's fate, taken from the crew's logbooks, is retranscribed in the book The Flight of the Small World, published in 1959.
