2012 Series By Charles Bird
Sydney, Australian Hegemony, September 6, 2569 -At long last, we have our funding, a ship and crew, scientific staff and dig specialists. The University of Sydney finally issued the needed permits and signed off as sponsor for our expedition to the ruined lands of North America. I am James Callaghan, Cartographer and designated records keeper for the expedition. We plan to enter North America through the Gulf of California and stopping for provisions in the Kingdom of Hawaii. The best information available tells us the entire west coast of North America is geologically unstable, earthquakes and active volcanoes populate the landscape, making it a place of great danger. We expect the trip to take 45 sailing days to Hawaii and another 20 days to the entrance of the Gulf. There are no known maps or charts of the Gulf of California since that Great Cataclysm of 2012 - almost 550 years ago!
Our Expedition consists of:
The Sailing Schooner Queen Alexi
Ship's Captain Donald Voorhees
First Mate Alfred Dorn
Second Mate Robin Fellows
Third Mate Carl Lansing
Sailing Master Able Franks
23 sailing hands including 4 cadets
Chief Scientist Dr. Robert Loring
Archeologist Dr. Alice Loring
Cartographer Dr. James Callaghan
Chief Dig Specialist Dr. Bobby Loring
Photographer Ansel Gorham
16 Dig and Archeological Specialists, including 4 Students.
We set sail tomorrow as the first known scientific expedition to North America in over 500 years!