15. Several other birds sustained the men on the journey
By May 27 it was evident that they were near land, though what land it was Bligh could only guess. They caught additional boobies, and upon cutting them up on at least two occasions, fish were found in their stomachs. According to Bligh, “all of which I saved to be divided for dinner”, in the same manner as before. Unsurprisingly, several stomachs rebelled, and the men suffered from severe cramps. Meanwhile, the launch continued steadily westward, by May 29, it was navigating through the islands and shoals of the Great Barrier Reef. Bligh, from memory and sightings using the sextant, sought Providential Channel as the means of penetrating the reef.
Once inside the Great Barrier Reef, the men found calmer seas, and Bligh promised they would land at the first island which appeared to offer the possibility of food and shelter. On Friday, May 29, they took shelter in a small inlet of an island which appeared deserted. Bligh refused to allow the men to disembark, despite the appearance of being alone, and the sight of oyster beds along the shore. The men remained in the launch for the night, sleeping for the first time of the voyage in relative peace. The water was calm, the boat was dry, and were it not for the cold they could almost have said to have been comfortable.