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Date: January - February 1996
Location: Ireland
The participating schools are introduced to The Spice Islands Voyage. Preparatory work will be done to acquaint the teachers and their pupils with Alfred Russel Wallace and the exciting story of his momentous eight-year voyage through the Malay Archipelago.
Date: February 1996
Location: Kei Islands
Completion and launch of the Alfred Wallace along with the necessary sea trials. Related educational themes will include a brief history of sailing, the building of native boats around the world and the basic principles of sail-power.
Date: March 8 - 25, 1996
Location: Aru Islands
Here we will go in search of the beautiful Birds of Paradise which so delighted Wallace. We will also visit the South East Aru Marine Reserve and explore the function of this type of establishment.
Date: March 26 -
Location: Sea passage from Aru to the Banda Islands
This time at sea will give us a good opportunity to sail with Tim and his crew. We should learn about the skills involved in sailing a fragile boat through dangerous waters. We may meet with the monsoons, strong currents and storms which are so much a feature of the tropical climate of the Moluccas. We will also discover the importance of good navigation to the safety of every vessel at sea.
Date: April 8 - 17, 1996
Location: The Banda Islands
Our landfall on the Banda Islands will enable us to explore the colourful history of the Spice Islands. We will also compare Wallace's impressions of the islands in the 1850s with the evidence Tim Severin finds in 1996.
Date: April 20 - 25, 1996
Location: Ambon
Harbours and their uses have seen major changes since Wallace's time. In this part of our voyage we will carefully examine the management of modern harbours and estuaries while comparing them to those Wallace used.
Date: April 26 - May 12, 1996
Location: Ceram
The tropical rainforest is crucial to our planet's well-being. Tim Severin's visit to this remarkable natural treasure will enable us to examine how and why the rainforest has changed since Wallace's day.
Date: May 15 - 23, 1996
Location: Sea passage from Ceram to Waigeo
This exciting part of the voyage will aid us in re-creating the exciting aspects of Wallace's travels in his prau. He encountered strong currents, he crashed onto coral reefs, he had to avoid marauding pirates and he was even forced to maroon two of his crew on a deserted island for almost a month. This particular landfall lends itself very well to a dramatic interpretation of Wallace's troubles. Children have vivid imaginations when it comes to disaster and we may be able to harness this for creative purposes.
Date: May 24 -June 2, 1996
Location: Waigeo
At Waigeo we will be privileged to witness the culture of the Papuan peoples. Traditional agricultural methods are still vibrant here and we will contrast this system with the European approach before going on to the Western Waigeo Palau Reserve. Further, we will look at Wallace's work with the Red Birds of Paradise.
Date: June 3 - 13, 1996
Location: Sea Passage from Waigeo to Ternate
In this part of the programme we will examine the spectacular history of volcanoes and how various islands came to be formed in this area.
Date: June 14 - 20, 1996
Location: Ternate
Here on one of the central locations of the Wallace story we will look closely at that moment when Alfred's "Flash of Inspiration" enabled him to understand the principle of natural selection. We will link this closely with Darwin's work on his monumental book, The Origin of the Species. "Clove Sultans" and live volcanoes will add even more interest to this landfall.
Date: June 21 - 24, 1996
Location: Sea Passage from Ternate to Sulawesi
This brief voyage will give us the chance to look at the unusual creatures of Indonesia. Here we will meet with the manatees and dugongs who live in the seas; the hornbills and mateo birds who inhabit(ed) the land and many more.
Date: June 25 - 30, 1996
Location: N.E. Sulawesi
A stop-off at the Tangkoto Batuangas Nature Reserve to look at the amazing tarsiers and the black macaque monkeys.
Date: July 1 - 4, 1996
Location: N.E. Sulawesi
The wonderful world of coral reefs will be opened up to us here as we drop anchor at the Bunaken Marine Reserve.
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