Rugged Convertible Laptop Joins Talisker Bounty Boat 2010

Steatite Blazepoint, a leader in rugged mobile computing, has announced that its ndura RUGGED® Convertible Laptop has been selected by Australian adventurer, Don McIntyre, and his crew to support them as they attempt to recreate Captain Bligh's famous journey after being cast adrift from the Bounty. The 4,000 mile Talisker Bounty Boat expedition, which aims to raise money for a new UK-based Motor Neuron Disease institute, departed from Tonga in an open top 18th-century whaling boat on 28th April 2010 - the 221st anniversary of possibly the most infamous mutiny in maritime history.

The adventure will take the crew around the top of Fiji and the Vanuatu Island groups, before they sail to the Queensland Coast in Australia and a landing at Restoration Island. After a brief stay, they will travel north inside the Great Barrier Reef to Thursday Island, and across to Kupang - finishing their journey in Timor. Throughout the duration of their seven week voyage the crew will work under intense pressure in extreme temperatures and conditions - with little escape from the blistering sun or the perpetual motion of the waves.

Don McIntyre explains: "We're undertaking this adventure under similar conditions to those experienced by Bligh - no charts, no modern luxuries and only a meagre amount of provisions. The rugged laptop will be the hub of our communications and permit us to update our blog on route. In addition, if the chips are down and we need GPS support, we want to make damn sure that the computer on which we'll be accessing its functions operates regardless of the surrounding conditions. Blazepoint's laptop has proven itself time and again in extreme military and civilian situations, with technology to protect against sudden shocks, water and dust ingress, vibration and extreme temperature ranges - ticking all the boxes for me and the crew."

The Talisker Bounty Boat 2010 expedition crew, which consists of Don McIntyre, Christopher Wilde, David Wilkinson and Stuart Kershaw, is making this epic journey to raise funds for the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). Built in the UK, alongside one of the country's centres of excellence for research into motor neuron disease (MND), the new institute will be the first dedicated facility of its kind - allowing scientific developments from experimental work to be harnessed and translated into effective therapies for patients.

Gary Littledyke, Director of Sales & Marketing, Steatite Blazepoint, concludes: "Everyone here is 100% behind Don and his crew, and wish them every success with their adventure. Having performed so well during the Spirit of Mystery voyage in 2009 and more recently in Bolivia with the BBC Top Gear crew, we are confident that our convertible laptop is tough enough to meet their demands in harsh marine conditions."

To follow the crew's progress, please visit bountyboat.com