now created a substitute hull out of his deck Riou raised what little sail he could and began the long journey back to land, with the pumps being continuously manned. For nine weeks Riou and his small crew navigated Guardian, by now little more than a raft, across the to the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape was sighted on 21 February 1790, and whalers in Table Bay despatched seven boats to help Guardian to safety. On 15 March Riou sent a letter from Table Bay expressing his intent to try reach Saldanha Bay, there to moor close to the shore to preserve what he could of the vessel and cargo. The letter also included a list of the 61 men and one woman (Elizabeth Schafer, daughter of one of the Superintendents of Convicts) on board Guardian. A gale on 12 April drove Guardian on the beach. The wreck was sold on 17 February 1791. Aftermath J. K. Laughton, writing in the Dictionary of National Biography, described the voyage as 'almost without parallel'. Of the boats sent out on 25 December only the launch, with 15 people, survived, having been rescued by a French merchant. The launch had witnessed the sinking of the jolly boat, before losing contact with the two cutters and the long-boat. The 21 convicts that survived went on to New South Wales. However, Riou's report of their conduct resulted in 14 of the convicts being pardoned. The remains of Guardian were sold on 8 February 1791. Note Citations References Further reading External links The Life of Capt Edward Riou & HMS Guardian, By Sir Robert Burns HMS Guardian entry in the Shipwreck database of the South African Heritage Resources Agency Storeships of the Royal Navy Ships of the Second Fleet Maritime incidents in 1789 Ship collisions with icebergs Maritime incidents in 1790 Shipwrecks of the South African Atlantic coast 1784 ships Ships built in Deptford