Diaries / The Captain’s Logbook

The Captain’s Logbook

Every party that comes aboard, every question at the hatch and every move the Beast makes, written up by Captain Nemo himself. Newest pages first.

Fiction. Legends, sightings and most of the crew are invented. The submarine is real.

26 December 20274,900 fathoms · 020°Boxing Day With the Beast26 December 2027: three years since Captain Nemo began hunting the Kraken from George Street in Sydney, and the paper crowns have become a tradition.
1 December 20272,220 fathoms · 100°Four Years Under Hay Street1 December 2027: four years since Captain Nemo’s Nautilus opened under Hay Street Mall in Perth, and the captain tries to count every party aboard.
10 November 20272,958 fathoms · 118°Two Chapters, One GrudgePassengers who first sailed with Captain Nemo in Perth turn up for the Kraken hunt in Sydney, and the captain explains his two chapters. Log entry.
21 October 20274,629 fathoms · 069°A Year in the LogA year after his log went online, Captain Nemo rereads it and finds out what passengers write about his submarines online. A comic anniversary entry.
15 September 20273,546 fathoms · 226°The Book With My Name on ItA schoolteacher asks Captain Nemo whether he is the captain from the famous novel. He has views on the author, the title and his own name. A log entry.
21 August 20273,330 fathoms · 130°The Pirates Next DoorPirates are moored in every building Captain Nemo sails from, and a party wants to visit both. The captain’s grudging verdict on his neighbours. Log entry.
14 July 20272,887 fathoms · 087°The Board of Fast PartiesA party boards the Nautilus with a stopwatch and a plan to top the leaderboard, and Captain Nemo explains how the board of fast parties works. Log entry.
16 June 20274,260 fathoms · 060°The Shortest DayNear the shortest day of the year, Captain Nemo reflects on an hour of air aboard the Nautilus and how long a visit really takes, door to door. Log entry.
14 May 20274,385 fathoms · 345°Reading the Ship’s PapersA party of first-timers asks Captain Nemo to read the Nautilus’s papers for them, and a twelve-year-old does all the voices. On English and first dives.
14 April 20271,365 fathoms · 005°A Navigator on WheelsA navigator in a wheelchair runs the Nautilus’s chart table and her hard-of-hearing uncle works the dials. Captain Nemo on who can come aboard. Log entry.
10 March 20271,064 fathoms · 264°Rumours From BrisbaneWord reaches Captain Nemo that his Nautilus is bound for Brisbane in the first half of 2027. With no date and no address, he and his crab speculate.
17 February 2027641 fathoms · 041°Telephones Stay AshoreA passenger smuggles a telephone aboard in his sock and another needs to leave mid-dive. Captain Nemo on lockers, panic buttons and who is watching.
13 January 20274,969 fathoms · 129°A Very Small StowawayA baby comes aboard Captain Nemo’s Nautilus as a spectator and laughs at the Kraken, and the captain sets down the rules for very young crew. Log entry.
9 December 20264,293 fathoms · 173°Presents From the DeepChristmas shoppers ask Captain Nemo what to give a sea-mad friend, and fourteen accountants try to fit into one submarine. His December log entry.
6 November 20264,626 fathoms · 146°Surfacing on Collins Street6 November 2026: Captain Nemo opens at Escape This Melbourne CBD on Collins Street, and the Kraken finds the newest Nautilus before lunch. Opening-day entry.
21 October 20261,252 fathoms · 332°To Whoever Finds This LogCaptain Nemo learns his private log has gone online and writes a note to whoever finds it: who he is, what he records and what he will never write down.
12 August 2026800 fathoms · 240°Orders for MelbourneCaptain Nemo learns his Nautilus will open on Collins Street in Melbourne in November 2026, and wonders how one submarine can be in two cities at once.
4 March 2026519 fathoms · 359°Goggles and Closed ShoesA party boards the Nautilus in goggles, greatcoats and one pair of sandals, and Captain Nemo sets out his rules on costumes and arriving early. Log entry.
10 September 2025482 fathoms · 082°No Smoke in My Engine RoomA passenger with asthma asks Captain Nemo about smoke and her husband asks if the submarine is cramped. The captain answers both, indignantly, in his log.
18 June 20251,067 fathoms · 187°The Harder ChapterParties keep asking Captain Nemo which of his two submarines is harder, the Perth Nautilus or the Sydney hunt for the Kraken. His answer, from his log.
15 March 20253,721 fathoms · 081°Two Hunters on a SaturdayA brother and sister ask to hunt the Kraken alone on a Saturday, and Captain Nemo explains when two is enough and why no strangers come aboard. Log entry.
26 December 20243,304 fathoms · 184°Boxing Day: The Hunt Begins26 December 2024: Kraken: Nemo’s Revenge opens on George Street, Sydney, and Captain Nemo takes his first allies hunting the Beast. His Boxing Day entry.
20 November 20243,336 fathoms · 296°Word of the Beast in SydneyTired of the Kraken wrapping itself around his hull, Captain Nemo resolves to hunt it from Sydney and starts looking for allies. A log entry from late 2024.
9 July 20244,809 fathoms · 209°When the Lights Go OutThe lights go out aboard the Nautilus and a nervous father asks Captain Nemo whether his submarine is scary. The captain’s honest answer, from his log.
16 April 20241,178 fathoms · 058°Small Scientists AboardSchool holidays fill Captain Nemo’s Nautilus with small scientists, and the captain writes out the age rules so he stops getting them wrong. Log entry.
17 January 20242,335 fathoms · 015°Four Hands on the HelmCaptain Nemo turns away a party of three and a party of eleven on the same day, and explains how many hands his Perth Nautilus needs. A comic log entry.
1 December 20234,828 fathoms · 188°The Expedition Comes Aboard1 December 2023: Captain Nemo opens at Escape This Perth CBD and the first expedition ends up repairing his failing Nautilus. His log entry for opening day.
14 November 20234,355 fathoms · 035°Fitting Out the NautilusWeeks before Captain Nemo opened in Perth, the captain inspects his Nautilus being built in a workshop nowhere near the sea. A comic entry from his log.