Atishoo! Busy old Ironic Fate

It’s a time of anniversaries in the life of this grounded circumnavigator. The other day, I invited readers to my very first sail after an extensive swallowing-the-anchor voyage across and down through the Atlantics exactly twenty years.

The singlehanded journey back then began in the Caribbean at 10° 13' North, reached partway up the Bay of Biscay where the mainsail split.

Then I sailed down through the Atlantics to the Roaring Forties, into the Southern Ocean.

A hard left followed, then came some exciting sailing, before dropping anchor at 16° South, St Helena.

Nightmarish anchorages

There were some nightmarish and wonderful pauses along the way in that extensive voyage.

My last harbouring, at Jamestown, on the final voyage happened on 27 February 1999, two decades ago to the day, almost to the minute.

Sailing to Purgatory told of the voyage. Of course, the 'purgatory' in my book's title didn't refer to wonderful, hospitable St Helena which is much more a Paradise, quite the opposite of the other biblical address.

Purgatory itself entered the picture quite a few months later. Extraordinarily, as if the journey might be part of some far-fetched novel, a corrupt prosecution team looking for a weekend sailor who apparently turned his hand to smuggling, decided to make me the villain.

I was ambushed and taken off to their London headquarters and grilled.

All who follow the notion we are brought up to believe, that Brit justice is the very best justice, would never have accepted what followed….   Continues on the blogs for my ocean adventuring book, Sailing to Purgatory, at http://sailingtopurgatory.com/index.php/feeds/354-atishoo-busy-old-ironic-fate