A Trip Of A Lifetime

It was in the early 1980's, and I was a lean slip of a lad in my mid 20's and I was at that time running a motor engineering business with an old school chum, Les Osbourne (brother of the famous Roger Osbourne of Ipswich Town FC).

I remember it was just around the time that the UK introduced Licensed FM CB Radio.

It was through CB Radio I was given the opportunity to experience something very unique that few other people would ever have the chance to do.

It came about by chance one evening, that I made radio contact with an old friend (Colin Simpson), I had not seen him for some years but we were once again united, and that evening shared our common interest in CB radio, at that time many of us were using the US imported AM CB radio's as many truckers had them fitted as a measure of safety, security and entertainment (illegally I add ) however, I believe this lead the government to finally approve a UK FM radio that could be used by the general public "in return for a very small license fee".

So anyway, Colin and I were talking that night, and I discovered that he was 6 miles off the coast of Felixstowe in the English Channel on something called the Rough Towers, "so what's this Rough Towers then I asked, some kind of boat"?

"OK" so yes, I expect my dear dad pointed it out to me at some point in my childhood while looking out from the coast, far..far in the distance, just visible from the beach on a clear day, but back then, I guess I was more interested in Motorbikes, Lead Zeppelin & Wey-Wey Wong (The Oriental Typhoo Tea "Babe"), and it was unlikely that I would get too nostalgic about some Military Fort that I could hardly see through the greasy fringe of my shoulder length hair (images of Kevin's character in Harry Enfield & Friends spring to mind).

However imagine the curiosity when Colin tells me that he has this job of chief security guard for some Royal family that plan to develop a man made Island in the middle of the sea called of course "Sealand" .

So to cut a long story short, after a few months of talking with Colin and Mike (the son of the King of Sealand), I was offered a visit and tour of the fort.

Now, not being a lover of the sea I thought hard and long about the trip and came up with the decision that hell it's a chance in a lifetime so lets take it! , and after all what was all the fuss about ? "OK at the age of 5 while paddling in the sea at Felixstowe I slipped and thought I was going to drown" but I'm an adult now and I can take care of myself!.

Christmas approached and Colin called and said that he was on duty over Christmas holiday how did I fancy a few days on the fort? Well Dad said that we were quiet in the workshop so he could spare me no problem, So I said yes.

I think it was Friday lunchtime that Colin rolled onto the forecourt with his Ford Zeypher Mk2 (with a Perkins 6cyl Diesel under the bonnet, Colin was like that he'd fit the most ridiculous engine into the most ridiculous vehicle, "And it always worked ?" but things had a habit of breaking up after a short while!! " anyway, hooked on the back was a 10ft speed boat (must be to get from the beach to our transport that would take us all the way out to the fort I thought) . so you can imagine my horror when we arrived at Old Felixstowe and after loading all the supplies and I forget how many 5 gallon drums of diesel (enough to leave the water lapping only 2 inches from the edge of the hull) {that's a boating term "Us sailors use} into this little boat, Colin then tells me that this is our transport for the whole journey !!!!! ...... "OH, and did you bring the plug spanner of the Zephyr dash? because this Merc outboard motor has a habit of oiling up since I made some modifications" Colin shouts !

Well I could go into the detail of the journey and how Colin left me hanging over the side trying to remove the spark plug of a bobbing & drifting 10ft speed boat while he was winch'd up onto the fort in the only means of access from the sea (a 4ft square wooden crate attached to a frayed bit of rope) and how I discovered that my sence of rythum I had gained when taking Bass Guitar lessons some years before had proved a godsend when it came to timing the leap from the boat "that was now ascending and descending 4 - 5 ft with every wave" onto the 4ft crate that was now swinging in the wind ..........

But maybe I'll save that for another day ...... If you are desperate to read more and find out what I done on Sealand for a whole Christmas week, pop a message on the Otleyweb Forum, If you have a story to tell why not send it to me and I add it to the site?

You can read more about Sealand at their official site www.sealandgov.org and other resources like http://www.fruitsofthesea.demon.co.uk/sealand/ .

Laurie Baker (Otleyweb Web Master)