Country For Sale: Handyman’s Dream

The vast expanse of the nation of Sealand is on the market. After forty years doing business in the same location, the royal family has decided it is time to sell the place. You may remember an earlier post about Sealand. The article announcing the sale does not mention that Sealand suffered a serious fire last June, however.

Apply to Prince Michael of Sealand if you want to run your own storm-tossed nation — even if it is just a wartime fort perched on two concrete towers in the North Sea.

Built in World War Two as an anti-aircraft base against German bombers, the derelict platform was taken over 40 years ago by retired army major Paddy Roy Bates who went to live there with his family.

He declared the platform, perched seven miles off the east coast of England just outside Britain's territorial waters, to be the principality of Sealand.

The self-styled Prince Roy adopted a flag, chose a national anthem and minted silver and gold coins as its currency.

The family saw off an attempt by the Royal Navy to evict them and also an attempt in 1978 by a group of German and Dutch businessmen to seize Sealand by force.

"I was held prisoner out there for three or four days and then managed to get back to England," Roy's son Michael told BBC Radio on Monday.

"I slid down a rope out of a helicopter with my father and a couple of comrades and took the place back against armed opposition. It was quite a high point in my life," he said.

Lots of pictures of Sealand as they worked on overhauling it after the fire are available. It hasn't been updated for a while, though, so there is no way of knowing where things stand today. But here's your chance to own your own country.