Captain Calamity And The Breakaway State
A man that the Telegraph calls "Captain Calamity" because of his misadventures while boating has declared the windswept Shetland Island he calls home a "Crown Dependency" and broken away from Britain proper and the European Union. He is the sole inhabitant of the tiny islet he calls home, Forewick Holm, or as he calls it now, Forvik.
Stuart Hill, a 65 year-old grandfather, will announce that 'Forvik', an island officially known as Forewick Holm, has broken away from the United Kingdom, quit the EU and become a crown dependency.
Mr Hill said his declaration of a new state - measuring one hectare (2.5 acres) - is intended to force the government and local council into action over the island's history and constitutional legitimacy.
Mr Hill, originally from Manningtree, Essex, settled on the island after his failed solo attempt in 2001 to circumnavigate Britain in a home-made boat - earning the 'Captain Calamity' name - capsized west of the Shetland islands, the UK's most northerly island group.
The Telegraph helpfully linked to the 2001 story that detailed some of Hill's exploits that earned him the "Captain Calamity" name.
A LONE yachtsman was recovering from hypothermia yesterday after his calamity-strewn attempts to circumnavigate Britain came to a predictable end in 20ft seas.
Stuart Hill, 58, was nicknamed Captain Calamity after a string of maritime disasters.
The latest came on Tuesday when his "self-righting" vessel capsized off Shetland. His rescuers said he was "very lucky to be alive".
He was 52 miles west of Shetland after he was thrown out of his boat, Maximum Exposure, and left clinging to the hull.
He was airlifted to hospital in Lerwick where he ignored all appeals and announced that he would probably try again next year.
There is an outstanding quote in that last link:
"Flares and helicopters are mutually incompatible."
We'll see how Mr. Hill's insurrection plays out shortly, I'm quite sure. Meanwhile, you can contact him directly via his website, should you be so inclined. Don't miss the "Declaration of Dependence" which uses a rather familiar (to Americans, at any rate) document as its starting point.
World news | Gaius Saturday, 21 June , 2008
By Bleepless, Sunday, 22 June , 2008 @ 4:06 pm
If he joins NATO and abolishes socialism, I wish him well.
By Mockinbird, Monday, 23 June , 2008 @ 1:24 pm
He ought to apply for foreign aid.