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DATAHAVEN
Chapter 2 - Just Visiting Getting There is Half the Fun Jo and I flew to England, and crashed for the night at the house of my aunt Mary Hillyard who lives there. She picked us up at the Airport and took us straight to her home. I had the worst jet lag I have ever experienced. I did not sleep on the plane, could not sleep that night, and the next day I was the walking dead. Despite that, I managed to battle with the Helicopter company and get them to split the cost across two credit cards, and we got to the train station before dawn to catch a train to South End to make it to the small airport their. The Airport was small but ill labeled, so we wandered around trying to find the waiting area for chartered flights. This eventually involved ignoring all the signs that said "No admittance" and "Airport personnel Only" an such. In the process of crossing from one terminal entrance to another, I stepped off a curb and twisted my ankle, falling to the pavement and cutting open my hand. I found out later that this prat fall was the first impression I made on the members of the Sealand Royal Family who had just arrived. When I came out of the bathroom, after dressing my wounded hand, Prince Michael and his other Princess Joan were there. The first thing Michael says in reference to my fall is "You don't have to bow down like that, or kiss my ring, I'm not the pope" (or something along those lines) It would probably have been funnier if I hadn't just injured myself, and was operating on more than 0 hours of sleep in the previous 48. Later impressions of Michael's humor showed me that he is actually a pretty funny guy, but at that moment I was not laughing.
Michael wanted to bring his Son Liam out to Sealand, as it was his birthday. We also brought Princess Joan along, as her husband Roy had been out there for some time, and she wanted to see him. It was only my second helicopter ride, so I was torn between excitement of visiting the micronation, fear of flying, and wanting to pass out from lack of sleep. Excitement won out when Sealand came into view. It was beautiful. Until I saw it, it could all have been a hoax. Reading about something - even seeing photographs - it's just not the same as laying eyes on it. A tiny bastion of freedom in the middle of a cold sea, surrounded by large socialist nations in every direction. I wanted to ask for political asylum and move in that very day. JO seemed somewhat less enthused. She was excited, but throughout our visit, I could see that she was thinking about what it would mean to actually have to live on that tiny artificial island. Not me, I was thinking what it would mean to the world if I could make it all work. I knew that there were enough people out there with a lot of money who felt the way I do about governments to make this possible. I knew that the technology was there to leverage even the tiniest patch of free ground into a greater freedom for everyone. An electronic currency system was the lever. Here was a place to stand. I could move the world. As we flew over Sealand, I got my first glimpse of Prince Roy. This 80 year old man quickly climbed a ladder to the helicopter pad, and jogged over to the center to remove the mast that prevented unwanted landings. He lowered the mast single handedly and cleared the way for us to land. I hope I am in as good shape when I am his age. Hell, I hope I even manage to live that long.
Touring the Smallest Nation The helicopter landed and all disembarked. I shook Roy's hand, and everyone exchanged greetings all around. Both Liam and I made for the artillery piece first thing. It was an old 3.5" gun that had defended this fortress from the German Navy in WWII. There had previously been guns on either side of the helipad, and on the other side of the deck. The helipad guns were missing, and one of the deck guns had been removed but was lying on the deck nearby. Only one artillery piece remained, but it was an excellent symbol of defiance. Liam immediately climbed up on it, recognizing it for the jungle gym that it was now.
My tour of Sealand was a real treat. Each of the columns that holds it aloft is hollow, with seven levels, down to the bottom of the Sea. It is the area of a medium sized building. Not a huge space, but a lot could probably be done with it. I was standing in the only building in the free world. As I explored, I thought about all the modifications to be made. Generators, a fuel tank, a water tank, The NOC (Network Operations Center), the rack space areas, security arrangements. The ideas and possibilities were overwhelming. I climbed down to the bottom of each column to make sure they were not full of water. I examined the current generator - It would never do for our power requirements of course. The generator was not running, so all was dark. Michael accompanied me around, and we each carried a flashlight. The ladders were rusted and dirty, and I could only imagine what sort of evil stuff was getting rubbed into the cut on my hand, but I was too excited to care.
When I was done crawling in the columns, I went back up to the main room in the top of Sealand. A huge Sealand flag decorated one wall, and there were bookshelves filled with Detective and Spy novels. One corner had a TV in it. I had seen a gun rack in another room, and had immediately appreciated that these weapons were a real sign of freedom and independence from Britain where guns are outlawed and even the cops just carry clubs. I did not until later come to appreciate that this TV set was also a badge of liberty. In Britain, the government owns the elctro-magnetic spectrum of smaller frequency than visible light, and charges its citizens for the privilege of receiving such waves. Televisions must be registered, and a license fee paid. Police will come and search a house periodically if the suspect an unregistered television. This TV was free!
Having completed my tour of the tiny nation, I sat down in the living room to talk with Prince Roy and Princess Joan. |
