LEAKING BRITAIN

I was reading an article on 3/3/04 in the Daily Mail about a guy called Duncan Heenan who had sailed around the UK.  The article was about the security or the lack of it at Britain’s ports, in his words, “they are as watertight as a sieve”. He berthed his yacht 39 times without once being stopped for checks. (I actually visited 60 ports on my circumnavigation, with no checks or questions asked).  Not wanting to be mistaken for a gun runner or drugs smuggler, he had packed his passport along with all other necessary documents for himself and his yacht, ‘Fellowship’. Each time he approached land, he expected to be approached by Customs, Immigration Officials, Coastguards or the police checking his identity or the purpose of his visit. “I could have been anyone, coming from anywhere and carrying anything” said Mr Heenan, “During the entire trip I was never contacted, nor required to contact any official, not even a harbourmaster asked for my paperwork other than my money to pay my port fees.”

The extraordinary story of his 2,000+ mile journey came to light yesterday as financial cutbacks forced an end to checks for illegal immigrants on ferries sailing from Cherbourg to Poole. Mr Heenan said, “On the one hand the Government says it is clamping down on illegal immigration and people hiding in lorries and yet what a contrast when you come in on a small boat from sea. I could have been smuggling bombs or drugs, nuclear weapons or illegal immigrants, but no one took any notice at all.  I did contact the coastguards from time to time but that was on my initiative, normally to check the weather prospects” In Morocco, Greece, Italy, Spain and the Balkans you have to fill in a detailed form when you arrive. “I don’t think I was ignored on my British journey because I was an Englishman.  After all, the authorities didn’t ask the question so how could they know my nationality? I could have been anyone. One area where spending and regulation should be increased is the supervision of access to our small ports. In my experience it is as watertight as a sieve. France is probably the most liberated foreign country but even there a skipper and crew expects to get regular spot checks. It is the kind of security I never saw on the entire British coastline”.

I, myself actually visited 60 ports during my circumnavigation, with no checks or questions asked, for which at the time I was quite grateful, as it was less hassle on my part.  However, I was in daily contact with the coastguards, logging my daily passages, departures and arrivals, so they knew who I was and where I was during my entire trip.

I realise what Mr Heenan is saying, and in parts I agree but the logistics of checking every British boat would be an absolute nightmare, and I don’t think that it would solve the problems mentioned. If someone wants to run guns, drugs etc he could do it by anchoring off and passing the stuff or people to another local boat.  It is the Editor’s opinion that the majority of sailors are law abiding, however, human nature being as it is, the few law breakers will always spoil it for the many!