P L A T I N A

We left Montserrat at 6:30am to head for St Kitts. We started to leak a bit of oil in the engine, and were concerned about it making its way into the bilge (and therefore, the sea). Do we go to Antigua, which is backtracking, and in the middle of race week, but where we would be sure to find a Yanmar engine dealer. Or, do we stay the course and head for an island that looks most likely to have supplies. It was not an easy decision, but getting out of the hurricane zone by the end of May was our deciding factor. St Kitts was it.

Sailing to St Kitts, we passed Redonda. While nobody lives here today, it has a great story(ies).

Phosphates were discovered here in 1865 and mining began. In 1872, the British annexed it to Antigua before the Americans took it. 100 people worked on the island, and personnel and equipment were pulled up and down on a two-bucket cable car. The descending bucket was filled with sea water from a reservoir, which acted as ballast for the ascending bucket. Phosphate production stopped in 1914.

Then there is the story of the Kingdom of Redonda. In 1865, Matthew Dowdy Sheill, had a long-awaited son after 8 daughters. Being a sexist, he wanted a kingdom for his son. He claimed Redonda. In 1880, Sheill, his son and the bishop of Antigua went to Redonda and the bishop crowned the son, King Filipe I of Redonda. M.P. Sheil (he dropped the second “L”, moved to England and became a writer of Gothic romance and science fiction.

Before he died in 1947, King Filipe I passed the crown to fellow writer John Galsworth (King Juan I), who bestowed titles in exchange for beer. Before Juan I died in 1970, he passed the crown to Jon Wynne-Tyson (King Juan II). Tiring of his royal duties, Juan II abdicated the crown in 1998 to Antiguan writer Robert Williamson (King Robert, Bob the Bald), who, to this day, presents an annual literary prize.