What links Bergerac to Midsomer Murders?
Channel Islands
You may wonder what France and Spain have in common?
Both have islands in disputes with the UK.
France wishes to rid themselves of the Channel Islands, the UK only wants them for a tax exile.
Spain wishes to maintain Gibraltar, but the UK is fighting for them to control axis to the Mediterranean Sea. Even in the age of huge ships capable of crossing vast distances the Suez Canal is a vital link. In the 1980's a ship from France, but registerred in Russia ran aground off the Cape of Good Hope.
The French firm paid for FOUR tugs to transport a new drilling rig around the cape, and to India. The firm hired THREE tugs, and pocketted the rest of the money.
From this point, what happened was only a matter of time.
The tugs set off on their journey, all was going well, until the go to Cape Town. This area of sea is the dangerous on the planet, you have the warm waters of the Indian Ocean meeting the icy water of the South Atlantic, which is why Table Moutain often looks like it has a tablecloth on.
The voyage would have been risky with four vessels, but managable, with three, it was impossible. The front tug couldn't hold the violent swaying from the currents, and barely held control. Then the captain made a stupid decision, instaed of trying to go around the rocks, he thought he could go through them. The ship grounded, and despite many attenpts to refloat, and salvage the pipe, it remains jammed, and is now a snctuary for birds.
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