Eideard

It was the end of an epic journey. In a picturesque harbour on the Caribbean island of St Maarten, Anthony Smith stood on his raft, graciously accepting congratulations from a crowd of well-wishers on the quayside.

The crowd seemed fascinated by two things in particular: first, Mr Smith, the British captain, and his three-strong British crew, had sailed the raft Antiki – described as “a tin can on a wooden plate” – 2,600 miles across the Atlantic with a single sail and no engine…

Back on land for the first time in 66 days, Mr Smith, tall, thin and silver-bearded, said he was happy to have completed the crossing, happy to be alive.

The four men – a 56-year-old doctor, 61-year-old lawyer, 57-year-old engineer and Mr Smith – a writer, adventurer and much more – had sailed from the Canary Islands to St Maarten after spending three months building the raft.

The crew, all with beards and many pounds lighter than when they set out, looked tired but surprisingly well…

Mr Smith and his team had completed their extraordinary journey. But why on earth did he want to take on such a challenge at an age when most of his contemporaries are content to potter about in the garden?

“That’s just it,” he says, relaxing in the bar of the yacht club. “I don’t want to potter. I’m fed up with all that. I don’t want the most interesting things in my life to be Sainsbury’s on Tuesday, the church roof fund on Wednesday and bridge on Thursday.

RTFA. It’s long. It’s fun. The sort of adventurers that can provide fellowship and entertainment in reality and thought. A wonderful adventure.

The voyage raised money for WaterAid, a charity that helps provide developing countries with access to drinking water and good sanitation. You can click the link to donate.

Gee, I wonder if they sang this one at the concert?

The Army said it was investigating a claim that dozens of soldiers who refused to attend a Christian band’s concert at a Virginia military base were banished to their barracks and told to clean them up.

Pvt. Anthony Smith said he and other soldiers felt pressured to attend the May concert while stationed at the Newport News base, home of the Army’s Transportation Corps. “My whole issue was I don’t need to be preached at,” Smith said in a phone interview from Phoenix, where he is stationed with the National Guard. “That’s not what I signed up for.”

Smith, 21, was stationed in Virginia for nearly seven months for helicopter electrician training when the Christian rock group BarlowGirl played as part of the “Commanding General’s Spiritual Fitness Concerts.”

Smith said a staff sergeant told 200 men in their barracks they could either attend or remain in their barracks. Eighty to 100 decided not to attend, he said.

“Instead of being released to our personal time, we were locked down,” Smith said. “It seemed very much like a punishment…”

Smith said he and the other soldiers were told not to use their cell phones or personal computers and ordered to clean up the barracks.

About 20 of the men, including several Muslims, refused to attend the concert based on their religious beliefs, he said.

The Christian evangelical proselytizing theme clings like stink to many American military bases – especially those in the Bible Belt. Often introduced by a small cadre of over-the-top fundamentalist officers linking throughout our wonderful worldwide network of military enclaves.

It’s something folks haven’t had to report on, blog about, complain about as much since the religious glory days of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld; but, nonetheless persistent and pernicious. The only humorous bit being officer types who should know that “the book” – in the military sense – always takes precedence over their holy roller guidebook.