paralianprince:

Top:  Roland (18) and Walter (19), 1968 – two German friends who read a newspaper piece about Sealand and immediately decided they had to be part of such exciting foolery. 

They hitchhiked straight to Felixtowe, stole a rowing boat from dock – of all things! – and tried to make it to the fortress on their own in that!  (They wiped out pretty much immediately near the notoriously dangerous river Deben and had to be rescued.  Afterwards they just asked around for the Bates’ home address on land instead!) 

They lived on Sealand with Michael for several years – Walter, who was apprenticed to an electrician, is the one who repaired the old war-time Gardner generator. 

Bottom: the Mizzy Gel, the Bates family’s old ramshackle boat (they’ve since finally replaced her), with Walter standing on the Bosun’s chair.