RE: Laura Zolo's voyage

[Niven Sinclair <niven@niven.co.uk>]

At 16:03 13/07/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Dear Cousins,
>
>I just happened to be in New York last October for the Columbus Day Parade.
>I did in fact see Laura Zolo and the Sinclair contigent in the parade as
>described in Laurel's email. When I saw them I yelled, "I'm a Sinclair!".
>They gestured and yelled back "Join us". I had an uncharacteristic attack of
>shyness and decided not to jump in and march. I really wish now that I had.
>
>Lesson learned: Don't let a parade pass you by!
>
>Sincerely,
>

[ Excess quotations omitted. ]



And Laura's journey continues.

As I write, she is sailing the "7 Roses" up the Hudson River to the Great Lakes
and, thence, down the Mississippi River system.

In the interim period (between her arrival in Nova Scotia and taking part 
in the
Columbus Day Parade in New York to which Cheryl refers) Laura had fitted a
new engine to her boat; done some essential welding where the metal hull
was coming adrift at the seams; and carried out the on-going maintenance
which is an inseparable and inescapable part of keeping a yacht afloat.  It is
a never-ending battle as the many Sinclair sailors (whether they be pirates
or privateers) will know only too well.

Laura and her Sinclair supporters, from the Prince Henry Sinclair Society,
tacked on to the end of the Columbus Day Parade last year.  I hope the day
is not too far distant when the situation will be reversed.      Laura 
deserves a
ticker-tape welcome of her own and, lest we forget our history, it is as well
to remind ourselves (and others) that Christopher Columbus never set foot on
the Continent of North America .

Spinning the facts to fit political expediency (i.e. in the case of Columbus's
supposed 'discovery' of the New World in the 15th Century in order to justify
the annexation of territory) is not a new phenomenon.  We all know there
are lies, damned lies and statistics which gain credence by dint of repetition.
Hence we have a Columbus Day to laud a man who had no redeeming features
whilst Prince Henry Sinclair seems to have been consigned to the dustbin of
history i.e. until the Prince Henry Sinclair Society and the intrepid Laura 
began
(by word and deed) to put the record straight.  They deserve our unstinted
support - vocally and financially. Laura is helping us correct history.  Laura
is helping us tell the story of Prince Henry Sinclair's voyage of 1398 and the
assistance he received from two Venetian mariners.  Laura herself is Italian.

Laura hopes to be anchored off Bronte Harbor, Lake Ontario by July 24th
where she will stay until such time as she has explored certain (possible)
Prince Henry sites in the Lake Memphremagog area.

You can e-mail Laura on SETTEROSES@aol.com    Flood her with messages
of support.  Even better, help us provision her boat for the next stage of 
her great
voyage of exploration and discovery.  And in that provisioning do not 
forget her
canine sailing companions: Stella and Sultan.  They, too, have shown qualities
of courage or, perhaps, it is that unquestioning faith and loyalty which we 
expect
from our four-legged friends and which, alas, we so seldom receive from our 
fellow
man.

Niven Sinclair