Over the next few days in English Harbour most of the visiting yachts left for their home ports. Many would return to Northern USA or Europe before the Caribbean hurricane season. There was great excitement as Duran Duran were looking for boats to use in the video to promote their new album “Rio.”
Camelot used for a Duran Duran track
All the members of the Duran Duran band were holidaying in Antigua when they come up with the idea of using English Harbour as a venue for a video to promote their new Album. Simon LeBon was a keen yachtsman. Not many albums had an accompanying video in 1982 so partly for that reason it did get a lot of coverage and helped to promote the band especially in the USA.
Camelot was booked to be the yacht used for the track “Waiting for the Night Boat”.
Filming would be done after dark and Camelot had to be turned into a ghostly ship haunted by zombies! The film crew organised some tattered canvas to represent ruined sails. If only we had known we could have supplied our own a few weeks earlier. The crew spent two days and three nights using our boat.
On U-tube you can still see this video, just check out the album Rio.
Some of the scenes showed Camelot bow-to the quay in front of the Copper and Lumber Store. In the U-Tube video our V I registration can be seen on the bow. Most of the filming was done at the dock but some was recorded at night underway in English harbour with Jon hidden away at the cockpit controls. Strangely dressed zombies were cavorting on the foredeck. It was well paid and funded our next trip back to England.
See YouTube video of Rio by Duran Duran
The Fife ketch Eilean was used for the title track. Built in Fairlie in 1936 at 70 feet she was an impressive vessel which was then doing charter work out of English Harbour. The skipper was an affable Scotsman called Thorfinn. Once the filming was over and our boats were side by side stern-to, he came on board Camelot for drinks one evening and told us a most remarkable story. Jon opened up by asking him,
“Is that the most unusual charter you have ever done?” referring to the video filming.
Operation Anaconda
“Well, no as a matter of fact,” he began, accepting a glass of whisky and sitting in our cockpit.
“Last March I was skippering a schooner called Nowcani II out of Barbados. We were chartered by three British ex soldiers for a trip to Belem at the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil.”
He explained that he had no idea of the true reason for that destination. The schooner remained at anchor off the yacht club in Belem whilst the soldiers went ashore to fly to Rio de Janeiro in a private jet.
Ronald Biggs
Jon and I were enthralled. Sipping his whisky, Thorfinn went on,
“They had arranged to meet Ronald Biggs in a restaurant. There they snatched him, taped his mouth and stuffed him in a marquee bag marked ‘Anaconda – Handle With Care.’ Then they dragged him out to a waiting van and drove off to the waiting jet. When they got him on board the plane they flew to Belem. ”
“What happened next?” I wanted to know.
“There were two extra ex military Brits with them now. The other two were already in Rio to make the rendezvous in the restaurant. Between them they got him into the yacht and we set off, it was well after midnight by then.”
“Did you think it was an anaconda? ” Jon asked.
“ No. Well once we were out to sea they opened the bag and took the tape off his mouth, I recognised him. He was remarkably philosophical and good company once he came to terms with the situation. Some of his stories were amazing as since he escaped from prison Biggs had been on the run in Australia for years before Brazil. He even cooked some of our meals. He certainly enjoyed the sailing and his fags and booze.”
“Who was paying for this whole operation? Chartering your yacht for weeks and a jet must have been expensive,” Jon wanted to know. “And what happened in Barbados?”
“I never knew who financed it,” went on Thorfinn.
“Once we got within VHF range I called up to ask for Coast Guard to escort us ashore so that we could get him into prison in Bridgetown. Biggs was clapped in jail but we were all detained as well. They wanted to send me to Miami… but the owner from Dallas said I was to stay with the boat. Then there was a legal court case about extradition treaties for a few days. In the end the Brazilian authorities said he could go back there as his girlfriend already had a seven year old son and another kid on the way.”
The Great Train Robbery had been a big news items in the early sixties. A group of East End criminals had held up a train carrying used bank notices to be destroyed and got away with 2.6 million pounds in 1963. Ronald Biggs had escaped from Wandsworth prison and made a new life for himself with his wife and kids in Australia.
”Maybe the British didn’t want him back as he would be treated like a hero,” I wondered. “And what happened to the five mercenaries?”
”They were allowed to leave Barbados and no charges were ever brought against them. I expect they went back to their bodyguard jobs. They had been telling us stories about their work protecting film stars. That brings us back to the filming here. The Rio in the song is not about the city, though, it’s the name of a girl.”