Following the conclusion of the investigation into the Lady R – the vessel that attracted so much attention when she docked at the South African Navy’s base in Simon’s Town – I decided it was fitting to re-script Chris de Burgh’s iconic song Lady in Red to fit the circumstances.

The Lady R – Lady in Red

We’ve never seen a ship berthing as she did that night,
We’ve never seen one ignite such a fight,
We’ve never seen so many give a ship more than a glance,
They’re looking for info in advance, given half a chance,
And we’ve have never seen a ship so daring,
To visit the naval quay or catch so many eyes,
Have we been blind?

The Lady R came in from the sea, to the navy,
Hoping no one would see, just to come and flee,
It’s not where she should be,
We don’t know this vessel on the quayside,
No AIS like she had something to hide.

We’ve never seen a ship spark such public debate,
We never saw her freight, it was amazing,
We’ve never seen so many people get that irate,
We watched it escalate, it took our breath away,
And we’ve have never had such a feeling,
Such a feeling that the visit was about more, despite what they say;

The Lady R came in from the sea, to the navy,
Hoping no one would see, just to come and flee,
It’s not where she should be,
We don’t know this vessel on the quayside,
No AIS like she had something to hide.