The Girl Pat ' The astonishing voyage of the 'Girl
Pat' has ended as mysteriously as it began. After ten weeks' absence from Grimsby and a voyage of 5,000 miles her crew are still alive and well, and on Tuesday they attended the King's birthday parade at Georgetown. Even at the last moment Captain Osborne, by brilliant seamanship, almost avoided capture ; now that his ship has been seized it is unlikely that any charge will be preferred against them. The legal position of the 'Girl Pat,' on which £2,400 insurance has already been paid, is so complicated that her present owners are undecided what action to take. But her skipper has made himself a national hero, and increased his romantic value by his reticence and his avoidance of publicity. We had expected to learn, after the capture, the motive for the ' Girl Pat's ' voyage, but it remains as mysterious as ever, though her captain's determined attempt to escape suggests that it has not been achieved. Yet the voyage can hardly be called unsuccessful : it has given romantic satisfaction to the whole world. At the moment it has not been decided whether Captain Osborne has committed barratry, but- barrator or not, he is certainly a hero and a very mysterious one.
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