Lennon Sails on BBC Tonight

Only months before his life was tragically taken in front of The Dakota apartments in Manhattan in 1980, John Lennon had been enjoying a remarkable time with his son, Sean, in idyllic Bermuda. Writing songs for the first time in years, plying the tiny nation’s pink sand beaches and sailing in her remarkable waters impacted Lennon greatly.

Lennon sailed to Bermuda aboard the 43-ft sloop Megan Jaye with Sean, his friend and sailing instructor Tyler Coney, Coney’s cousin, and Captain Hank Halsted. Although the notion of Lennon as a yachtsman might not square with your memory of him, be sure to listen to tonight’s BBC interview as author John McCarthy explores what turned out to be a harrowing 700-mile journey from Newport, RI to Bermuda. Halsted and Coneys describe how they sailed into a Force 8 gale, which laid all but an inexperienced Lennon and Captain Halsted seasick. The interview airs on BBC Radio 4 today at 3 p.m. PST. Listen live online at the link above.

Interestingly, a new app will be released tomorrow featuring interviews with Lennon about the journey and the songs he wrote during the voyage. Read more about John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes here.