PART 3 - IN SUNNY CLACTON-ON-SEA! 
Radio Northsea International's very strong AM transmitter sent the stations' programmes, albeit initially in  English and German, all over Western Europe. Never before had an offshore radio station been heard so clearly in the Northern and Eastern parts of Holland.

(Right - RNIs Transmitter Room)

The Main Studio on Mebo 2

 Very soon the more conservative newspapers in Holland, alarmed by the powerful signal of the station, started a campaign asking for action against the new station by the Dutch authorities. They wrote that it now had to stop: no longer could it be tolerated that radio programmes were transmitted from international waters. The station was, they said, interfering with the monopoly of the Dutch Broadcasting organisations, which had the only right to beam radio programmes all over the Netherlands.
The Dutch PTT (GPO) also was very quick to react after the transmissions in the AM band on 186 metres had started. Complaints had been received at their offices that the transmitter interfered on official wavelengths of a broadcasting station in Italy. The short wave transmissions appeared to cause problems as well with certain distress frequencies from the Norwegian Navy and the pilot service in Flushing. Only a few weeks after the first complaints Messrs Meister and Bollier, decided to relocate the vessel to off the U.K. coast, primarily though because they hadn't succeeded in attracting advertisers in Holland and Germany and they hoped that the British Isles would offer better prospects for making profits.

DJ Carl Mitchell, with Swiss owners Erwin Meister & Edwin Bollier
 

Andy Archer, Edwin Bollier & Roger Day

 Roger Day was against the move to England: "I advised them against it but I was outnumbered. Andy Archer and the rest wanted to go to England for old times sake. I told them I don't like the Government, but they let us get on with it here. If we go to England, it's like sticking two fingers up and asking what were they going to do about it? With the Marine Offenses Act, the British DJs also risked a fine of £400 and two years in jail, but llate in the afternoon of March 23, the MEBO II, set sail for the English coast making the 120 mile passage to anchor outside the three mile limit off Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, at 0900 hrs, the next  morning. 

During the passage, Alan West (right - top) & Carl Mitchell (right - below) kept listeners updated on what was happening, as this clip from Alan West's programme illustrates: "I'd like to wish you a very good evening if you've just tuned in. Welcome to the sounds of Europe, R.N.I. and you know, the Mebo 2 is on its way to England right now across the North Sea. Very very exiting day here today & stay tuned, we're going right through until one o'clock tomorrow night, OK, so stay tuned for all the exciting things this evening." No sooner had RNI anchored off Clacton than The very same day the British Minister of Posts & Telecommunication" John Stonehouse (below) was complaining to the Prime Minister that action should be taken against the new radio station due to the fact the station committed a breach of the Marine Offences Act of 1967. RNI's initial cause wasn't helped either when the medium wave transmitter caused severe interference to the

Coast Guard Station at Walton-on-the-Naze who used 183 metres to stay in contact with lightships and Trinity House vessels. They had to increase their transmitter  power TEN fold to stay in contact. Having been made aware of the problem , on March 27, R.N.I. switched off their short wave transmitter at 1325 hrs and broadcasts continued on 6210 Khz until April 1st, when it broke down!  

After a gap of 10 days, RNI was back with a new medium-wave frequency, 1578kHz, 190 meters, and simultaneous transmissions on FM 102 mHz. With the interference problem seemingly resolved, RNI set about re-building her audience. A revised programme schedule came into being, with German broadcasts being heard between 5:30am and 7:00am and again between 8:00pm and 11:00pm. English broadcasts were made between 7:00am and 8:00pm and 11:00pm until 2:00am. A controversial idea brought the station press attention when on 29th March 1970, the Sunday Express reported that listeners had been invited to send in do-it-yourself contributions on tape, to be broadcast over the air. This brought a swift, but predictable response from the authorities. A Post Office Official told the newspaper: "People who take part may find themselves in trouble. There is a risk of being prosecuted," Still, this seemed RNI's only problem, or was it?


The Mebo II was, at this time, being supplied from Holland. Every 14 days the MEBI I brought provisions, water, diesel-oil, spare equipment, fan mail for the DJs and of course, the latest pop records, although few record Companies would admit to sending them. Only Apple Records actually owned up to supplying the station. Their boss, Derek Taylor, was quoted as saying: "Yes, of course we're supplying them - out in front. We're not sure of the stations' selling power, but why turn any good outlet down ?" The crew were also relieved every 14 days.