>> True Information: Mr. Starkey, former Captain of the Apollo states: “This is another instance of Mr. Wright’s sloppy research and twisted facts with added lies. Mr. Hubbard was never ‘afraid to touch land.’ After we left Cagliari, we sailed to the port of Cadiz, Spain, to take on fuel, water and fresh food stores. We returned back through the Straits of Gibraltar and for the next few days sailed leisurely along the North African and Spanish coasts in the Mediterranean. Then we returned to the Atlantic Ocean, visiting the ports of Tangier, Morocco and north to Lisbon, Portugal. From there we sailed south and visited Dakar in Senegal, then west to the Cape Verde Islands and eventually back to Cadiz.” 

Furthermore, Mr. Ingber, who was a Storesman aboard the Apollo in 1969, clearly recalls the time the ship spent a few weeks off the shore of Morocco, which is the period Wright is referencing. At the time, Mr. Hubbard was completing research to prepare for the release of new technical advances. There was never any shortage of food for the crew. Mr. Hubbard directed to put out a sea anchor so the ship could drift in a controlled manner, which allowed extra time for crew to study since they did not have to man stations had they been sailing. The officers and crew were able to concentrate on getting through their Dianetics Course training. So, the ship never drifted aimlessly, as Wright claims in a derogatory sense—rather, the “drifting” had a purpose and in this case it was to provide a totally distraction-free environment for Mr. Hubbard to research and the crew to train.