AMEN me hearties! Meet York's intrepid vicar of the high seas, the Rev John Lee - or Captain John Sparrow as he is now known to his flock.

While most clergymen might spend a three-month sabbatical putting their spiritual feet up, John decided to fulfil his life's ambition by sailing across the Atlantic on a boat.

He joined a professional crew for the epic voyage after undergoing rigorous training on the Solent.

While away, a cheeky member of the St Paul's staff arranged for John's face to be superimposed on one of Captain Jack Sparrow from hit film Pirates Of The Caribbean. He put it into the church newsletter along with a bogus letter purporting to be from the vicar, which described his swashbuckling adventures.

"It was a wonderful experience and I wasn't seasick once despite some rough weather," said John, who has been at the church about six years. "It's great to be back at St Paul's, but I got a real shock when I saw the picture and members of the congregation were calling me Captain John."

John will be talking about his voyage this Sunday at 6.30pm at St Paul's café-style service, The Dining Room. Fresh ground coffee and cake is served at tables and the congregation will be able to ask him questions and later given space to think about their own journeys.

For details about St Paul's, log on to the church website at www.stpaulsyork.org.uk


Gone fishing

THE Diary couldn't help admiring the humour - or optimism - of this York resident, as flood waters turned part of the city into a pond. As reported in The Press yesterday, torrential rain brought misery to the aptly-named Water Lane. But while motorists and pedestrians ploughed through the depths, this angler got out his deck-chair and fishing rod to see what he could catch. The reader in question didn't give us his name, but sent us this picture, joking that he was "fishing for a BMW". Somehow we can't imagine he caught much other than a cold.