1 Long Tom: Arrrr! What year be this?
1 Nigerian Finance Minister: 2008, why?
2 Long Tom: Ye scurvy bilge rat! This nay be the past!
2 Ponsonby: Hmmm. Yes.
3 Ponsonby: We've been blown off course. This whole year is a space-time Sargasso, swirling with temporal eddies and maelstroms.
4 Long Tom: Enough wi' the nautical metaphors! Be tellin' us what really be goin' on!

The Sargasso Sea is a large patch of ocean in the middle of the North Atlantic with little to no current and often no wind. It's there because of the circulation of water clockwise around the North Atlantic Ocean - you need somewhere in the middle where the water just sits still.

In nautical folklore it's known as a mysterious region in which sailing ships can be becalmed for long periods, or even to vanish for no apparent reason. The floating seaweed Sargassum is abundant in the region, and has a reputation of being able to ensnare ships, although this threat is highly exaggerated. As such, the Sargasso has become a metaphor for a place of mystery and danger.

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2020-12-13 Rerun commentary: In hindsight, I may have chosen the wrong year.

Imagine if originally back in 2008 when I made this comic I'd nominated the year 2020 as the space-time Sargasso. Right now I'd be typing: "Ha! I told you so!!"