Cant remember this being done!!!!!!!!!!!!

[John Arton]

Don't know how true this is but I was told one ship with wood panelling in the cabins, the lads had stuck pipe tobacco flakes over the joints between the panels that made it look like wooden beading over the joints.
Memsahib and myself were paying off a bulker in Rotterdam with a load of swag when the Dutch black gang, who could be just as bad if not worse than the Avonmouth lot raided us. Managed to get away without our cabin been searched by telling that memsahib was still in bed so they could not go in the cabin. They eventually gave up wanting to search our cabin and put there o.k. chalk mark on the door.
re. Company names.
NOSIRA shipping, who built a few geared bulkers in Sunderland, managed for them by Bolten Steamships, was ARISON {Mickey Arison} backwards, he being the guy who with the CPR's backing started off Carnival. At the launch of the Nosira Lim, one of the directors of Boltens was also a head honcho of the CPR.
Re. Greeks
When I was working with them as Port Captain, all the Greek Captains favourite ships were crude oi tankers and they used to tell me in great detail how they would mix crude oil with bunker fuel, flog the cargo figures using the allowed loss of cargo due to water content or evaporation during passage and then sell on the unused real bunkers in order to have the correct voyage consumptions.
rgds
JA

[cappy]

Don't know how true this is but I was told one ship with wood panelling in the cabins, the lads had stuck pipe tobacco flakes over the joints between the panels that made it look like wooden beading over the joints.
Memsahib and myself were paying off a bulker in Rotterdam with a load of swag when the Dutch black gang, who could be just as bad if not worse than the Avonmouth lot raided us. Managed to get away without our cabin been searched by telling that memsahib was still in bed so they could not go in the cabin. They eventually gave up wanting to search our cabin and put there o.k. chalk mark on the door.
re. Company names.
NOSIRA shipping, who built a few geared bulkers in Sunderland, managed for them by Bolten Steamships, was ARISON {Mickey Arison} backwards, he being the guy who with the CPR's backing started off Carnival. At the launch of the Nosira Lim, one of the directors of Boltens was also a head honcho of the CPR.
Re. Greeks
When I was working with them as Port Captain, all the Greek Captains favourite ships were crude oi tankers and they used to tell me in great detail how they would mix crude oil with bunker fuel, flog the cargo figures using the allowed loss of cargo due to water content or evaporation during passage and then sell on the unused real bunkers in order to have the correct voyage consumptions.
rgds
JA

yes john you had to be smart to beat them ........happy xmas to you and yours and dont forget alfs card .....regards cappy

[Roger Dyer]

Hi Terry, ........Am reading the contents of this thread with great amusement... brings back fond memories of the way we were. Siddy Alford, a dapper Londoner with a thin moustache, was a cook (and a good one) on many U.B.C. ships during the 60's and 70's. Pending an expected search by the 'rummagers', Sid's 'modus operandi' was to place all non-perishable items of suitable dimension inside a sealed tin and then place them on the galley stove, inside a simmering, pot of Stew or Curry. Don't ask me how, but he got away with it for years. I don't think he would mind me telling you, because I feel sure that by now he's serving up his delicious voul-au-vents on Fiddlers Green. Another prospective 'stash' not mentioned, thus far, was the Anchor Locker, but then only if you were prepared to risk the likelihood of those dreaded words from on high......."leggo the anchor"

..............Roger

[happy daze john in oz]

On the Accra some AB,s used to get boxes from the Las Palmas dolls and put them on top of the heating trunking with a note saying"ha,ha,got you that time.
I heard that customs pulled a large amount of cigs from behind the shell on a shell tanker

A lot of the lads would buy one of the dolls and put a bottle of booze in the box. But on the gang way the mater at arms wouls make them open the box and then take the booze off them. I got smart, bought two dolls and went back to the ship. As I wqent up the gang way with the lids off the MAA ignored me, little did he know I had two bottles inside my waiste band hidden under my jumper.

[cappy]

quite a few years ago i was on holiday in estepona in spain .......the sun must have got to me as i decided to g over the border to gib and surprise my beloved with a nice diamond ring.......told her i was off fishing with a spanish guy who had a sailing boat......got the ring after bargaining like a port said boatmen......then sat in a bar thinking how i would get it past the spansh customs as they were doing one of there stop all brits and take duty free cigs and extras off them or pay a ridiculous tax in the end i put the ring on my finger and turned the diamondto the palm of my hand ........walked throgh no prob ......i still remember the brownie points that night to this day .......the ring has been passed to my eldest daughter now and on a recent valuation for insurance has now grown in value to the tune of 11 times .........ah the pleasyre of duty free in gib to an old man on a cold winters night......and the memories of that holiday....regards cappy

[Jim Brady]

Doing a run job Liverpool to London on the Condessa no ciggie issue so you took enough cigs with you to last the day and a half whatever it was.Ship broke down all hands like headless chickens without a smoke,we all turned into customs rummagers searching the specks that we knew of.I found about 1lb of loose tobacco under a mattress,it was fresh enough.Problem was stewards did'nt realy smoke rolls so we had to turn to the deck/engine lads for papers no problem.The word got around that we had tobacco all hands were coming from everywhere for a roll or two,they were quite welcome, happy days.I worked by galley boy on one of L&H banana boats the Boswell,I was there to meet her when she docked,the customs were everywhere.I was working in the galley customs cleared off the 2nd cook took this big fish kettle off the stove the top was covered in over poached fish six bottles of rum he had in it.He then opened a big tin of dry custard and took an envelope out of that.Being my first cargo boat I was amazed.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[John Arton]

Anyone been into Workington in the last few years?
There was a pub, one of many in the town, just by the dock that never seemed to close. Berthing or sailing from there was only +/- a coupe of hours around high water so even if high water was say 0300 you could still get a drink in that pub.
One of the regular callers to Workington was a Moroccan flagged and crewed tanker that used to bring Phosphoric Acid into Workington every couple of months. Customs in Workington were basically non existent but they got a tip off that this ship was bringing a large consignment of cannabis into the port for distribution throughout the NW of England so customs officer from all over the NW turned up mob handed.
As the ship was been swung in the basin and backed slowly down through the dock gates {a frightening experience for a first time master like me with the very aid back approach to this very tricky manoeuvre by the pilot, a character in his own right but a great pilot who I became friendly with over the years I used to run in there) the Moroccan crew saw all these Customs men lined up on the quay waiting to board once the ship tied up. On seeing these customs officers the crew frantically started throwing black sacks full of weed over the side into the dock to such an extent that by the time the customs did board all the drugs were sinking to the bottom of the dock and none was found on board.
Whoever was behind this drug shipment must have not only have been a bit riled at losing his big consignment of drugs but stupid enough to arrange a further consignment for that ships next trip to Workington some months later, again which the Customs got to know about but this time they boxed a bit cleverer.
I was on my way to this pub one late night ng,with a couple of cartons of fags for the landlady as usual and on entering the pub found it stowed out with men all dressed in the same blue wolly pully's. Quickly realising they were customs officers waiting for the Moroccan ship to berth I hid my stash in the bushes outside the pub and went back in my pint. Once the Moroccan Ship had berthed all the Customs Officer, who just previously had moved and hidden behind the dockside sheds, rushed the gangway and collared all the crew before they had a chance to ditch the drugs. Apparently that raid led to one of the biggest haul of illegal drugs at the time.
There was a rumour that a local scuba diver used to search the dock bottom at night when there was no ships in, searching for the drugs that had been ditched the first time and was quite successful in his activities. I can quite believe it as Workington was a pace where you could get anything from knock off cars, car parts, drugs, sex, you name it. Within minutes of going into certain pubs you were likely to be offered any and all of the above.
rgds
JA

[Jim Brady]

Remember when you could buy lighters in Ireland for half crown I think they were,the storm lighters were always a good seller.I sailed with an Irish fireman he was telling me that he was on a coaster bringing coal from Ireland over to England.In Ireland before the coal was loaded they put a 50 gallon drum down the hatch with a drain pipe going into it,once the coal was loaded they sent lots of lighters down the drainpipe,job done removed said pipe.When the coal was discharged empty drum of lighters and they had a buyer here in England.
Regards.
jim.B.

[Roger Dyer]

Amendment to my #23.........wherein I referred to the Anchor Locker....I did, of course, mean the Chain Locker.

...........Roger

[Ivan Cloherty]

Amendment to my #23.........wherein I referred to the Anchor Locker....I did, of course, mean the Chain Locker.

...........Roger

Be careful Roger, you may become a ghost writer, but at least you didn't move a Continent