Dry Ships & Bringing Booze Aboard.

[Jim Brady]

A guy was at the mission before,we were locked out so we got to talking,he had a bag with a few bottles of spirits loose cans of beer and a carton of lager.This drink had been confiscated at the gate or wherever to stop seamen taking it aboard and so it is donated to the mission.I remember on the cruises on the Empress boats bottles of Bacardi etc were confiscated at the gangway and dropped right into the dock.Maybe it is taken at the gate now to stop people walking through the refinery with it (Im only guessing that's where its from).In actual fact I don't think you can walk through Stanlow etc now I think it is a mini bus job,so maybe searched before getting aboard mini bus.So the job is being done on behalf of the captain and the company.

Regards.
Jim.B.

[Denis O'Shea]

Jim I had 2 mates sailed on the England & then the Canada both ROs Bill McAllister & Larry Sumners who sadly crossed the bar a few months ago. Rgds Den.

[Jim Brady]

Den I sailed on the France and the Britain worked by for a week or two on the Canada,only ever got to know the chf/RO's name as he was on my table in the 1st class restaurant,name Mann.

Regards.
Jim.B.

[j.sabourn]

#1. Jim the alcohol rules should be under the heading of the sublime to the ridiculous . As usual is taken by some to extreme lengths. Going back to the times when most of us went to sea , when dry ships were supposedly dry, the ones I was on always had a spirit locker usually in the masters accomodation. This was put on board the ship to facilitate and grease the wheels of officialdom as presents to customs and excise and immigration. The biggest hand outs I ever saw was in Venezuela where every official and there were plenty received at least 2 bottles each plus of course the ever handy cigarettes. Graft always has and always will be practiced in government circles as well as elsewhere. Then we went to the shipowner being benevolent and allowing beer on board with usually a company bond from which he had to make his own profit. This was two fold in practice as also kept some on board rather than going ashore and perhaps causing mayhem. Even in some of the uk ports, Hull was one , all women had to be ashore by sunset, this included wives. Later a few oil spills and drink is blamed in a few cases and all get penalised. We have done the full circle and back to where we started with the added scientific additions of breathalysers , to see if your fit to drive a 300,000 ship. Even to go ashore today and let your hair down, you face the prospect of some retired bloke in his retirement job and blue shirt of breathalyzing you and refusing you passage to board your floating home from home. JS

As you know I was mate on the Pennyworth in 1964 , can’t remember if it was the 2 or the ass. Stwd. Used to come into my cabin to clean. I used to keep a bottle of 4 bells in the cabinet for any tots as required. This was well before the social self made upheaval of drink on board ships. Doing short trips and going into Middlesbrough a lot I used to manage to get home for the night , and used to take home for my old man any remains in the rum bottle. One time on my query if he liked it, his reply was it was nearly all water. So didn’t take long to figure out that the steward was taking a quick snifter and topping it up with water. I wouldn’t have cared less all he had to do was ask and he could of had. So the next bottle I put in the cabinet I added black draft to. He was ashen for the next week or so and spent most time in the toilet. Nothing was ever said , but I put a proper bottle back in the cabinet and dumped the other. Never had no shortages after that. You were I beleive there at a different period so assume it wasn’t you ? Cheers JS

[Shaun Gander]

I'm sure the required time has passed for liability and slightly different but achieving pleasant food for his crew.

A certain ferry chef used to swop fish, crab and lobster for duty free goods via his cabin port hole and a canvas bag I remember when he was reassigned a dock side cabin he was pissed! This was all before ISPS and today's world situation.

SDG

[John Arton]

I never sailed on a dry ship though latterly the company introduced restrictions on the sale of alcohol 18 hours before arrival in port. Bringing alcohol on board was forbidden and I can only recall one incident where one of the crew attempted to bring a bottle on board. He had purchased it in Botlek stores and it was an expensive bottle of brandy, supposedly as a present for someone at home. I relieved him of it and kept it in the bond locker until he payed off. Daft lad as if he had asked me I would have got it far cheaper for him from the chandler, duty free.
I always had a well stocked bond and slop chest on board and never had any problems with drunkenness amongst the crew.
As JWS says, the master used to have a bond stock to give as "presents" to grease the palms of shore whallahs, customs, port authority etc. The worst place for this I ever went too was Algeria and Moroccan ports where I have had port officials literally fighting each other over who got the lions share of the cigarettes presents. Used to have about 20 cartons of cigarettes ready to give out to ease port entry in those countries and if we did two ports then the look on the faces of the port officials when they realised the bond was sealed and no presents was priceless.
Jim
Stanlow now has restricted access to all its berths and anyone visiting a ship has to have their name put on a list of visitors held at the main gate, along with the ship's crew list. Access to and from the ship for free is by infernal mini bus transport, provided free by shell. There is a guard building at the main gate that you waiting for your taxi to town or the mini bus when you return. All bags are examined and it is Shell themselves, not the ship, that bans bringing alcohol through the terminal. Ships agents are allowed to bring their diesel only cars down to designated parking areas near the berths but outside the fenced area around each berth and only after they have been vetted, police checked and issued with a terminal pass.
Getting spares, stores or service provider on board was a right pain with loads of paperwork and checks involved. All brought about when after 9/11the USA pushed ISPS legislation through IMO without thinking through how it could impact on ships crews freedom to enjoy a run ashore.
Rgds
J.A.

[cappy]

###one thing about the ore carriers ...each arrival back in the uk was the chance for a docking bottle to take for the old folk .....and greatly recieved i might add........cappy

[Lewis McColl]

Anyone boarding a ship today has had to have been granted permission by either the Master or the company has advised the master that such and such will be boarding, Agents , Chandlers etc! all require a boarding pass. When they come up the gangway they also then have to sign and receive an ID tag which has to be returned when leaving the vessel, they also have to sign out. Also the gangway man has the right /permission from the master to request any luggage , brief cases etc! to be opened for inspection or search. In BP we had one engineering super when asked to open his brief case refused and decided to just walk away after giving the gangway man a mouthful. I was on the ships manifold at the time and informed the C/Off in CCR what had just taken place. 5 minutes later he was being escorted back to the gangway by the Chief Engineer, with his brief case in his hands and was ever so apologetic to the young OS who went through case very thoroughly. Just because he was from Head office he thought he could bully his way on board. Obviously word got back to the office as after that anytime a super came on board they automatically presented the case for inspection, sometimes it was opened and sometimes not. These days if when coming back from ashore and the gateman suspects you have had a drink they may not let you through the gate. If this happens and when you eventually are allowed access to the port there is every likely hood you will be breathalysed. Yes no doubt about it going to sea these days is a bundle of fun. My last few years, I was on trips 10 weeks on 10 weeks off . I stayed dry the whole time on board, it was good to give the liver a rest and also helped in getting rid of a more than a few kilos. We had very good gyms on the ships and without really busting your gut 10kgs was easy to lose. I was always a jogger when I was at sea be it a run ashore or on tankers endless laps around the deck. Then BP decided jogging on deck was dangerous so it was banned by some gobsh-te in the HSE department from the office.

[j.sabourn]

#7... All those docking bottles Cappy were not a legality. You were supposed to be allowed a part bottle with the seal broken for personal use only , was only a concession by the customs officer you were allowed an intact bottle. The carpenter on the Pennyworth Kenny Coulthard from Middlesbrough used to do the same, until his house was raided by the customs , who incidentally have more power than the police and do not require a search warrant. He had about 15 or so bottles, was heavily fined, the bottles confiscated , and he went in to the black book of the customs. If Kenny is still alive and happens to read this, I don’t suppose he will mind as was 54 years ago. Just think of those 15 or so bottles and what you could do with them over the next week. Merry Xmas To Kenny if he’s alive or dead . JS.

[Tony Taylor]

#7... All those docking bottles Cappy were not a legality. You were supposed to be allowed a part bottle with the seal broken for personal use only , was only a concession by the customs officer you were allowed an intact bottle. The carpenter on the Pennyworth Kenny Coulthard from Middlesbrough used to do the same, until his house was raided by the customs , who incidentally have more power than the police and do not require a search warrant. He had about 15 or so bottles, was heavily fined, the bottles confiscated , and he went in to the black book of the customs. If Kenny is still alive and happens to read this, I don’t suppose he will mind as was 54 years ago. Just think of those 15 or so bottles and what you could do with them over the next week. Merry Xmas To Kenny if he’s alive or dead . JS.

That happened to a certain senior deck officer on lightening ships, every time in Teessport, customs man used to roll off well pi--ed, case went north to Tyne area, until raided, say no more.