Customs Dodges

[happy daze john in oz]

In Durban the Criterion atrium was the customs post.
Either side was the hotel, bar one side, rooms and restaurant the other.
The Scottish guy who owned it at the time loved smoked fish, any kind of smoked fish but particularly Kippers which he said he could not buy in SA.

We would over the three weeks getting there his daily small amounts of any kind behind the panels in the first class galley cold larder.
A box or two of kippers was never missed.

But we had to get it ashore.
Put the lot into a black plastic bag and walk ashore telling the MA on the gangway it was rotten food we had to take ashore to dispose of, bit of a fishy smell from the bag was enough to convince him.

Then the customs man, easy, easy give him a few kippers and we were home and hosed.
We drank as many pints as we could all free from Scotty as a show of his appreciation.

[cappy]

###in shields was a cook i sailed with always got a couple of boxes of kippers stowed in the big freezer if he thought they were of to oz.......ist port sydney on the cragmoor he sold the lot to the wharfies....he was in the royal order of buffaloes ...and was adrift two weekends taken to the trots and kanga shooting ...me and the second cook covered for him ..but he blew his stack over something ..went in the galley and chucked everything movable over the wall when in his cups ..the old man a real old type seaman ballocked him to death then told him if he kept his nose clean it would be forgotten ....sadly he did the same thing in durban ....last i saw of him in shields just before he died i had a drink in the wintergardens bar with him ..he was making duck boards ....one old time characters all gone now ....made a bloody good curry though...was proud to no him ....oops for rodgers sake i mean know instead of no....cappy

[happy daze john in oz]

Many years ago in the KGV docks in London there was a café.
It had the cheapest prices going, steaks at almost give away prices.
It was used by dock crews, office staff and even shipping company officials.
No one could understand how the owner sold it so cheaply.

Quite easy when you look into it.
He was an ex seaman and a strong union man.
The union looked after him.
They set the prices for food, prices that gave him a good profit but kept prices extremely low.
Of course when he needed a new side of beef he told the lads on the wharf and one was delivered.
Customs dodges within the docks but of a different kind.

[Doc Vernon]

Somewhere John I know that I posted a Pic of that Café and recall it well.
For the likes of me I cannot find it!
Will have to trawl through my Pics on Puter!
Cheers

[Ronald Maben]

All the ships I sailed on to beat customs I took the fire extinguisher emptied them filled them with fags just as well there was not a fire when the customs left filled my bag with fags got away with it every trip. R874850

It was an old fire extinguisher I found in an old paint locker paint it red

[cappy]

It was an old fire extinguisher I found in an old paint locker paint it red

#####oops sounds like ball tampering ...lol cappy

[Keith Tindell]

Ref 115, however Ronald, if there had been a genuine fire onboard, some sucker may have grabbed that, and got himself in difficulty trying to use it, just an observation from an ex fireman, kt

[robpage]

Any Condemned fire extinguisher I used to let anybody you haven't done a fire course etc let it off and it's amazing how many people didn't know how to let off and ordinary fire extinguisher and then we used to Crush them into the scrap bin . I did a course at the fire brigade training school for a couple of days on fire regulations in buildings and when you've heard them go through different set fires starting with the Manchester Woolworths you start to think and realise how vulnerable you can be

[Keith Tindell]

Rob, go into any hotel, and without doubt you will find the fire extinguisher propping open the self closing fire check doors, that is why i await the official report of the high rise disaster in London, kt

[Doc Vernon]

Yes it is amazing just how many don't know how to use Fire Extinguisher and think more should be done to teach them. Possibly have a short course at local Fire Stations like we did when I worked at the Durban Fire Department.
We held free open instruction days once a Month at most all Stations to educate on not only Extinguishers,but various other things like the Firemans Lift,climbing the Ladder rescue techniques ,Resusitaion procedures and the like , these open days were always packed!
Cheers