Lisburn Exiles Forum

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Xmas Dinner at sea

With Xmas coming up I thought I would mention one particular Christmas Day that I experienced on a British Tanker homeward bound in the Gulf of Suez after being away eight months.We had anchored in Port Suez while awaiting passage through the Suez Canal when the agents boat arrived alongside with our Xmas provisions which we had ordered ahead by radio. these included chickens for Xmas dinner, however when the Chief Steward inspected them he found them rotten to the point they smelt to high heaven, so they were dumped overboard and as we proceeded through the canal on Xmas day we had sandwiches for dinner and everyday until we arrived in Rotterdam. Mauri

Re: Xmas Dinner at sea

Mauri, you've experienced good and bad but always interesting. I'm sure you appreciate Christmas dinner now.

Re: Xmas Dinner at sea

Yes Ann I sure do??, actually on that trip we didn't know it until we got to Rotterdam but we were booked to go into dry dock in Belfast so after unloading in Rotterdam we had a rough trip up the Irish sea to Bangor where we anchored for the night and then proceeded up the Lough to Harland & Wolfs the next morning. After docking in Belfast we were all ready and dressed to leave the ship when all of a sudden a whole bus load of custom officer invaded the ship and just about tore it apart as during a routine search a custom officers had found drugs in the engine room which must have been purchased when we were backwards and forwards from the Persian Gulf to Indian ports. Nobody was allowed to leave the ship until the search was completed which was as you can guess pretty frustrating seeing as we were sitting with eight months pay in our pockets. Anyway we finally got off and along with a buddy took a cab up to Lisburn. Mauri

Re: Xmas Dinner at sea

Mauri, you should have left the rotting chickens for the customs officer to find (somewhere out of sight and scent). That would have given them something to look for, eh? Imagine with all that money saved up you chose to visit Lisburn first. Home is where the heart is.