Page 50 - It's a Rum Life Book One "In the Beginning 1947 to 1960"

(Picture of
restored Boston
Smack Nellie and
Leslie.)

Many of these old
wooden vessels spent
more time under the
water when the tide
came in. From time to
time one or two
seemed to be miraculously brought back to life and after
extensive repairs were to be seen harvesting shrimps once
again. I had not yet realised that the hulls of wooden boats did
not come to any great harm when sunk, as long as it was not for
too long. It was just the mechanical bits and pieces that were
ruined!
I learned all this 20 years later from my very first ‘transport’
client (see Billingsgate in book three) who operated one of these
traditional craft first built before the First World War. If the price
of shrimps was very good and they were plentiful, in one season
the catch from his boat could cover the cost of a full
refurbishment and make some profit too. The engine was the
heart of these deep keeled ex sailing craft, in the 1950’s many
owners were buying war surplus ex tank engines. Petrol was still
cheap and fishermen like farmers had some fuel subsidies and
access to rationed fuel.
While on the subject of tanks, mother had a distant relation
who was a preventative officer on Hull docks and after the end
of the Korean War he suggested we go and view the dozens of
rusty tanks that had been shipped back to the UK as scrap. More
boys own stuff!

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