Page 37 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

The hull was deep keeled with sharp straight stem and very low cruiser stern.
The decks were flush and open with short, strong side rails. The original sailing mast had
been cut down shorter and now just carried the old boom for shooting the trawl net and
recovering over the low stern with a powerful winch at the foot of the mast.
Power was now an ex World War 2 tank engine mounted deep down in the hull and driving
a single propeller and extra shaft for the winch.

(I have tried every possible source to find a picture of this boat, the only one almost
identical is a Boston Smack 'Nellie and Leslie' now totally restored to sail power and based
in Germany.

Another Smack from the same period was called 'Britannia'. Also owned by the same
family originally. Following a very troubled life, 'Britannia ' still survives and sails from an
Essex home.)

SHELLFISH
Back to the story, Brian concentrated on shrimps and he was a very successful fisherman;
industrious and knowledgeable.
He was looking for someone reliable to take his daily catch to the London Billingsgate
Market every night during the shrimp season.
The season was relatively short and I had to realise that it was only for a few weeks.

In those weeks though, Brian would earn almost half his annual income. Provided he could
get his catch direct to London and cut out the local shell fish agents.
We struck a deal and I was engage to take all the shrimps he could catch each evening
that his boat was able to fish.
It wasn’t always evening actually, everything depended on the tides.

Sometimes he would be back during the afternoon, sometimes it would be well after
midnight before I loaded on the quayside. Sometimes it would be only half a ton but on the
good days I carried a ton or more in one load. This was high value goods and meant just
as much to me to have a good paying client as it did for Brian to have a reliable carrier.

THE MARKET
London’s Billingsgate Market in the 1970’s was the UK centre of the fish wholesale
business. Situated close to the “Pudding Lane” memorial to the Great Fire, the market was
located right on the actual banks of the Thames.
It comprised huge, long glass covered galleries supported by classic Victorian railway
station design cast iron stanchions. Within, were rows and rows of wooden kiosks with
boldly written descriptions of each trader and their speciality. The main building was open
on three sides. No doors, but spread out on the landward side an immense parking area
for lorries to unload their wares.

As soon as 5 o' clock arrived the area suddenly teemed with white smocked Porters
wearing their classic flat leather hats. The main impression I remember was the smell and
sight of fish. The porters’ smocks looked as if they had to last the week out. White, they
were at some time but grubby and coated in fish scales of all descriptions, they were most
of the time.
Much of the smell came from melting ice in fish boxes. Melting ice on the various stalls
displaying the rare and unusual, melting ice dripping from lorries in all directions, melting

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