Hi, Derek,
That trip on the 100 gt Dutch tank barge was a real adventure, even though I was thoroughly conned into going on it.
A friend/neighbour invited me along for a joyride. The barge was to be collected Flushing and delivered Gravesend.
On the trip to Flushing on the Olau Finn, it was blowing force 9/10. That was the first time I ever saw people green with mal-de-mer. The skipper, mate and I had the ferry's bar to ourselves and were actually given free drinks (rather large ones).
On the way back on the barge the following night the wind had dropped but it was still bloody rough.
I finished up chief engineer and ship’s cook on that trip. There was a problem with the engine which required my attention every four hours – to top-up the fresh-water cooling system from the kettle - and in the roughest bit, it was my job to throttle-back the engine when the prop lifted out of the water. The mate was a dead-loss fisherman who couldn't steer the vessel in the rough seas. When we got out of the rough stuff, the skipper was so tired that I had to take the wheel for several hours until the mate surfaced. Then I had to go and cook bacon and eggs for them.
The trip took 20 hours, during which time I had no sleep at all. It really was one of my epic voyages. It took me three or four days to learn to walk in a straight line again on-shore.
As a shipping journalist, I would have loved to have written about my adventure but the whole thing was of such dubious legality that I didn’t want to drop my friend/neighbour in-it. 30 years later I think I can let the cat out of the bag a little here. I don’t think the MRCA, "Board of Trade" or the health and safety people will be too interested this far down the line. At the time, many Dutch barges were being sold to the UK. This is the only one I know of that didn’t come here under tow but under her own power (insurance reasons).
Cheers
Bob