Alistair Macnab
28th December 2009, 20:31
Did anyone else hear about the two old Bank Boats that were crossing the North Pacific between Vancouver and Yokohama in the 1920s. Ships were sailing in the opposite direction and each reached the International Date Line at about the same time where they rendezvouzed, stopped the engines, put the boats in the water and had an exchange of Happy New Year for 24 hours! Masters were either choochter brothers or else came from the same heilan' clachan.
It was not noticed by the London office for many a long day (the date line complication of sequential days and dates made the ships' logs confusing reading) and the apparent loss of one day in an ETA was not an unusual incident in these early motorships.
Until someone visiting the Head Office made mention of 'the best Hogmanay ever' and the cat was out of the bag!
Can you imagine this happening today?
Happy New Year to all SN readers from Houston Texas!!
It was not noticed by the London office for many a long day (the date line complication of sequential days and dates made the ships' logs confusing reading) and the apparent loss of one day in an ETA was not an unusual incident in these early motorships.
Until someone visiting the Head Office made mention of 'the best Hogmanay ever' and the cat was out of the bag!
Can you imagine this happening today?
Happy New Year to all SN readers from Houston Texas!!