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Reposted.. An amazing true old story of Interest to old Trawlermen..

2K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Puffin's skipper 
#1 ·
The Voyage of the Girl Pat (an explanation of sorts)

The Girl Pat from out Grimsby harbour did make,
To hunt schools of halibut, haddock and hake,
Down 'neath the North Sea, where their numbers were legion,
'Til slaughtered by Icelander, Swede and Norwegian.

The crew donned their oilskins and sou' wester hats,
(Except for Mad Jack in his jodhpurs and spats,)
But witnessed a sight most unusually rare: oh
The captain was dressed in long shorts and sombrero.

Said he: "Young cook Howard's a very fine fella,
But he hasn't a clue about making paella.
To remedy this, we’ll sail ‘Pat’ down to Spain."
But engineer Stanley did now’t but complain.

As Stan wasn't happy, they thought they would come,
ashore, having dosed him up well on strong rum,
He was left in a chip shop half-conscious, in Dover,
And when he woke up, Stanly's voyage was over.

They steamed slowly down to a small Spanish port,
Where skipper, Dod Osborne considered it sport,
To paint the boat white, change her name to Ki Ora,
(The name of a drink loved by Jack's dear wife, Flora.)

Dod proclaimed next: "Hey, we’ll cross the Atlantic."
At which news his second mate nearly went frantic:
"We ain't got no charts Dod, and no engineer.
No sextant, no compass, no 'mergency gear!"

"Mad Jack, there, ain't daft, he can handle a spanner;
And I have school Atlas that I bought for a tanner.
Girl Pat she will float, with a fresh coat of lacquer;
And I have that compass I found in a cracker."

Dod laughed, "Its OK lads, it ain't really that far,
French West Africa’s next for a pub crawl in Dakar
Then 3000 miles, for some Rum in Havana,
And if we miss Cuba, we'll drift to Guyana."

They hit Devils Island’s for a very short stay..
Dod said “we’ll be guests here if we don’t get away.
And sure 'nough they did, the Atlantic they bested,
But Oh, what a welcome... our Dod was arrested!

They dragged him back home, gave him eighteen months clink,
For stealing the boat that they’d asked him to sink.
If they didn’t want her, then why shouldn’t he
Sail her on round the world to the Isle of Capri?

The owner‘s forgot that which all seamen know..
That’s she’s not ‘just’ a ship in your cabin below.
She’s your home and your castle to keep you from harm
Keep you cool when your Hot, when you’re cold keep you warm.

To the owners she’s metal, for scrap and for profit.
To her sailors, a real living thing with a heartbeat.
I salute you brave Captain for making your stand,
I’d have been right there with you had I been your deck hand.
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This is just a (bad) amateur poem, but the story told in rhyme is absolutely true. and made a good book..
The Girl Pat was a 70ft seiner, a small fishing boat. She was built in Lowestoft in 1936 and was owned by Marstrand, a Grimsby fishing company.
Her skipper was George ‘Dod’ Orsborne. (Who presumably liked April fool jokes.)
On 1 April 1936, the Girl Pat left Grimsby on what should have been a 12 to 14-day trip to the North Sea fishing grounds off the coast of Scotland then down to the Dogger bank. However, instead of going north she turned south, putting into Dover two days later. She then left again two days after that but seemingly vanished. Nine days later, she was reported to have landed at the small Spanish port, Corcubion. There, having refuelled and refitted, she set off again, this time heading towards Africa. She was then reported to have been sighted in Morocco and later in mid-May at Dakar in French West Africa where the Mate was admitted to hospital and an engineer taken on. By now the Girl Pat had been painted white and disguised from looking like a trawler. Her name had been changed to Ki Ora, a popular brand of squash at the time.
She then set off across the Atlantic, calling at Devil’s Island before going right on to Georgetown, Guyana. On her way she stopped an American ship to ask for provisions but was turned away by a suspicious Captain, even though the seiner had insufficient provisions for an Atlantic crossing. Nevertheless, she was spotted by a plane at Georgetown. A government ship was sent out to intercept them but backed off under serious threats of being rammed and sunk themselves by the Girl Pat’s skipper.
They were later intercepted again but being weak from hunger, and their water now gone the crew eventually surrendered. They were all arrested and later released in Guyana, but the skipper, George (Dod) Osborne and his brother, James, (Mad Jack) Osborne were re-arrested on 29 June. They and Hector Harris and Howard Stephens (who was only 17) were taken back to Southampton and from there on to Gravesend.
George and James Osborne appeared at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court and were later tried at the Old Bailey. George was given 18 months’ hard labour and James 12. While in prison, George Osborne wrote an account of his journey. It was the first of five books that he wrote. He had become quite a celebrity – in Grimsby, he was regarded as a hero rather than a rogue. His defence at the trial, which was strongly denied, was that he had been encouraged to ‘lose’ the Girl Pat at sea for insurance purposes. There were other rumours of gun-running and of providing support for the Spanish Civil War. Possibly this whole episode was just a jaunt, a gesture to protest against the dullness and hardship of their everyday fishing lives. In later life, George Osborne had a colourful war career, some of which tests credibility to the extreme. After the war he was again convicted, this time of gun-running and he died in the 1950s. He had a fitting end for a good sailor, he suffered a heart attack at sea while the skipper of a yacht, taking a ‘run job’ across from England over to France. The Cook, 17 year old Howard Stephens is now 83 and living in Cornwall. He says that Stanley, the engineer, (who presumably objected to the affair,) was ‘got drunk’ and abandoned in a fish and chip shop in Dover. He still insists that the whole thing was done at the instigation of the owners. The ship was not paying its way and the plan was to scuttle her and claim on the insurance. Dod Osborne loved his Girl Pat and had other ideas! Howard had no experience as Ships cook, but asked for a job, and Osborne gave him it, telling him he would look after him. (If the original plan had been followed - to take her out and sink her - presumably the lack of Howards culinary skills wouldn't have mattered.) As it was he took him to Spain, as the story goes to show him how to make Paella but this was in the Spanish Civil war so who really knows why he made for a port not in fascist hands? Especially as, years later after the 2nd world war Osborne was convicted of gun running! Coincidence?
It is said that the only navigational aids available on the Girl Pat were a school atlas bought for a tanner,(six old pence)) and a small compass. Certainly the only charts ever aboard would have been for the North sea. They did however get over to South America with just the stars to guide them with only enough fuel in the tanks for a trip to the Dogger bank and back. When they couldn’t “con” any more fuel oil and the engine did finally stop they simply used the wind for the next 1000 miles. In my book, real sailors despite all being lunatics and the mate not even having a ticket.
Good one Skipper., ‘respect’ to the brothers, Dod and Mad Jack Osborne, their story fascinated me, aged only 13. I’d borrowed a library book and read of his adventure.
His book showed me the whole world was out there, if you only had the bottle to just go and look for it.
I did just that aged 15 and went to the Vindi, then on to see the world like George Osborne had, inspired to a life at sea just by a library book I’d read.

Its well worth a read if still in print: “The Voyage of the Girl Pat” by George.Osborne
 
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#4 ·
ALL fisherman have to be mad to do the job Rusty.. I did two short trips as a deckie learner out of Hull and spent most of it even sleeping in the same clothes, freezing my cuticles off breaking packing ice in the ice room or being sick.. I couldn’t get to Goole and get deep sea fast enough.. Its wasn’t a job for the faint hearted, especially off the Icelandic grounds in winter.
 
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