Working in a coal mine - 26

This was the time of the Cuban missile crisis and the ‘four minute’ warning, so getting a ship out of a harbour quickly made a lot of sense.

“They took me the whole length of the Channel, then back again. Reckoned the new fuel mixture was just right, thanks to you, Richard.”

I didn’t know how to reply and wonder if those fishermen who were complaining about us boiling their canal were aware of what it was all about.

“Anyway,” Fred said, “after all that I am knackered, so you are going to have to drive home. You are insured.”