Tony Course on Transport

I think it was a very exciting craft to operate because you had 30 odd people behind you watching every move, and I remember whilst I was training, learning, coming … I won’t give the Pilot’s name … we were coming back from Woolston Southampton, one dark night, blowing a pretty hooligan from the northwest, and the Pilot got as far as the north end of Southampton Water and turned round because he was having difficulty and told all the passengers to go to the right hand side, the starboard side of the craft.

We progressed, he was still having difficulties and he put them all on the port side I thought Christ, and then we went a bit further and he put them all right back on the stern and OK we got to Cowes, but what he didn’t know was the Chairman of Red Funnel was one of the passengers going back to the Isle of Wight.

I can’t remember his name, but he complained loudly the next day to Management, but I thought it was hilarious.