Recollections

1.

John Stewart

Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland

Sailing to Leith

Thank you to John Stewart, now living in Livingston, West Lothian, who wrote:

Passengers

"This photo shows me returning from Montreal to Leith on board MV Cairndhu in September 1956, after having spent seven months in Canada.

Cairndhu plied between Montreal and Leith in the 1950s and 1960s.

Also on board were:

-  Bill Wade, an ex-pat from Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

-  Ruth and her brother Charles Couch, also from Cleveland.

-  Stephen,  a young Scots lad, returning to Scotland to take up a Uni course."

The Journey

"The trip took ten days and there were only five passengers on it. We were each allocated an outboard cabin.  Unfortunately, we had to share the toilet facilities or `the heads` to quote the nautical name for it.  The trip cost me all of £55.

The Americans would not let me spend a penny on drinks etc, despite me telling the steward otherwise.

I would often go on the aft deck to blether with some of the crew who came from Leith.  When we arrived off Leith, the tide was out so we had to anchor in the `Roads' until such time the tugs came out for us.  The tugs were the Inchkeith and the Inchgarvie.

All the time we stood offshore looking over to Leith, the Americans kept asking me if I was becoming impatient."

John Stewart:  March 23, 2010

Photos - Leith

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