The Girl Pat Trawler

from Lincs to Land and Sea by Jan and Paul Ramsey

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about

In 1936 the small trawler, Girl Pat, based in the port of Grimsby in Lincolnshire caused a media storm when its Captain, ‘Dod’ Osborne, took it on a transatlantic journey without the owner’s permission. The story ended with Dod and his stowaway brother sentenced to hard labour for theft of the trawler.

Dod gave various accounts of his reasons for going as far south as Georgetown, Guiana, ranging from the trawler’s owner instructing him to dispose of the boat to gain insurance monies, to gun running, and even being on a mission for the Government linked to the Spanish Civil War. By the end of the escapade the trawler had travelled more than 11,000 km with only a sixpenny school atlas and a compass.

A film was made of Dod’s adventures. Offered a large sum of money for an account of the voyage (£250k in present day money), Dod instead lent his name to an unsuccessful ghost-written version of the saga. The Spectator summed up the general public and press support for the brothers when it printed that the story ‘‘had given romantic satisfaction to the whole world’, and that Captain Dod had ‘become a national hero’.

lyrics

Fools' day ’36, and out of Grimsby the tiny trawler slips
It’s meant to be an ordinary run
But the captain he has other plans, that'll change Girl Pat for ever
They head not to Dogger Bank but south for stores from Dover

There was Captain Dod, a stowaway plus the burly crew of four
And the owner’s engineer was left behind upon the shore
With no charts to give them guidance, just a sixpenny school atlas
Yet the Grimsby crew believed they would go far

Desperate, lost, they run aground get rescued, held at anchor then
Gaumont makes a film about their flight
Slipped their mooring, changed the name, sailed for the Bay of Biscay
But all in vain, for their wake was very closely followed

When caught and arrested, lies and outlandish claims the crew they made
From fraud to running guns or working for the State
They always failed to explain their strange behaviour
The Captain and his brother got sentenced to hard labour

Offered thousands for his story, Dod chose to write a book instead
Was he a thief, adventurer or just a dunderhead
The boat became the star, raising money for the Seamen’s Mission
Whilst of the crew no news was ever heard again

credits

from Lincs to Land and Sea, released May 22, 2022
Ramsey

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about

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Jan and Paul Ramsey Grimsby, UK

Jan and Paul first began singing together when they were students. Jan plays guitar and sings lead vocals, and Paul plays single reed harmonica and vocals. They are renowned for their close harmonies. Over the years they have performed extensively in the UK and overseas. They have held various residencies in UK folk clubs and are currently residents at Grimsby Folk Club. ... more

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