Posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on January 07, 2009 at 15:52:05 user ACB.
In Reply to: Re: Smoking in S&A books posted by Adam Quinan on January 07, 2009 at 15:13:52:
Because the box of cigars had been opened and Ted Walker had smoked some, they were "broached stores" and hence not dutiable.
In the Thirties, amongst "East Coast" yachtsmen such as AR, the Clays and the imagined Bradings, it was, according to Michael Frost's excellent book (which I commend to all messers-about-in-boats) "Boadicea CK213", very much the "done thing" to have on board a box of Dutch cigars and to offer these to guests, thereby demonstrating that you had been to Holland. Mere Belgian cigars did not, apparently, command anything like the same cachet!
Presumably Ted Walker intends to leave the box of cigars aboard the "Goblin" as a "thank you" present.
(I confess to making a point of having some Belgian beer aboard "Mirelle" and offering that, though!)