The type of small, inshore craft that would make drops of 'tubs' off secluded coves for later collection from the land. The tubs (containing all manner of merchandise from brandy to tea) were often bought in the Channel Islands and sailed across the English Channel under cover of darkness with black or maroon sails to cloak their progress.
Notorious smuggler Jack Rattenbury from Beer on the east coast of Devon plied his lucrative trade all along the Lyme Bay coastline.
If challenged by a coastguard cutter or Royal Navy vessels, the tubs were thrown overboard and the smugglers could proceed without arrest. On many occasions they could return an hour or so later to retrieve their cargo.
Friday, August 16, 2013
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