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emergency response to reports of a yacht fire in Dittisham. “Off we went hurtling up the river, the fire engine


with it’s flashing lights going. “We get past the Anchor Stone, I flipped around the


search light and saw about 100 yachts moored here, there and everywhere. “I thought if anything’s on fire in there I’ll probably sink 10 yachts getting in amongst it. “The guys in the harbour launch came back and said “It’s alright there’s no fire, somebody was having a barbecue on the back of a yacht.”” Back in 1985, Duncan was drafted in


to drive Donald Sutherland across the River Dart. The actor was starring as


the test. “Me and Nick Bell took the test at the same time. He


drove one way and I drove the other and then they asked us three questions: what’s the signal to go to port, what does the fire extinguisher do, and which ships do you give way to? “We went up to the office for an eye test and then he


“I tried to drive


paleontologist Dr Arthur Calgary in Agatha Christie’s mystery ‘Ordeal By Innocence,’ filmed on location in Dartmouth. “They hired the ferry for day,” remembers Duncan. “I saw Donald, he was a tall bloke. He had one of these old fashioned cars parked in the middle of the ferry and were going across. There’s a cameraman on the other slipway filming it.


away but caught the end of his prow and put a hole in it. Luckily he didn’t sink.”


said “that’s it, you’ve passed.” “Now, it’s a couple of weeks course, you’ve got to do everything – I wouldn’t like to take it again.” Duncan often found himself driving alongside dolphins. “Years ago there used to be about


four of five dolphins here, they used to follow us all afternoon alongside the tug and tucking in between the bow of the tug and the float. “Very often you’d do your last trip at five-to-11 at night and they’d follow


you to the moorings. Then you’d get in the little launch and you’d come over to Dartmouth and they’d still be there; it was like they was keeping an eye on you, making sure you got home alright.” Duncan retired from the job in April, finishing on a


late shift and sharing a few ciders on the quay with his workmates. “I thought I might get a bit teary but no, I was


alright,” he said. “I always said when I finished I would throw my boots in the river, so I did and then I went home.” Born and bred in Dartmouth, Duncan says he


wouldn’t ever want to leave the town. He is enjoying having time to himself - coarse fishing


at Old Mill, walking his dog on the promenade early in the morning and passing the time of day with the many locals he spent 41 years plying across the River Dart.


“One of the bloke’s comes back to me and says


“the producer says can you please drive the ferry in a straight line.” “I told him to tell the producer to have a word with Neptune as the tide was going out. They didn’t know about the tide.” Nothing seems to phase Duncan and despite sometimes operating in strong winds, torrential rain and stormy waters he only had one accident. “I crunched a boat. It was the crabber Our Pammy when Dibby Brown had it. He was coming in the river and I was coming across from Dartmouth. He came at me so I blew the horn and he didn’t change direction. “I tried to drive away but caught the end of his prow and put a hole in it. Luckily he didn’t sink.” Duncan learned to drive the tug on the job. “It’s like driving a car, you’ve got somebody alongside you. You stay in there a couple of months doing the shifts and a nice bloke would turn up and do


“I enjoyed working on the ferry but I won’t miss it, I’ve done me bit. It’s my time now,” he said.


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