Appeal December 2007: Boxing at Christmas Day?

Takahiro Nagasawa, Vice-president

Australia, which is popular in traveling abroad, is famous for the export of iron ore. But we seldom know that good crude oil of low-sulfur is produced there.
20 years ago, we took down the anchor at the off of Phillip Island, famous for the penguin parade, at the end of the year December 22th, to enter into the Western-Port harbor, about 100km west from Melbourne. We didn't obtain easily the permission to come alongside the pier where crude oil is sent off. Because we knew that it was difficult at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, we waited December 26th. But our agency answered us that he couldn't obtain the perission because of the Boxing Day.
Boxing Day, not much familiar in Japan, is the next day of Christmas Day when the boxes, which the church collects for poor people as contribution, are opened. This is the reason why December 26th is called "Boxing Day". Though it has no relation with the sport, the young sailors thought that it was the day of boxing match. The other crews gave a wry smile.
At last we obtaied the permission at January 3rd. We came alongside the pier to send off crude oil. I admired that the people enjoy Christmas neglecting their work also in the warm Southern Hemisphere. We left port at January 4th behind time for two weeks. Needless to say, we sailed at full speed towards Koa Oil at Semboku in Osaka.