CHAPTER THREE: The Top Forty Battle.

     I was sitting on the stern deck watching an approaching boat. It looked like the tender that, from time to time, would bring us supplies. The sun was shining and the sea was calm. Good, I thought, the boat will bring fan mail. I loved the fan mail, the support, the enthusiasm, but above all the attention from so many young girls. As I watched the boat getting larger, I could hear over our radio speakers, Simon Dee introducing Anyone Who Had A Heart by Cilla Black. Just then Jerry Leighton popped his head out the square porthole behind me and said “Looks like the tender is coming. Maybe there will be some more deejays.”
“Looks like Ronan's on board.” I said.

Ronan O'Rahilly and Allan Crawford announcing the merger

     The tender came along side and Ronan jumped across the moving gap onto our deck. “Okay, you guys” he said “I don't have much time. We have to talk. We'll meet in the studio so that Simon can be with us.”
     In the broadcast studio we all crowded around Ronan, wanting to hear the news. “Well it's like this” Ronan began “Allan Crawford and I have made a deal. Radio Atlanta will become Radio Caroline South.”
“Have you bought the ship from Allan Crawford?” I asked.
“Oh, goodness no! He'll still own the ship but we have made a joint venture for selling advertising, otherwise we still run our own ships. This ship will sail up north and become Radio Caroline North and that way we'll cover the whole of the U.K.”
“Where will Caroline North be anchored?” asked Jerry Leighton.
“That's top secret” replied Ronan. “You'll know when you are almost there. If the government was to find out, there could be problems. But that's not the question. The question is, who is staying on this ship to go up north and who is going over to the Mi Amigo for Caroline South?”

The merger is announced (click to magnify)

     Without any hesitation, Simon said “I'll go over to the Mi Amigo.” Jerry Leighton and I decided to stay on our ship and sail up north. I liked this ship and, besides, the thought of sailing around the coast and broadcasting as we went was most appealing.
“Okay” said Ronan “Jerry, you take over Simon's show and Simon you grab your things and come with me over to the Mi Amigo.”
“That quick?” said Simon.
“Yes, this is happening now.”
“Well in that case” said Simon “I'm taking the top forty”.
“No you are not!” I shouted.
“Damn right I am!” he said as he moved towards the box of top forty records.
I dived for the box, grabbed it first and took off out to the deck.
“I need that! shouted Simon.

Simon Dee

“There'll be plenty of records already on the other ship.” I shouted back. “This is our life line.”
“Okay, enough of this” said Ronan. “We don't have time for this. We have to go Simon.”
     Ronan moved quickly and jumped back onto the tender. I scrambled up high, right onto the top of our ship, clutching the box of top forty. I knew that without these records we would be nothing. Our whole existence was in this small box of 45s, in this little box of vinyl. Simon was still shouting at me as he stood on the tender and sailed away. And then amid the silence with the sound of the waves slushing on the side of the ship, Jerry Leighton and I looked at each other and began to laugh.
     We both jumped up and down and said, “Hey, hey, we're going up north.”

©Tom Lodge 2002