A VIP Passenger with a Washbasin
As part of the “Incredible Port” project
They say the world survives because people can laugh. In the Odesa Sea Port, they know this better than anyone. In difficult times, a joke, a funny story, or a well-played prank often became the best psychological relief for people whose work was hard and sometimes dangerous.
Many such amusing incidents and true stories have been preserved in the memories of port veterans and in the pages of Odesa Port Worker newspaper. None of them are made up, which makes them especially valuable. Each story reminds us that even in the busy life of a major seaport, there was always something to smile about.
One such story was shared by Yurii Troianov, a veteran of the “Inflot” agency. According to his recollections, this is how an Indian sailor unexpectedly became one of the most memorable VIP passengers ever to pass through Odesa Airport.
The Odesa Sea Port has always known how to surprise people. Ships arrived from every corner of the world, and the people who came ashore often carried stories no scriptwriter could ever invent.
It was the 1960s. An Indian sailor stepped ashore in the Odesa Sea Port carrying a note with the addresses of nearby grocery and household goods stores. He was a practical man: first, he bought a galvanized washbasin, then a whole sack of canned food.
Afterwards, he decided to have a meal at a pelmeni café. He ordered a double portion, then another one. And that was when his body made it clear that his programme for visiting Odesa was about to change.
Instead of sightseeing around the city, he found himself in the operating room of the Seafarers’ Hospital at Velykyi Fontan. He underwent an appendectomy free of charge, just as many foreign sailors did in those years. By the time he recovered, his ship had already left the Black Sea and continued its voyage through the Suez Canal.
The task of sending the sailor back home was entrusted to the “Inflot” agency. It was an important matter, so they dispatched not just any car but a luxurious automobile “Chaika” — a vehicle associated at the time with the highest-ranking officials.
And that was when the real adventure began.
During his stay in hospital, the Indian sailor had developed such a fondness for the bread and butter served there that his wardrobe simply could not cope with it. His trousers would not button, and his jacket refused to close. There was no time to buy new clothes — the plane would not wait.
So the VIP passenger was taken to the airport wearing whatever they had managed to squeeze him into.
The “Chaika” immediately attracted a crowd outside the terminal entrance. People whispered to one another: apparently, some very important official had arrived.
The car door opened.
A distinguished-looking passenger solemnly stepped out, clutching his trousers with both hands to keep them from falling down.
Behind him came the “Inflot” agent carrying a washbasin in one hand and a sack of canned food in the other. Bringing up the rear was the driver with a large trunk balanced on his shoulder.
The procession looked so impressive that an airport employee initially refused to let them through.
“Where are you taking him? Foreign passengers only!”
“But he is our foreign passenger,” — came the calm reply.
Once all the formalities had been settled, another problem arose.
“And who is going to carry his luggage?”
The “Inflot” agent did not even blink.
“Hire some porters. The passenger has just had his appendix removed. Doctors have forbidden him to lift anything heavy.”
Thus, the Odesa Sea Port once again proved that a true VIP is not someone who arrives in a “Chaika”. A true VIP is someone who is seen off with a washbasin, a sack of canned food, and a hilarious story to remember for a lifetime.
