Lible asked:
> A 17-ton boat carrying 20 tons of onions?
The 17 tons refers to
Gertrude's gross register tonnage (GRT), which is a
measure of enclosed volume, not weight. (100 cubic feet = 1 gross register ton). It's common for vessels to carry more cargo in actual tons than their nominal GRT would suggest.
Nevertheless, I'm sure
Gertrude was quite a crowded and aromatic little vessel.
Andy Hall