I sailed into Yarmouth, NS on Seawind 30 foot yawl about thirty years ago landing on the forth of July. Had quite a fun time with a young rent-a-cop Customs Official who found we had too much booze aboard for the number of persons we carried (two adult males and two teenage boys). We had to give up a quart of "London Dry Gin" as overage (actually cheap Blanchard's rotgut . . cost about two bucks a gallon.) I balked at signing a receipt which read "Surrendered to the Crown." I protested that as an Irish American it would be "most unseemly" to sign any document surrendering anything to the British Crown, especially on the forth of July. He tried to argue that "it was the standard statement for receipt of any custom confiscated goods." After extensive (and good-natured) discussion with my partner and a more senior and understanding custom official (he was of Irish descent too) the statement was modified to read, "Presented as a gift to the hard-working and diligent personnel of the Yarmouth Customs Station."

That evening we collectively consumed the gin ably assisted by the senior Custom Official's wife who exhibited "an unseemly degree of affection" towards my partner. The senior custom official was too smashed to take note. It was a memorable forth.