Thank you, greyfox. A recipe for some pleasant entertainment. I had a problem with 39a: the wordplay and intersections only admit one answer, but I (and the first few pages of g**g***g) could only justify an entry with the third letter one space further along the alphabet.
Hello, A Hearer - used to seeing you on a different thread. Are you sure you meant 39ac? The solution there is another word for that little two letter definition - the next three letters give you the three that contain the vessel.
Yes, I can see that. I have only just received my large Bradford (as opposed to the tiny Chambers version) and the difference it makes to solving that sort of awkward clue is astonishing. Hopefully I won't now forever be the struggler and straggler on the other thread!