The lugger Lyonesse, your chance to buy a piece of floating history.

The liveaboard owner of the lugger Lyonesse is selling up and moving ashore - so now is the chance to buy an historic Cornish lugger with a unique history that includes being shot out by our own boys in blue!



Luggers were the traditional fishing boat of choice in the south west - the lug rig makes for the most efficient and powerful means of sailing and happens to look the best when out on the water. many local boats sported the 'dipping' lug rig which involved dropping the fore lug and passing the sail around behind the foremast to catch the opposite tack.



She is currently moored in Cardigan.

A chance to see Billy's pictures in his own museum.

If you are visiting Newlyn this coming Easter weekend be sure to make some time to visit a gem of a private collection of fishing memorabilia. Housed in Newlyn's old Board School and, like many similar private museums, Billy Stevenson's collection offers a very personal and close view of the local fishing industry - many of the huge family photographic collection were taken by the man himself. The museum is open from 10am to 4pm this Saturday.



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Fish 'n Chips, Falmouth and oystermen in the news!

Falmouth makes the headlines again with news that Rick Stein's latest eatery, a Fish and Chips shop has opened in Falmouth - early reports give a thumbs up to crispy batter for a reasonable price.


Local oyster fishermen, all of whom use sail under local by-laws, are complaining that the council have issued too many licences and the fishery is in danger of being swamped by part timers.


Falmouth oyster boats with platinum sails and diamonds go for $500,000 at auction!

One boat on the market - and she's Irish.

A huge trip of high quality from Irish seiner Roise Catriona that included these cod, hake, haddock and.......
these glistening whiting.......
iced tubs of boxed fish from Scilly.......
Flalouth based scalloper Golden Promise makes an overnight stop at Newlyn on her way back from the Welsh scallop fishery......
another wooly jumper.....
the boys renew the dollies aboard the Exeter registered beamer Margaret of Ladram......
one of a dozen boats to enter the gaps in a short space of time as gales sweep the Western Approaches..........
including the St Ives registered Crystal Sea III.....
even the Bay has been turned the colour of the muddy streams that flow in from Wherry Town and the Coombe river.

A pint and a picture or two in the Tolcarne - don't miss it!

Later this week, the Tolcarne Inn, renowned for its good humored Gaelic hostess, live music, fine food and beer will play host to a series of charcoal artworks from local artist, Nick Henshall. The exhibition captures in graphic detail the everyday lives of those who make a living from fish.

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Friends of the Newlyn Archive

• Please note that Trinity Centre is closed on Good Friday so the archive will not be open on that day.
• We now have a constitution or rather Rules of the Newlyn Archive. If anyone would like a copy, please let me know.
• We currently have 1292 items listed in our archive catalogue. The recent very successful exhibition Fishing in Newlyn led to an increase in items in this category. There is a file dedicated to fishing boats and a general file about fishing, containing 379 items. We have started a database with the names and numbers of Newlyn Fishing Boats and are adding information about owners and skippers and stories associated with the boats.

Help here would be welcome.
Newlyn at War, Thursday June 24 2010 10am – 6pm

We are planning our next open day at Trinity Centre for the middle of the Golowan Festival Week. The date has been chosen because June-July 2010 is the seventieth anniversary of the Free French movement, when French people fled to England, many by boat to Newlyn. You may have seen the reports in the Cornishman on 25/2/2010 and 11/3/2010. There was a lovely photo of the Maria Stella, which brought the Free French to Newlyn in 1940. Another boat, the Corbeau des Mers played a similar role and she is still sailed by the Breton Museum of the Resistance. We have some stories about the fishing boats and their crews during the war, can you add to these stories?

To mark this seventieth anniversary, a number of boats will set sail from the French side of the channel arriving at Newlyn between June 22 and July 20, 2010 to commemorate the anniversary.

Breton and Belgian families stayed in many Newlyn homes for the duration of the war, and many friendships were formed that continue today. The war is still very much alive in the folk memories of Newlyn people so that the open day at the archive provides an opportunity for everyone to share their stories and memorabilia as well as for the archive to expand its resources in this very important area of Newlyn history.

It is up to us to see what we can do on this side of the water to celebrate the anniversary. So far, events have been planned in Penzance but nothing in Newlyn. Please help us rectify this, as the arrival of the Free French is an important event in Newlyn’s history
We are inviting Friends to participate in the open day at this very early planning stage, so that it is the best archive event yet.

Have you any suggestions about films, photographic displays, competitions and activities that we could plan for the Day?

Do you have any photographs, letters, newspapers, stories or anything to do with Newlyn at War?

We are interested in domestic life during the war as well as the heroic activities of our fishermen, sailors, soldiers, airmen and homeguard. The exhibition is stimulated by the arrival of the Free French in WW2 but it will also celebrate all aspects of war and all the wars that have affected Newlyn and its people.

Do get in touch and let us have your ideas.
Pam Lomax, for the Newlyn Archive Steering Group, March 26, 2010

Newlyn Archive, Trinity Centre, Chywoone Hill TR18 5AP
Telephone 01736 364537
Email newlynarchive@aol.com>

Oh for the wings of a ray.....

Prepare the fish by dredging in flour a decent sized ray wing.....
roughly cut some parboiled new spuds.......
toss them in a fry pan with garlic cloves, thyme, butter or ollie oil, or both, fry for a few minutes and pop in the oven till golden and crisp.......
melt some more butter or ollie oil or both and add some parsley and caper berries.....
more butter and oil for a good eight minutes a side for the ray wing.......
and out to the table with a selection of fresh veg.......
and a decent bottle of your favourite Gwiniegi Bourdel.

Final resting place.

There's always one wag about it seems...... check out the boat with no masts...... which are on the dock side and ready to be dropped into place..... the new-look Scillonian III has raised eyebrows in some quarters, gone is the familiar clotted cream coloured funnel with its St Piran's flag, instead the ship is sporting the new corporate logo - a mix of patriotic red, white and blue, British International Helicopters with a Brittany ferries twist...... one new bike complete with L plates ready to be hoisted aboard...... a chance for employment and a foot in the door of England's premier fishing port....... having left Liverpool at 10am Friday, Wincat 24 makes it in through the gaps for fuel exactly 24 hours later after traveling around 340 miles...... patriarch of the firm, Billy Stevenson points out some damage on the Anthony's rail to Brian and Lionel after she fell in on the quay...... though as anyone who sailed her will tell you, she rolled more than most; originally named MFV 1024 the Anthony was sailed back to Plymouth with, amongst others Lenny Dew before becoming one of Newlyn's top sidewinders of her day.

Anchor away.

Standby tug weighs her anchor out in the Bay......
down the quay, the collection of old sailing anchors continues to grow......rrelief boat Inner Wheel II, 14-29 on passage.....
all you need to record the age of fish, and a microscope back in the lab of course.......
Mr Turner went for quality this morning......
with huge mackerel marks being reported off to the South'ard, the netters are having to steam miles to avoid filling their nets with mackerel.....
though the voracious hake are partial to mackerel of course.....
quality shot of white bellied fish from the Tracy Claire......
there are signs of black fish on the market again.....
Penzance's best known art deco building shows off its best features first thing in the morning sunshine.

Joining Shackle - photo competition entry details.

Shore-based marine recruitment agents, Joining Shackle are also running a photographic competition where winners get to see their pictures in next year's calendar - entry details here.

Looking for shore based work in the marine sector?

Are you looking or know of anyone looking for shore work in the marine industry?

JOINING SHACKLE specialise in maritime consultancy and recruitment covering many aspects of the shore-based marine infrastructure. Their portfolio is international and includes:-

◦Marine Equipment Suppliers

◦Shipping and Management Operators

◦Training and Education Organisations

◦Government Agencies

◦Research Establishments

Expensive look inside the Trevose Box for French skipper.

The skipper of the stern trawler Maranello landed himself a £6000 fine after being caught fishing inside the no go zone around Trevose - at this time of year a traditional hunting ground for spawning cod.

Lonely as a cloud.....

The sun shines on the Three Sons from brixham this morning......
and the newly commssioned wind turbine up at Penwith College that now provides 40% of their electricity......
never easy to paint a GRP boat and get a good finish.....
not local tubs it seems.......
a sign of the times, Spring in the air.

Picture challenge - name the boat and the boys on the deck.

Hauling time aboard a Newlyn trawler, but which one? Among her many claims to fame was being attended to by the Appledore lifeboat one January while sheltering in the lee of Lundy Isle half sunk and in Force 12 winds along with eleven other ships.

Latest charcoal picture from Nick Henshall with a chance to see this and the rest of the collection due for exhibition at the Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn in April.

Dull start - again.

First light and one of the crabbers is in to land.....
while inside, the auction is fairly quiet for a Monday morning.

Vision runs aground in sight of land!

Atlantic rowers-to-be Phil Pring and Skippy taking the Vision of Cornwall out for early sea trials in Newlyn Harbour last September.

The boys must be gutted - but glad to be safe! After rowing over 2,500 miles since January 10th, the Vision of Cornwall ran aground on a reef less than one mile from her destination in Antigua in the early hours of this morning. Phil and Skippy are reported to be well after their dramatic rescue from their upturned boat by Antiguan officials.

All in a weekend's work.

One small tug should suffice......
time to let go the ends aboard the Cornishman......
and once through the gaps drop the derricks to make for a more comfortable ride when steaming to the grounds.......
with a few jobs to be done below the waterline it's time for Clive to get the boat ashore, first by passing the slings under the bow......
and then attaching the lifting chains.......
once ashore a steadying hand guides her away from the quayside......
with a little help from the boy........
a twin rigger's 'clump' awaits collection.......
out comes the shaft from the punt Cynthia up for a bottom scrub.