You can always rely on fishermen to come up with ways of making light of the job, here in a break with the traditional female figurehead the bow of one of Nowell's beam trawlers, the Elisabeth N has been adorned with none other than the skipper himself...
just back from her maiden voyage after her major refit, Skerry Belles has made her...
first landing of crab and lobster...
built by Dixons of Dartmouth in 1974, this heavily constructed boat has had the pot hauler overhauled and updated......
much of the deck replaced and...
a second protective layer of iroko added to reduce the wearing effect of hauling hundreds of pots a day...
the wheelhouse lengthened and even a bunk added along with a 'cow-catcher' fitted aft to shift pots more easily between grounds when fishing...
back in Newlyn the beamers are making good...
their new beam trawl gear..
with a complete overhaul of the chain mat, footrope and net...
just one crew from the netter Joy of Ladram takes off nets for repair - this used to be a three or four man job before the mini-net mauler was introduced...
as visiting RNLB Volunteer Spirit takes on fuel...
before heading north...
at the box washing...
must be March month, the may blossom is out...
from Thursday afternoon and on to #FishyFriday morning as the sun breaks free of the horizon...
the netter Betty May takes on new nets...
as the market auction gets underway, first to be sold is this huge trip of ray from young Roger Nowell with the Imogen III...
ling makes a great alternative to cod for fish and chips...
while conger eel makes excellent fish cakes..
there was a glut of fish from the inshore boats with plenty of big white fish like pollack...
and even a few Dovers...
more inshore ray...
and the odd red mullet, always a favourite with the beam trawler Sapphire II...
while the inshore trawlers like the New Venture...
and Elisabeth Veronique picked up good hauls of Dovers too...
along with the odd blue, well blue and ochre blue...
another good mix of quality inshore fish...
from the Ocean Harvest...
to go with plenty of mackerel from the St Ives handliners...
much of the newly opened section of the market was taken up with white fish...
and hake from the Ajax and Britannia V...
ice from their boxes showing no signs of melting in the crispy cold clear morning air...
which does not deter the buyers...
some carried away by the excitement of it all, maybe he hasn't read the government's latest advice on the consequences of Brexit for those who export fish into Europe...
many of the boats cut out the bodies of ray which then to go for pot bait...
leaving the wings make double the money on the market...
leaving the market, Newlyn's ever-changing culinary scene has been further enhanced with the addition of this Portuguese influenced eatery right opposite the fish market...
down the quay some skippers are still hopeful for what they see as a positive outcome for the industry...
two top inshore trawlers at rest...
clear decks can only mean one thing on a beam trawler - a major refit is about to commence...
after half an hour the mood changes as the sun is lost behind low cloud and a mist rolls off the land...
and out into Mounts Bay; the Scillonian III will sail shortly.
