High water, time to slip away on Saturday.

 Mid neap tide and there's still a few netters against the quay.......

 but aboard the beamer Sapphire the sparks fly.......

 under the gaze from the wheelhouse.......

 as the chain mat and footrope get their end of trip once over............

two identical orange hulls.........

first weekend in Newlyn for the latest boat to join the Cornish fishing fleet, the Asthore owned by Ocean Fish and purpose built to chase sardines.......

she sports  a huge bulbous bow........

 sophisticated fish handling gear........

 as seen from the fore mast....... 

 looks like plenty of weather has passed by this bow........

a subtle reminder on the way out........

off to try and beat the tide, harbourmaster Andrew Munson heads for the slip......

as does the Stevenson harbour launch........

 it's that time of year when........ 

 a lick of red paint.......

might turn Rudolph blue.......

the company flag flies at half mast for ex-skipper Peter 'the Greek' Neale, probably best known for holding the port record for over 20 years with the Altje Adriaante...... 

which has meant another busy week for the Mission team.

Asthore in town.

Making her way to Newlyn for the first time, the ring netter Asthore owned by Ocean Fish and skippered by Peter Bullock arrived in the early hours........

the Asthore was fitted out at Penryn, Cornwall.

Clever chameleon-like cuttles change colour to confuse!

Damned clever fish these cuttles!

Here next - or when is a trend not a trend?

From a fisherman near you - "was this the pollock you ordered sir?"

Here's an extract from a food web site across the pond. What happens there in the world of conumerism is bound to happen here - sooner or later - and in some respects already has. With fuel price hikes continuing to force retail operators to look for alternative ways to cut costs, sourcing more and more produce locally can only increase and play a more imprtant key role in the distribution of food - and fish supplies fit the bill to a tee in many cases:

"Sometimes big changes come in small packages. It might not seem like a big deal when Sterno cleans up the fuel that has warmed a million buffet pans. Or when a diner can consult their smartphone to find the source of the fish on their plate.

But take these small changes together, and a trend emerges: Sustainable dining is becoming self-sustaining. Instead of hot new technologies, what observers see for the coming year is the unspectacular but steady growth of an infrastructure to support green dining. It’s getting easier and easier to find the products and the know-how, and to communicate it all to your customers.

“The biggest trend is that this thing is not a trend,” says Michael Oshman, CEO of the Boston-based Green Restaurant Association, which certifies 470 green restaurants nationwide. “It’s here to stay.” Here are some key pieces of the emerging sustainability infrastructure:

Sustainable products - Sustainable know-how - Sustainable menu information

See the rest of the article here.

Poor enough off Scotland.

Nice shot Peter!

Gusting over 60 knots this morning - the Lapwing and Budding Rose - pair trawling off Scotland. Keep in contact and follow the exploits of this top pair team on Twitter - another shot from yesterday when the Ocean Harvest towed past them - though those images were taken a few years ago of her sister ship on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland on a poor day.

Fishing boats filmed in 1994 in Newlyn.

The second of two films shot by Pete Eddy during 1994. Boats featured include, the Pilot Star, JTS, Girl Patricia, Keriolet, CKS, Avalon, Ben My Chree, Margaretha Maria, William Stevenson, Bonny Mary and Sapphire. 

Red sails in the Bay - a film for Mounts Bay Lugger fans.

In this extract from the Three S films, Red Sails in the Bay, Norman Laity who built the replica lugger, Dolly Pentreath talks about life in the days when lug sails were the norm around the coast of Cornwall - and tells us that three-masted luggers were banned because they gave smugglers an unfair advantage over the revenue cutters!

This film documents the revival of interest in Cornish luggers with their iconic canvas sails. Members of Mounts Bay Luggers Association recount their experience in the rebuild of the Happy Return. Barnabus, Ripple, and Dolly Pentreath also feature. The staggering voyage of The Mystery in 1854 is described. Finally we experience first-hand the difficulties involved in sailing aboard a lugger at the Mousehole Sea Salt and Sail event.


It can be purchased by clicking the here or by Free phone 0800 0430264