Dusk over the Golden Age

Before all the evening action with the Golden Age film crew, as ever Newlyn was a hive of activity.

Here we have the tale of three Cornish Lasses......here's one...

And another Cornish lass, and, another Cornish lass......
Ex-Port Patrick lifeboat, Douglas Currie makes her way to a berth.Meanwhile the BBC TV Spotlight crew are busy filming outside the harbour offices - don't forget to vote for the Trinity Chapel restoration project and make the Rev Julian Drew's dream come good! Phone 09013 600 502 and get your vote in!
Joe takes a nonchalant, long, hard, cool drag on his return froman evening sail in the bay.
TN Trawler's, Tobrach-n spends yet another day in harbour with a wire round the prop - hopefully the hired diver will have sorted their problem this evening.
As the sun goes down the Scillonian steams past the Mount on her return trip from Scilly - wonder who won the draw in the Yacht Inn tonight?
Ocean Dancer steams towards the gaps for the last time to complete her charter for the Elizabeth movie sequel, Golden Age to star Cate Blanchett.Even as she enters the gaps the crew are dismantling the rig.

Good to see there are still some independent characters plying the ocean waves....!
Local company, Food for Films from St Agnes keep up the supply of hot food for entire film crew as soon as the boats hit the quay!
It's all hands in action as the film gear is manhandled ashore and back aboard the transort.
The guys from Celtic Scaffolding take to the heights and down comes he camera rig.
As befitting a period drama, some are made to walk the plank!
Still more hot grub keeps the troops happy!

Benson Marine from Lymington provided ribs and support.Camera Revolution retrieve their gear from the Ocean Dancer.
Time for all hands to head back to the Beachfield and Union Hotels, we trust all hands enjoyed their stay in the far west of Cornwall.

CGI crew for the film Golden Age get to sea.

1800 hrs and it's a late session for the film crew desperate to catch some poor weather and good visibility!'Ocean Dancer' makes her way out to sea past the Mount escorted by a rib, also equipped with CGI markers.The aptly named 'Loyal Helper' steams past the MCA tug Anglian Princess. Note the large dayglow film marker on her starboard side.
In the meantime the girls have another Wednesday evening training session aboard the gig 'Avarack'.
The other CGI film marker vessel, 'Shoreline Engineer' from Ouest Marine, Plymouth steams out past the Mount.
A rib gets to open up and test the sea state in the Bay.
Meanwhile, Breton stern trawler 'Cezembre' steams quietly for the gaps, reason unknown.At high speed the rib returns with what appears to be a familiar face, star of the 'Most Dangerous Pubs in Britain ' series - good trip Joe?

Beluga Projects ('Impression' or 'Advertising') takes shelter with what looks like a finely balanced deck cargo aboard (the blue derricks).
Out in the Bay a motley collection of vessels make for an interesting scene!

It's a misty start to the day for film crew

The film crew are looking to film some big seas in clear skies - what do they get this morning? flat calm and fog!
The riggers are up early completing the bow mounted camera.
An army marches on its stomach and so, too does a film crew - not one, but two eating wagons - good to see local company, 'Food for films' from St Agnes in on the act.



















After a day filming the camera is removed as the weather closes in.

The Plymouth-based cat, Shoreline Engineer from Quayside Marine takes up a berth alngside the Ocean Dancer.




Work de-rigging the camera continues aboard the 'Ocean Dancer'.
Stand-in lifeboat, 'Volunteer Spirit' exits the harbour on a shout.
The 'Cornishman ' gets ready for another trip.

Digitally imaging the sea in 3D

A team of digital imaging specialists from the movie industry decended on Newlyn today - their mission - to create a moving 3D image of rough seas for a movie project.
'Revolution', specialists in camera rigging brought in to fix a camera over the bow of the Ocean Dancer.
A scaffolding tower (courtesy of local firm Celtic Scaffolding) was rigged to accommodate the moving camera rig.
A digital camera is fixed to a bracket that can travel up and down the tower placed right over the bow.

A close up of the two vessels brought in to provide imaging targets shows the fluorescent markers that povide accurate positioning indicators for the 3D imaging software. The 'Shoreline Engineer' is a steel cat from Plymouth.The film vessel is the Panama registered Ocean Dancer, ex-Dutch beam trawler.
The two target boats provide markers with which the digital imaging is constantly positioned. Mounts Bay was chosen as a suitable sight to film rough seas as needed by the movie production team - of course sods law is likely to ensure a flat calm for the next week together with nil visibility!
Visiting Irish beamers Mary Kate and Bridget Carmel are due to sail tonight.

Much ado about nothing!

Despite media attempts to make a drama out of an everyday occurrence, tonight's high tide (6.2m) here in Newlyn, passed without incident - apart from all the ususal aspects of a very big spring tide where all hands are extra vigilant!
The Twilight III left her berth for another trip.
The relief Tyne Class, "Owen and Anne Aisher" 47-017 lifeboat made a dash through the gaps just after high water.
The Dom Bosco is now almost set for sea.

Meanwhile, both of this week's casualties are now safely alongside the quay and afloat.
Down came Oil Pollution Response Unit for a relatively small amount of fuel oil that was released in the harbour.
Unfortunately, the oil had other ideas and despite a new, larger oil boom the tiny slick headed off down the harbour ahead of the wind which had today backed almost southerly.The remains of the slick hide away by the harbour offices!