Christmas break

After a mega dish of baked hake on Tom Bawcock's night, Christmas dinner this year comprised of a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a pheasant, stuffed with pigeon breasts plus pork, apple and chestnut stuffing.....

carefully sewn together....and here's the result.....
on the Saturday following there's life down the quay aboard PZ78......
and PZ199......
while the poor forecast kept the netting fleet in port.....
there's a small repair job aboard the Cornishman to be done...
Looking forward to next year when the Ripple gets her masts in place...

No stopping the pot boys!

The iceworks castle makes an imposing sight....
Lionel finishes off the last of the year's chores with a final box wash....
as the sun goes down the lights come on....
and the annual plea for more quota shines out to all those who drive past....
there's no stopping the crab fleet, the Intuition takes boxes of frozen bat on board for tomorrow's fishing...
two of the biggest from W&S are all lit up at the end of the quay

Close of play 2007, almost!

reminiscent of a scene from The Birds, gulls wheel and fight over a few market scraps...
this scene won't change much over the break as the fleet ties up for Christmas..
a deserted market waits to be hosed down....
the Cornshman sports a few seasonal decorations...
and with the recent fine weather, the tree stayed in place this year!

our man Tom looks out over the bay as the sun puts in an appearance

Last of the boats to the market

With the weather thankfully giving all hands a break, the netting fleet and the beamers by and large managed full trips in the pre-Christmas dash to the market. Though the fishing has been patchy, prices have kept most smiling - unusually, there were more than a few boxes of dogs with some of the boats...
Drew on the CKS keeps the high seas free of jetsam and puts his rubbish ashore...
The Harvest Reaper, late in getting their trip to the market - last chance tomorrow for the final sale of 2007!
Always a big favourite with the restaurants this time of year, good sized red mullet were in evidence in several trips landed...
the other Harvest Reaper is wrapped for Xmas it seems!
aboard the beamer, its the last time the guys will be going through her gear this year.

With a few days to go...

Latest news today; yachting hero and adventurer, Pete Goss is building a replica of the Mystery to emulate the world's greatest small boat voyage over 150 years ago. The Spirit of Mystery, now being built at Millbrook south east Cornwall will be launched on Saturday 21 June 2008 - see the Pete Goss website for more details! At last this unique piece of Newlyn history will get the international acclaim which it deserves and acknowledge those 'iron men' in their wooden ship, Newlyn buccas one-and-all!

Part of the Christmas lights this year, a robin brings a little festive cheer across the harbour... and an enormous anchor graces the end of the fish market opposite the Swordfish Inn.... Tuesday's market sees a busy morning's selling, auctioneer Ian Oliver sells netter Sowenna's last trip of the year...

as the Jannie en Klaas makes a late entrance into port... not quite the £240 for one fish paid last Friday, but these turbot are still making good money... with monk tails still making nearly £20 a kilo... busy enough at the beamer end of the market....in a sea of festive green and red boxes... the James R H uses the tide to land across the fish market, saves on a lorry!

First Saturday market since the summer

Morlaix registered, Cap Frehel pays a seasonal visit...
Sapphire skipper (left) Mike Corin chews the fat with harbourmeister Andrew Munson
while a small welding job is carried out on her gear....

at the close of play for the last Saturday market this year, young Anthony Tonkin boxes and ices the last of the morning's ling - Anthony's thoughts have turned to what he would like for Xmas - how about a DVD of the family's boats the KimBill and Bonny Mary? Phil ;-)
down the other end the clear-up begins.....
always a splash of colour these days....
the new cod, some superb Cornish Pollack!

One week to go before the end of the year - sky high prices!

boxes with fish in were in short supply this morning - coming from from a couple of short beamer trips and a few bits - with monk making £16 per kilo and turbot a whopping £29 the boats will be wondering just how high prices will be next week!
meanwhile, the paint pots were retrieved from the William....
while the Mission was awash with local luminaries from the trade: ex skippers, Kenny Downing and Robert George (Mr Quality at Seafood Cornwall), Nathan de Rozarieux, 'Grimmy' Mike, new entrant to the catching sector and ex merchant, Nick Howell, the legendary Newlyn tenor 'Twinkle' (rumored to be in the next X factor) and Fishing News's very own Phil Lockley all sorting out the industy over fine mugs of tea....the Star looks prepared for tonights Harbour Lights switch-on