Quest for a killer India Pale Ale.

What does the son James Watt of the skipper of Banff registered mid-water trawler Ocean Quest killer whales and beer have in common? While many fisherman's sons dream of owning their own boat, James Watt dreamt of brewing his own beer - and not just any beer - for a brief period his beer was the world's strongest going by the name of Tactical Nuclear Penguin and not without controversy - though in James' case methinks this would very definitely be a case of, 'there is no such thing as bad publicity'!. First going to sea at the age of seven, James still spends the winter months aboard the family pelagic boat Ocean Quest fishing from Fraserburgh - but only after completing a degree at Aberdeen University and then opening a micro-brewery outside Fraserburgh in 2006. The BrewDog brewery now produces over 200,000 bottles a month including a 'proper' India Pale Ale called Punk IPA.

Last year the brewery released a limited edition, cask-conditioned 'Atlantic IPA' (a little more feisty than Cornish micro-brewery Sharp's Atlantic IPA) under the most extreme circumstances when seven - it should have been eight - (see video)wooden casks were loaded aboard the Ocean Quest and left on board for the remainder of the mackerel season to mature in the North Atlantic - the video tells the full story! The artwork for the label was designed by a artist Joahanna Basford. Maybe Skinner's, Sharp's, St Austell or the Lizard breweries could go one better?

Missing mackerel - not like the 'old days'!

While bottom trawling aboard the Inverness registered Milford trawler Girl Freda INS89 skippered by Bobby Cairns.......
a full lift of dead mackerel trawled from an area in Mount's Bay known as, The Pits. These photos were taken early in 1979 when a large fleet of freezer trawlers, stern trawlers and pursers were working in and around the Bay......
the fish were either discarded on purpose for being too large - in the early days of mackerel fishing the market was better for small fish so boats would slip their hauls if the size mix was wrong - or the result of damaged trawls - the mixed state of decay suggests two lots of dumped or lost fish on the same ground - the smell was horrendous!

First rule of the road - "Might is Right"

As any fisherman knows, when out on the high seas in the company of larger vessels than yourself, the first rule of the road is, "Might is Right". The skipper of the Ady Gill, one of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's fleet, ended up in a position where it seems inevitable that he would fall foul of this oldest of collision regulations with inevitable - but luckily for his crew - not fateful consequences.

Whether for or against whaling, an operation being carried out by the Japanese whaler concerned within the spirit of international law, any actions that jeopardise a vessel or vessels making a safe passage at sea cannot be condoned - especially when lives are put at risk. Towards the end of the video, after the collision, it sounds like the Japanese commentary aboard the whaler describing the situation says, in English, "uh, the whole thing....not good"

The boat called in to the Scilly last year on her round the world voyage before she joined the Sea Shepherd group. This is a long way from her record breaking non-stop trip around the world completed in 2008 when she was known as the

Drop-in day at Falmouth's National Maritime Museum

There is a drop-in day at the National Maritime Museum on Wednesday, January the 27th when you can meet and talk with representatives from Finding Sanctuary about the proposed new Marine Protected Areas (MPA) around the South West.

First of the new year's pollack courtesy of the Gary M

Prime pollack from the Gary M......
in a freezing flat calm harbour......
with only a handful of boats to land while the fleet makes good use of the fine weather before the predicted gale arrives ealy on Tuesday......
one huge conger from the beamer George Johannes.

'Tis the work of the Devil, 'tis is!

Newlyn Mission provides a warm and inviting refuge during inclement weather.....
while the Cornish Ice Company continues to provide a layer of ice around the base of the building.....
down from Plymouth, the Admiral Gordon is in town.....
along with a serious looking ocean going yacht and Rosslare's Severn Class lifeboat, Donald and Barbara Broadhead......
the morning's rosy sky was akin to the Northern Lights as the rising sun's rays hit the high cloud......
with temperatures at sea around freezing point the frozen bait will take some cutting up for the pot boats......
there are still a few brand new 2 bedroomed flats available next to the old Pilchard Works, for more information contact 01736 350010.......
a stunning view can be had from the Devil's Rock, a prominent Newlyn antiquity now almost lost under vegetation and housing developments......
the rocky outcrop has a histrory going back hundreds of years and is associated with old Newlyn names, the Devil, local witchcraft, fishermen and the name Tolcarne.......
access to the rock is via an overgrown path at the top of Creeping Lane......
the boating pool at Wherry Town has been frozen for several days now.....
with just a small area left for the swans to feed from.

Sky Sails - See what passes the front door.

Spotted on the AIS page this morning courtesy of Marine Traffic was the huge German flagged freezer trawler Maartje Theadora bound for the west coast of Ireland. This boat fishes her way around the world - at the time she was tracked she had left Ijmuiden and was travelling at just under 16 knots - looking around various sites she has been photographed in Holland, Norway, Mauritania, Ireland and off Chile.

Whether she is flying her sky sail this morning is another matter!