NPHC meeting agenda for April 4th 2012

Minutes from the last Newlyn Harbour Commissioner's meeting and next week's agenda.

FF FF

Plenty of good monk tails with the Filadelfia......

just follow the trail leading to the black gold.......

what about  a mullet or two?........

topping off the Ajax's hake with ice.......

a good shot of 70 odd boxes put ashore last night, she's due back in again for Monday's market......

last touch ashore for L'Ogien........

as she heads for the gaps.......

at the start of another trip........

planty of anti-fouling jobs to be done in the port at this time of year......

and inside the hull too.......

cold and clear start to the day.......

so the St Piran won't be bound just yet.......

those morkis make good pot bait......

the Spring is sprung........

looks like Waghorn's is about to be reincarnated......

don't believe a word.......

break through.

A taste of Spain, bake some hake the Rick Stein way!

With the netters like the Ajax landing there's plenty of top quality fish coming ashore this weekend - our local chefs are really keen to promote the consumption of Newlyn hake so here's the perfect accompaniment to a summery evening - a flavour-filled hake dish provided courtesy of Rick Stein from his recently published 'Spain' cook book.

"There is a homely wholesomeness about Galician food, and this is the sort of dish you could imagine also coming from some region of the British Isles, like west Wales, if only we loved hake like the Spanish do. Interestingly, when Debbie and I cooked this for our recipe testing in a blistered and cracked terracotta cazuela and gave it to our deli to sell, it was all gone in about 20 minutes. What I love about this is the thickness and whiteness of a good piece of white fish and the aroma of the garlic and tomato coming from the potato fondue below. Like many of these sorts of dishes, I believe in completely cooking the vegetables first on top of the stove, and then baking the fish on top in the oven. If you don’t do this it can end up a bit watery, but this way its flavour is much more rich and concentrated."

Galician hake - Merluza a la Gallega - Rick Stein's 'Spain' - BBC books.

Galician hake on a braise of potatoes, garlic, tomato and onion. 

When a quarter of a mile is too close

The AIS track for the Moonlight Venture after she left Falmouth and passed south of Start Point near to where the Amber J was fishing.

At 213m in length, coming within 400m of another much smaller vessel is close enough.

Photo courtesy of Tyrone Entwistle.

Information courtesy of VesselTracker news:

Near miss being investigated by MAIB

 The "Amber J" was in a near-miss incident with the Hongkong flagged tanker "Moonlight Venture" on Mar 24, 2012 at 8.10 p.m. The five crew on board the "Amber J - BM224" were in the collision danger zone when the tanker allegedly ignored all emergency calls from concerned the skipper and forced the fishing vessel to change course. The tanker came to within a quarter of a mile of the beam trawler. The skipper was very concerned but the tanker just ploughed on. An investigation has now been launched into the incident which happened 24 miles south west of Start Point. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch in Southampton has been informed of the incident by coastguards in Brixham. The "Moonlight Venture" with 35,711 tonnes of crude oil on board, was en route from New Orleans to Rotterdam via Falmouth where it anchored on March 25. The ship allegedly ignored calls on the sea communication and distress Channel 16.

Rick Stein opens Senara, the new training restaurant at Penwith College

On duty front of house, Professional Cookery student, Wes Mitchell is ready and waiting for the arrival of Truro and Penwith College's senior management team and governors.......

meanwhile, back in the heat of the training kitchen, Cornwall's best known chef, Rick Stein recalls his days at a local catering college and shares a few trade secrets with trainee Sinea Williams as she puts the finishing touches of her contribution of the lunchtime buffet organised for the opening ceremony........

turning up the heat, the rest of the team get prepared for the rush........ 

while second year Professional Cookery student Luke Bond, mindful of the fact that he is talking to a potential boss, talks knowledgeably while making goujons of brill covered in Panko breadcrumbs.........

the restaurant is now open to members of the public from Tuesday to Friday term time only and available for special events by appointment. At £6 for two, or £8.0 for three courses the menu is fantastic value:

Here's a sample menu:

Spring vegetable minestrone with pesto & crostini 

Cornish Sardines stuffed with peperonata agro dolce wrapped in 

Parma Ham with mixed leaves 

Insalada caprese (mozzarella, plum tomatoes, basil oil) 

Beer battered hake & fat chips with mushy peas 

Wild mushroom risotto with sage & parmesan 

Beef Bourguignon with gratin Dauphinoise 

Quiche with green bean salsa & mixed leaves 

Chocolate brownie with berries & coulis 

A selection of Cornish cheeses with chutney & oatcakes 

Cinnamon sugar doughnuts with chocolate sauce 

For morre information or the current menu, contact the booking line on 01726 335215 or email senara@penwith.ac.uk

Cefas Endeavour's Beam Trawl Survey 2012

Plenty of brittle stars with the beam trawl fitted with a blinder - who would have thought of fitting such a devious device?!!

Cefas Endeavour's South West Quarter 1 Beam Trawl Survey 2012 is underway.


They have 9 scientists on the survey; Sven, Ian, Rob, Joana, Leah, Paul, Dave , James and Jo.  James will be doing some plankton work into the late evening and helping in the fish room during the day. Cefas Endeavour is currently working in the Western English Channel. The survey is using two 4m beams, one with a blinder in (a small 20 mm net, which sits inside the cod end) and the other rigged commercially.

VesselTracker AIS - huge update!

A major upgrade to the VesselTracker web site and software suite including their mobile apps has just been launched tonight. This screen shot shows the extent of the new T-AIS receiving power giving the postion of ships hundreds of miles from the coast! - also now comes with AIS satellite data available as a global option for customers needing to track their ships around the world.......

Move over to Google Earth view and shipping in the South West can be seen as far as and even beyond the Continental Shelf!........

closer to home, the netter Ajax can be spotted north west of the Scillies amongst a big fleet of French trawlers. The new service includes a free account with a simple registration process.