Comings and goings over the last few days in Newlyn.

Brand new Shannon class RNLI 13-23 stooped in Nelwyn overnight on her way to take up station in Girvan...

classic punt shot...

a beamer's work is never done, going through the gear prior to sailing...

work on the new inshore crabber has picked up over the last few days...

with most of the new deck in place...

along with the vivier tank...

while up ahead the latest sardine boat to join the fleet has plenty of work to do on the afterdeck...

just back from Falmouth, Pelagic Marksman waits for the next trip...

signs that fishing is truly pan-European is self-evident on the waiting transport for fish...

as a quick glance at the logos employed on the trailer units...

clearly indicates the distribution lines to other EU countries as being core to their business...

after two hard days battling strong to gale force winds the Rowse crabber Intuition is back in port landing well over 10 tons of brown crab...

into the back of the vivier lorry...

with skipper Ben Rowse keeping an eye on things...

as the fish go ashore...

in between heavy chilly, wintry showers...

the bongos of crabs keep coming...

good news for the latest skipper to join the fleet, Nigel Taylor who is currently undergoing his 5 week induction after 30 years away from the job has now fished with three generations of the Rowse family having started as a learner decky aboard the Julian Paul with Ben's grandfather Mike Rowse...

not that the guys on the vivier lorry sorting the crab are aware of this...

as the bongos keep coming...

as the last of the crab get picked form the dry vivier...

young Ben is his Christmas hat powers the fish ashore...

down the quay, visiting crabber Emma Jane...

door change time for the Crystal Sea...

and on the end of the quay, the huge Dutch beamer, Op Hoop Van Zegen...

goes through the task of keeping each beam trawl in working order.

The good ship Brexit is now 'underway' but not necessarily 'making' way

Underway or Making way?

The word 'underway' means a vessel is not at anchor, or made fast to the shore, or aground. Freed from any of those encumbrances the vessel is 'making way'

With the UK given the green light to negotiate the terms of today's Brexit deal, CFPO chairman, Paul Trebilcock reminds us why so many UK fishermen voted to support Brexit in the first place:

 ”The fishing industry should be seen as the litmus test of a successful Brexit. The UK fishing industry was badly let down by politicians in 1973. Entry conditions to the EEC (EU as was) included the principal of equal access to a common resource*. This denied us all the benefits that naturally flow from being an independent coastal state. We look forward to a new era of sustainable prosperity based on that altered status”

*Thanks largely to Ted Heath, Conservative Prime Minister in 1973 who traded those fishing rights away in return for non-fishing trade advantages with Europe. 

Many fishermen wanted out of the EU in order to 'take back control' of their waters.

Though, as many are pointing out thew wording of the agreement is already ringing alarm bells in fishing circles given, as many tweeted the contents of one crucial phrase:

I'm just waiting for Brexiters to entirely absorb the sentence “in the absence of agreed solutions, the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with the rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union".

Not a solution that Mick Mahon - long-time leave campainger - would be happy with.

Time and time again politicians, in particular Michael Gove, have promised to "take back control" - and fishermen, among many others, will look to hold him to his word.

Perhaps best summed up by the latest campaign bus...

Paul Trebilcock shortly heads off to Brussels ahead of this year's Fisheries Council meeting to settle the quotas for next year based on scientific advice from ICES and others - should prove interesting!

Radio 4's PM programme went to Grimsby fish market to sound out the feelings ahead of the decision taken over night.

#FishyFriday on Newlyn Fish Market

Tiz dark as a cow's guts this morning...

and just the one boat's fish up for auction...

with the Billy Rowney providing the usual range of beam trawl fish for auctioneer Ian to sell...

like these monk tails...

and even a few grey mullet...

along with plenty of megrim soles...

and a few boxes of plaice...

and a fraction of the cuttles the boats were seeing just a few weeks ago...

top quality monk tails...

and from the handliners in Falmouth a few bass...

Rowse's new crabber rides high alongside the port's biggest trawler, Crystal Sea...

while the Sapphire II is all lit up and ready for a break in the weather to get back to sea again.

House of Commons Annual Fisheries Debate 2018

Can you help Newlyn Archive which has been chosen for the next round of the Co-op Local Community Fund?!

At the heart of Newlyn, the old Newlyn Post Office is now home to the Newlyn Archive.

Good news! The Newlyn Archive has been chosen for the next round of the Co-op Local Community Fund.

The funding started in November and goes on for a year. The following information from the Co-op Local Fund Community Team explains how it works:

Every time members shop at the Co-op, 1% of what they spend on selected own-brand products and services goes to the Co-op Local Community Fund. We'll also give you and the other causes in your community an equal share of the money we raise from sales of carrier bags. Members of your local community will be able to select your cause for funding by following the instructions below.

Click on the box below and that will take you to the website where you can log on to your membership account to select the Newlyn Archive or go to the website coop.co.uk/membership.

For those who cannot access online membership you can either phone 0800 023 4708 or call into any Co-op store and a member of staff will be only to happy to help.

The latest publication from the Archive would make an excellent Christmas gift!

The Story of Newlyn Harbour

Pam Lomax and Linda Holmes (Editors)

Published by the Newlyn Archive in 2017
52 pages
49 illustrations
ISBN 978 0 9567528 3 3
Price £8.00

Download the order form (PDF format)

The_Story_of_Newlyn_Harbour_Order_Form.pdf

CONTENTS
Introduction. A The Old Quay. Building the South Pier. Building the North Pier. Creating an Infrastructure. Newlyn Harbour in WW1 Newlyn Harbour in WW2. Post War Development. Surname Index

#StormCaroline - "Cyclonic, becoming northwesterly, severe gale 9 to violent storm 11, occasionally hurricane force 12 at first."

This morning's shipping forecast for Fair Isle issued at 0505 December 7th 2017 as...

#StormCaroline, the first of several severe weather systems hits the north of Scotland hard this morning...

but for many, life at sea continues as this AIS map shows an abundance of marine traffic between Scotland and the Faroes including the 90m pelagic trawler, Joseph Roty...

this video giving a small sense of what it is like to fish in extreme weather when you have 90m of steel under your feet...

the latest WindyTV forecast shows a very unsettled period of weather into next week.

Ocean Pride almost didn't make it with half a mile to go!

After 338 and a half miles the Ocean Pride nearly didn't make it to her final destination...

but with some great work form the guys at Aqua Rod and as huge disc-cutter she found a way through the Narrows!