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Tuesday 12 November 2019

Looe, small port with a huge community spirit at its heart.




Just after high water as night falls the last of Looe's inshore trawl fleet...


ties up at the fish market to land...


under a full moon...


on the opposite side of the river is the stunning...


new, Old Sardine Factory - with its upstairs restaurant, climbing wall and...


superb new ground-floor heritage centre...


that houses a captivating set of informative and interactive displays for all ages and interests starting with the development over time of this historic port... 


there are dozens of innovative features like this projector and white sail screen...


sensory boat store...


original pilchard press...


and the story of pilchard processing that once took place on the very same site...


a history of the man credited with developing the port...


including its famous granite bridge that spans the river...


cleverly mapped out throughout the ground floor...


a unique fishy photo booth...


an insight into the weather in the area...


a live interactive AIS display from which you can track the local fleet and other passing boats...


and other shipping communications...


there's even a virtual trip on an actual lifeboat shout...


and a time-lapse that cover the demolition and erection of the old and then new building


an accurate scale model of one of thew port's more traditional fishing boats...


some hands-on knot challenges for all the most common knots used by seafarers on small boats...


every inch of wall and floor space is covered with a well thought out and interesting ways of telling the story of Looe and its fishing community... 


there's even a 3D puzzle that helps explain how contour lines work on maps to show the topology of the area...


and that stunning floor graphic that sees the river Looe flow from one end of the room to the other...


even this panorama still doesn't do justice to the number and inventiveness of displays, objects and visual resources that a visitor can enjoy. A must visit for anyone in the area!

Monday 11 November 2019

Not quite Sillitoe, Sunday night Monday morning





Visiting Plymouth registered ring netter, Rebecca Anne PH770 


one of the few fora'rd wheelhouse boats...


built especially for the fishery...


after a lengthy wai,t the timber baulks have arrived to complete the replacement of worm-eaten fenders in the harbour...


Monday morning's makret was a mix of beam trawl fish...


like these big plaice...


cuttles...


which leave there mark on  the delicate skins of red mullet...



as opposed to these pristine line caught examples...


big brill...


while the gandliners made the most of a quieter spell in the weather to pick away a few mackerel...


line caught bass from our resident bass-meister...


and a handful of pollack...


while the netter Britannia V landed a good shot of hake...


feellow netter Stelissa landed the ever-present cod...


a few tub gurnards...


the also omni-present haddock...


which attracted the attention of a certain young George Cleave...



Port Isaac based fisherman and fishmonger 
who put in a brief appearance on Saturday Kitchen at the weekend along with the world's only 2-Star Michelin fish restaurant chef, Nathan Outlaw...



just in and ready to land...


 the beam trawler Sapphire II...


a small fleet of forklifts make light work of shifting fish...


as the sun breaks through the cloud...


ex-landing craft, Seven Sins.

Sunday 10 November 2019

In Waters Deep.



In ocean wastes no poppies blow,
No crosses stand in ordered row,
Their young hearts sleep… beneath the wave…
The spirited, the good, the brave,
But stars a constant vigil keep,
For them who lie beneath the deep.

‘Tis true you cannot kneel in prayer
On certain spot and think. “He’s there.”
But you can to the ocean go…
See whitecaps marching row on row;
Know one for him will always ride…
In and out… with every tide.

And when your span of life is passed,
He’ll meet you at the “Captain’s Mast.”
And they who mourn on distant shore
For sailors who’ll come home no more,
Can dry their tears and pray for these
Who rest beneath the heaving seas…

For stars that shine and winds that blow
And whitecaps marching row on row.
And they can never lonely be
For when they lived… they chose the sea.

This was originally written by Eileen Mahoney aged 90 years young