Netter's nightmare

Image courtesy of NOAA

With the wind averaging well over 30 knots and held firmly in the west.........

Image courtesy of the Met Office

 as a huge area of low pressure passes slowly over the Bristol Channel

there are only a handful of boats at sea still fishing. However, a big French stern trawler, the St Gothard, is towing very close to where the Newlyn netter, Silver Dawn is working. So close in fact that it looks as though she may have towed right over where the Silver Dawn appears to have a tier of nets - see where the two AIS tracks cross in the bottom sector of the image.

The Avalon Bell of Cornwall

Cornwall, especially West Penwith, is renowned for it's rich seam of creative talent - the combination of a landscape hewn from the hardest granite, the ever-present sea and the people contrive together in some mysterious alchemy that turns out an abundance of works for the enjoyment of others. This idiosyncratic animation, which features some well known characters and local boats - the George Johannes being one - tells the story of the Avalon Bell - enjoy with the sound turned up!

Le Breiz Connection

The Maritime museum welcomed some special visitors from Brittany last week to see their new exhibition which celebrates the links between the Cornish and Breton communities. The museum's new Breton Connection exhibition explores the age-old ties between Cornish and Breton fishing communities through a stunning collection of black and white photography. These images have never been exhibited before and draw on a rare collection of photographs taken by Oliver Hill in Newlyn in the early 20th century. The Breton Connection exhibition runs from until July 15 at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, in Falmouth. 


For more information on opening times and admission prices visit www.nmmc.co.uk or call 01326 313388.

New artwork for Through the Gaps.

Looking Through the Gaps towards St Michaels Mount as some of the fleet return to port chased in by gannets (seldom happens!).

From Newlyn side, looking towards the jewel in the crown of Penzance's Art Deco buildings, the Jubilee Pool.

Experimenting with some new graphics for the Through the Gaps Facebook page. 

Sticking it out, or not?

The green pointer indicates the approximate position of the Ajax - around 158 miles west of Penzance as the crow flies.

The latest Inmarsat C update from the netter Ajax:

 "AjaxAH32 100bxs Hake and 20w/fish aboard weather poor for next few days position 50.23N..09.07W SSW 4-6"

 doesn't give the full story. With a worsening shipping forecast from the Met office:

Gale warnings - Issued: 1519 UTC Mon 16 Apr Southwesterly gale force 8 imminent, veering westerly soon Shipping Forecast - Issued: 1625 UTC Mon 16 Apr Wind South veering west or southwest, 6 to gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later. Sea State Moderate, becoming very rough or high, then very high in west later. Weather Rain then showers. Visibility Moderate, occasionally poor. 

 - the skipper, along with all the other boats fishing in the area will have to make a decision whether or not to stay out at sea and dodge if and when the weather makes fishing impossible - or face the long steam back to Newlyn, or possibly a closer port like Baltimore in Ireland, for refuge. With over 12 hours time to steam to port, and another 12 hours to steam back out it can be better to stick out the weather, dodge and let the front pass through. However, with it giving Force 9 the chances are the boats will elect to make a run for home!