Award-winning fishmonger and England rugby star tackle Bass

Mid-morning and a mackerel punt heads back to port, must have been too busy to grab a cup of tea it seems...
as the tides cut away the netting fleet can head back out to sea, just in time to miss the Fish Festival this weekend, the youngsters aboard will be gutted!.....
down the end of the quay the stage is set for a spot of location film work for a new UKTV Food series to be shown later this year - Mitch and Matt’s Big Fish - it's great to see personalities in addition to top chefs showing showing a real interest in the fishing industry - positive programmes like this can only help in the current difficulties being faced by the guys who go out and catch the nation's fish...
so it's time to for Rollo to ask the kids angling on the end of the quay to keep the noise down while the cameras roll.....
under the watchful gaze of master fishmonger and seafood chef, Mitch Tonks, England rugby star and self-confessed foody Matt Dawson, begins the job of preparing a fresh sea bass....
first job, remove the scales with a knife.....
once the fish is wrapped in foil with seasoning its popped in the oven....
and time for the next dish, fried bass fillet.....
out in the Bay, the Anneliese is picking up her gear that has been buoyed off.....
and back to the cooking action with Matt at the helm under the watchful eye of Mitch Tonks....
like any good chef, Matt gets to check out the sauce....
out of the oven and a quick check-over for the baked bass...
and then its time to prepare the next shot, eating the results of their labour, but not before a drop of fine Abbot Ale has been quaffed by the man who did all the hard work.....
of course, every now and then the comings and goings of the harbour get to interrupt the shoot, this time thanks to the singing fisherman Twinkle aboard the Amanda.

Mitch Tonks runs the unique Fishworks Restaurants - where you can choose to eat at one of the restaurants or, for the more adventurous, sign up for a fish cookery school - the man has even written a book aimed at those who love to cook fish on an Aga - and, as anyone who has ever used one knows, getting to grips with the Aga and its vagaries is something approaching an art form!

It's a misty start but maybe that's a good sign?

More crush barriers arrive from Speedy Hire for the fish festival.....
as the Defiant sorts out some trawl damage....
there's a few of these guys around courtesy of the local crabbing fleet.....
who sit under heavily misted skies this morning.....
lined up and ready to go aboard, the two main masts for the Ripple's lug rig.

Newlyn's Olympic rowing team get in some practice for the 2012 games

With a final shove, the Ripple leaves her temporary home on the Canners slip with a motley crew....
about to take up their stations in order to row the boat around to her quayside berth where it is hoped the masts will be fitted in time for the Fish festival....
after some brief instruction, the rowing begins...
and she makes her way across the harbour....
under temporary command......
the skipper and crew put their backs into the task....
as the crabber Intuition hard on the stern of the inshore trawler Amanda, heads in through the gaps.

Signs of a Ripple in the water

The St Mary's lifeboat heads out through the gaps on her way back to the Scillies after a quick spell on the slip for a bottom scrub and anti-fouling....
plenty of feed-fish down the back of the quay at the moment over high water......
Andrew tows the CKS back to the slip after she made way temporarily for the St Mary's lifeboat...
the harbour staff have their work cut out clearing up after others all round the harbour in preparation for Newlyn's Fish Festival this weekend....
and, right on cue, the new masts for the Ripple have now moved next to the berth where the Ripple will lie against the New Quay......
crew on the Brixham scalloper, Philomena take ice.

Eighteen foot tide today

Riding well out of the water after coming down off the slip, the CKS will soon be putting all her gear back aboard....
which is waiting for the boys down the new Quay....
despite much speculation about prospecting for oil, the rig is awaiting sailing orders, with an MCA imposed restriction keeping her in port until the forecast is giving Force 3 or less, it is hoped she will move out today and make the three or four hour tow round the Lizard to anchor off Cadgwith....
today's tide is big enough....
as harbourmaster Andrew takes the boat across to the slip.....
it's a tight squeeze in the narrows for the earthmoving kit on its way to the Penlee Marina development.....
maybe the skies will brighten over the port later today.......
clearing up after landing, the Ben My Chree put ashore a good shot of craws and lobster after a trip marred by hauler problems and very uncomfortable weather......
could be a revelation aboard the Cornishman.....
signs of the impending Fish Festival this weekend, the barriers are ready to go......
as ever, the local refrigertaion companies are kept busy servicing the fishrooms aboard the fleet.

Wet skies indeed.

A single gull flies past Tom under very heavy wet skies that greet the Bay this morning...
the resident biggest twin-rigger lays ahead of the visiting Lerwick registered Alison Kay whic has just made her second landing from the deep water off to the Southwest...
despite the rain the iceworks area is getting a clean up......
part of the Alison Kay's trip on the market ready for the sale....
which included a box of monk cheeks, something that Saturday Kitchen's host chef James Martin would love to have had his hands on....
there were a few bass around for those willing to put the time in off the Runnelstone Reef as can be seen from Penberth Cove man, Robert George's efforts over the weekend...
father and son duo Stephen and Gary Leach, keen to get back to sea after landing, take on grub for the next foray out West of the Wolf with their twin-rig gear.

Raft Race day

As ever, a big crowd joined Tom to watch this year's Newlyn Raft Race....

possibly first home in fairly tough conditions......
while the Newlyn Meadery Maids were well down this year in their tried and tested raft.....
always good to see an inventive use of fish boxes....

the jack-up rig has moved yet again....
in through the gaps at the end of her trip twin-rigger Crystal Sea II closely followed by......
the Alison Kay at the end of her second week of twin-rig trials off in the deep water.