Silver Dawn at silver dusk

Kilkenny annihilate Waterford in the all-Ireland hurling final......
it must be a big spring tide to get the Cornishman up this far on the hard, if you get this wrong you'll be be-neaped and unable to float again until the next higher tide which may be months away!......
in the heavy evening drizzle the Crystal Sea II takes ice for the next trip.....
right colour, wrong time of day.

Falmouth Tall Ships - the Funchal 500

Through the gaps spent a day at sea off Falmouth on Saturday enjoying the spectacular spectacle that is the Falmouth Tallships Race, last seen in Falmouth ten years ago!

This year the fleet, including the Mir and other giant square riggers headed off for the Portuguese coast and Ilhavo. Organisers could not have dared hope for the weather conditions the boats enjoyed - with a mix of sun, cloud and an almost non-existent Nor' Westerly breeze, it meant that the stars of the show, the giant square riggers could un-furl their sails close inshore for the thousands sat on Pendennis Head and other vantage points.

Enjoy the gallery of images shot in and around Falmouth Bay, courtesy of skipper Phil Lockley aboard the Falmouth fishing boat Amanda J.

There is still a chance to purchase limited edition hoodies and T-shirts from SeaSalt clothing who were the official clothing suppliers for the event.

Twilight at Twilight

Penzance Dry Dock Company is being ket busy with the small tanker, Rix Harrier....
Newlyn's Fisherman's Cafe provides solid sustenance for its customers......
waiting on the quayside all the gear for a new set of trawls....
for the beamer Twilight whose deck is covered with the chain links and shackles required to build a new set of chain mats.....
end of another tide and the Harvest Reaper heads back to tier after landing.

Food for thought for the tuna boys while they are away!

Hopefully the tuna fleet, Nova Spero and Charisma aren't having to contend with this situation - years ago fishing off the Scillies was probably a rsiky business, today it is places like Somalia that provide fishermen with dangers in addition to the everyday hazards they are likely to encounter!

Stone

The Scillonian III dodges the yacht traffic as she makes her way to the harbour...
opening this week Newlyn's Orion Gallery latest exhibition, Transition 8.....
despite the weather in a garden off North Corner, Newlyn's annual sunflower show shines in the evening sun.....
these guys, sheltering for waether, are hoping to get busy over on St Agnes......
shifting the last of three cargos of stone....

the 3m gear on the Elizabeth N is being replaced by 7m beam trawls, both seen here on the quayside.

Seafood fortnight, time for a second helping of fish this week

The boxes go back aboard the Nellie after what what described as an "uncomfortable" trip owing to the unseasonal weather by skipper Stephen Nowell as Uncle Roger glances back at the boat before heading off up the quay for his supper.....
with the paint job on the Sapphire all but complete, its time for the beam trawl's chain mat to re-built.....
the conveniently labeled 'shopping order' has been delivered for the Twilight....
down the end of the quay the Crystal Sea II has just put ashore their latest trip into the back of a lorry......
driver Steve quickly gets the doors closed to keep the temperature on the fish down and then....
hops aboard the boat for a brew while he waits.....
for the crew to drop the landing gear before moving the boat to make way for the Geordie boys aboard the Valhalla who are due in any moment....
As it is Seafood's '2 week' fortnight, here is tonight's menu, a Thai red curry sauce shellfish dish......
using mussels......
and some not-so-local prawns. Try varying the ingredients according to what's in the fridge and veg box for this classic quck and pretty simple dish.

To start with, you'll need a few garlic cloves, half a dozen almond or macedonia nuts and a couple of lemon grass stalks ground up together and dry-fried gently. Add a teaspoon of shrimp paste near the end and mix. Add this to the sauce.

For the sauce, you could look up the recipe for making your own authentic Thai red curry - don't bother, just track down a shop (in Penzance, that is Chan's off the top of Causewayhead) that sells the Mae Ploy brand - they use exactly the right ingredients with no artificial ingredients or preservatives; this will save time and effort and better still, a tub will keep in the fridge for ages. Cut the corner off the sachet of sauce and squeeze out a lump the size of a walnut - don't follow the amounts they suggest on the tub or you'll blow your head off!

In a wok, quickly fry a finely chopped onion till golden, add the curry paste and heat through before adding a tin of coconut milk. At this stage, add any additional veg that takes your fancy - chopped - peppers, corn, celery, courgette etc and cook through. Only at the end would you add a roughly chopped pak coi or similar leaves and some parsley. Takes about 15-20 mins to cook through gently.

Near the end, add the mussels to a pan of boiling salted water 2cm deep and cover - 2 mins is all you need. Add the shelled (or not - personal preference) mussels to the sauce along with a handful of prawns - a single small squid (in rings) would would really make this dish! Garnish with chopped parsely or coriander and serve on a bed of brown rice.

Of sail, oars and engines

Showing signs of age, the Albert Pier in Penzance Harbour....

under sail, three pairs of oars and diesel power in the shape of the Scillonian returning from the Scillies come together at the entrance to the harbour...

a final spurt from all hands ends local gig Sowenna's training for the evening...

from days of old when a there was a direct rail connection from London's Paddington to its western-most destination, the Albert pier...

it won't be long before the harbour is emptied of yachts for their winter lay-up...

looks more like a new shellfish storage tank - the work to divert the stream through a new culvert continues at the end of the prom, Wherrytown...

fresh back from France, the Elizabeth Veronique has changed her colours...

down off the slip and there is still plenty of painting to do aboard the GaryM...

a common way to dredge these days is to mount a JCB or similar aboard a barge - a far cheaper operation than maintaining a dredger and more versatile.