Away with the wind

Pete Goss mentions his pals in the Vendee Globe race that started from Les Sables two days ago. With these ocean going yacths averaging 10-12 knots plus it won't be long brfore they are passing down our intrepid sailors. You can see from the chart above taken from the official Vendee website how the winds are currently affecting the Vendee boats and further south what look like more fickle winds again for the Mystery!

However, there are currently 8 of the Vendee boats back in port after meeting with some fairly wild conditions in the Bay of Biscay - a reminder to all of the magnitude of the task ahead of the boys aboard the Mystery - we'll see just how real wood plays out against the plastic tupperware favoured these days!

With the tracker software updating on a regular basis we get the chance to see the Spirit of Mystery in full flight - with plenty of wind in contrast to last week. The boys are now down in much warmer climes than the 50˚ North from whence they left last Monday, the next likely significant landmass they will pass is the Canaries. With the weather bringing gale force 8 winds Pete's blog makes for interesting reading.

A painting in the spirit of

Local artist, Jeremy Thompson captured the Spirit of Mystery as she was being rowed towards the gaps on the Monday evening, October 20th. As dusk fell over the harbour, lights can be seen in the Fishermen's Arms and the other houses that overlook the spectacle. For a short while Penlee lifeboat's predecessor, a rowing lifeboat, was kept on the beach here from 1904-1913, at that time the harbour side was still a cliff before being faced with granite as it is today.

So, where have all them gulls gone?

This could be just one of those things - but needs investigating further - where are our gulls?

A few days ago, David Stevens commented on his blog posted at sea that he has recently noticed a lack of white s***e aboard the boat! After briefly thinking this was indeed a good thing he then realised the implications, no s***e equals no gulls! On asking around the other boats at sea it seems he is not alone - the Crystal Sea II has been working around the Wolf Rock off Lands End.

So, an open invitation for comment - can anyone else either offer an explanation or reveal their observations regarding the lack or not of gulls in the Western Approaches? Is it gulls in general or particluar species like kittiwakes?

Squid gossip on the net

For anyone interested in squid - coming up to the time when they should be showing up inshore - there's a largely American but with UK sub-section web site - plenty of info from anglers up and down the coast who mention the squid's close relative the cuttlefish - worth keeping tabs on given the little white torpedos are worth serious money these days - and, for the gourmets out there, they tast real good too!

Useful site for boats on passage

Many thanks to John Lees for this link which gives a very visual guide to the kind of winds being experienced around the globe. It was John ( with family connections to the original crew) who took such an excellent picture of the Spirit of Mystery as she was rowed through the gaps on leaving Newlyn!

If you open the zip file below, it will contain an sequence of images that show the likely wind direction and strength the Spirit will encounter - from this, you can see how they should be able to make use of the prevailing Northerly-ish draft over the next few days!
Wind forecast animation 28th October 2008

Mystery making better progress

With the satellite track giving a more reliable update we can see the Spirit of Mystery making way in the right direction again - no doubt to the relief of all on board! This morning's plot finds them around 112 miles WSW of Lisbon in Portugal - well to the East of the original course made by Captain Nicholls and his crew. Those of you on Windows machines can install a simple Google Earth plug-in which will allow you to follow the boat's progress in even more detail.

Fine weather - fine fish

Newlyn has excellent is part of an excellent transport network, lorries bound for mainland Europe will head for ferry ports like Plymouth, Weymouth and Poole in Dorset......
though most of the fish waiting to be shipped out are bound first of all for a local processor in Falmouth.....
here, 18 tubs from the Lyonesse wait for the aptly named Falfish, a company originally set up by the Scottish pelagic fleet owners, the Taits from Fraesburgh.....
once again the Runnelstone is rewarding the local bass boys well with the results of their efforts....
with this small inshore boat having a fine shot of quality fish for auction.....
including this very dark, almost black lobster, probably from very shallow water close inshore.....
there are a few beautiful looking grey mullet in the mix.....
after landing the boxes need emptying of ice and washing......
with two concurrent auctions sometimes buyers are seen sprinting between sales, very impressive Mr Hosking!....
appearing like a jack-in-the-box, Charlie gets out into the fresh air to lend a hand with all those boxes.....
under very heavy skies that later broke.......
the Ripple looks like she is well wrapped for the winter months....
lined up on the quay, around 20% of the Emma Louise's full complement of pots.....
for any interested parties there is a substantial building up for lease right on the harbour road between Trelawney Fish and Cosalt......
it seems that it is not only the Mission's weather vane that has suffered of late - but which building supports this?