At the market

End of an era - Newlyn is about to lose one of its most significant vessels with the news that the Sowenna has been sold away to Ireland. When she arrived in Newlyn under the command of the relatively youthful, Ian 'Mitch' Mitchell she heralded a major change in the port - the first new vessel built to order of any size for well over twenty years, the first purpose built netter and the first boat to work on the continental shelf and in other innovative ways. Along with the Ar Bageergan and the Brittania V she chased the tuna using drift nets which attracted the unwelcome attention of Greenpeace activists - local fishermens' first taste of conflict with the burguoning 'Green' movement. A gallery of images from the time is available here.......
under dull grizzly skies the Ullapool registerd inshore vessel heads for the grounds....
with steady sardine fishing, FalFish staff are being kept busy loading transport with the night's work.....

in a week that saw one boat leave the port and the latest recruit become active and join the fleet, the Emma Louise lands to the fishmarket.

Another neap begins

more bait gpoes aboard the Dom Bosco.....

as the Ajax leaves her berth and heads round to the iceworks.

Gone soft

The Geordie boys have been down South for too long - not so long a go they would have been wearing just a T-shirt in this weather when mending on the quay.......
more than enough blue for a sailors trousers.....

the fresh Northerly breeze keeps the boats away from the quayside.

Up go the lights

Ready for the off, The Cornishman about to let go the ends....
a quick scrub down aboard the Shiralee aftre landing to the market fridge.....
why would these guys be caged and ferried around?.......
all part of the team that annually volunteer to put Newlyn's now famous harbour lights together....
ably assisted by a master forklift truck driver.......
sometimes its easier by road.......
the Cathryn gets a bottom scrub while the propeller is away to put back the bits that Edwin unintentionally knocked off when shooting this week.....
brown crab bait in waiting......
the first pelagic trawler to fish from the port for many years - the 320hp Manx Ranger will be under the command of local skipper Roger Nowell (jnr)....

The 46ft Aleyna turns turtle off the Devon coast

Two fishermen escape from the flooded wheelhouse of their upturned vessel off the Devon coast in the early hours. Luckily for them the crew of the Girl Debra witnessed the Aleyna capsize, immediately slipping their gear to rescue the crew who were forced to tread water alongside the upturned hull.

Early start on the Ajax

The Georide boys take on ice as the sun comes up......
a good night's work for the Cornish Sardine fleet, 25 500kg insulated tubs wait for collection inside the market......
out on the quay all hands pull nets to be mended from the Ajax.....
where the flashing red gauntlet of Jeremy sets the pace for others to follow....

with sardine bins to be shifted, the OceanFish forklift coughs into life.

CFRC new home

Late in the evening, the Billy Rowney puts the finishing touches to her port side gear.....
the view from the reception desk of the Cornwall Fisheries Resource Centre is much improved these days - they have just moved into the old South West Nets premises overlooking the harbour....
looking back into the centre, Sarah Henshall is now confident that visitors to the centre will now be able to enjoy the spacious accommodation which will allow for larger conferences and presentations to be held on the premises....
not only is the centre a base for the South West Handline Fishermen's Association but also the new home for Nathan de Rozarieux and the sterling work of Seafood Cornwall...... doeznes of frozen bait boxes are heaved aboard the Intuition in readiness for her next trip.....

while the Billy Rowney takes on fresh water.