Less than 1000 miles to go for Pete Goss and the boys on the Spirit

After sailing from one side of the world to the other, Pete Goss and his gallant crew must be full of anticipation as they tick off the last significant milestone in their epic adventure re-creating the voayge of the Mystery originally made on 1854. With under 1000 miles to go and the port of Melbourne making preparations for their arrival the end is in sight - almost literally. However, before then they will have to contend with a vicious little blow due to cross their paths today as indicated in the chart below - courtesy of the Australian Governemnt's Bureau of Metoreology.


South of the equator, the wind travels in a clockwise direction around a Cyclone - a useful explanation of how winds behave in general below the median line can be found here.

Monk tales

The Ajax did her best last week to combat poor prices on the market at newlyn, but it is the same story everywhere as both France and Spain are awash with hake - PH and BM markets are all suffering poor prices for prime with Newlyn making a little more on average, as much a sign of the times as the time of year when fishing for soles etc is heavy.....
crew from the Ajax's old fleet partner, the CarolH sort their fish on the market - another vessel that uses protective plastic sheets to cover the fish in the boxes at sea.....
with a big trip to land its a race against time before the buyers turn up.....
as skipper Phil Mitchell gives the boys a quick briefing on what needs to be done before they clear off the market and head back to sea for the last half of the tide.....
weighing up good sized pollack for the CarolH.....
down the market Mr Turner keeps the bids coming.....
and Ocean Fish seal the deal on the cuttles again...
so Edwin only has a few moments for a quick cuppa before heading back to the bidding....
a few of the harbour crabs and resident congers will be enjoying this monk head soon....
over on Wherry Town car park another load of steel girders bound for the new Penwith College building site.

In like a lamb?

With the forecast for tomorrow looking relatively pleasant an old saying is recalled, "In like a lamb and out like a lion"......

Plenty of work going down on the Trelawney Fish beamer, George Johannes
early Saturday morning and the CKS is already shipping her trip ashore and off to the cold store......
bags of frozen bait head downwards to the deck of this small crabber......
the MCA have posted a quick reminder to anyone interested in a career at sea that they can get 100% free training in the mandatory (that means you MUST have them) first aid, sea safety & survival and firefighting certificates, an opportunity not to be missed.....
more evidence of the work on the George Johannes, a new set of main trawl sheaves.

Not under command

Always a good to see - nothing! - which means the fleet are at sea.....
apart from the George Johannes who is flying her 'not under command' lights, two all-round red lights - these are required of a vessel to indicate (at night) that she is "restricted in her ability to manoeuvre" or unable to take the necessary actions to meet the requirements of the Collision Regulations (she may have had a steering problem).....
boxes ready to back aboard the beamer....
and not often seen in the harbour on a flat calm day, the Sea Spray.

There's a new Wing on the web

Well known purveyors of fine fish, Wing of St Mawes have opened an online shop, the Cornish Fishmonger - check out their thinking behind the new website in an article from Business Cornwall online here.

The return of the golden galleon

The Mission galleon has finally hove into view after going down in stormy conditions last year...
marking her intention to land and therefore securing her right to a quay berth, the Ajax has her landing gear raised...
keeping the visitors informed of the small diversion around the Fradgan....
Brixham beamer Lady Lou has a fresh set of boxes waiting to go aboard....
whereas there is some serious sticthing to be done on theis set of 3m gear...
first punt up on the new quay for a while SS144.

Spike and his new hat

Former Newlyn fisherman Spike Searle, who spent many years as mate and relief skipper aboard the highly successful gillnetter Sowenna, is now working for 'Finding Sanctuary'. Finding Sanctuary is a partnership project that aims to secure a healthy and productive future for the coasts and seas of South West England. Over four years, the project will work with stakeholders to design a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The goal of the MPA network is to safeguard the region’s undersea habitats and marine life, and to help ensure the long-term sustainability of marine resources in the region.

The organisation is currently seeking additional steering group members to consolidate the already considerable body of expertise that it is able to draw from.