"Black as a cow's guts" kind of morning

A wet and windy quayside finds all but four of the bigger beamers in port with the first weather system for some time working its way across the region.....
pushing the tide several notches above the predicted level as can be seen from the near horizontal angle of the gangway down to the pontoons......
despite the turquoise green bones and rather skinny physique, the garfish makes good eating......
with 100% heavy cloud cover the market operates in darkness.....
early morning cars travelling along the prom run the gauntlet between seas......
and some decide to wait.......
the Scillonian III has berthed on the Albert Pier for the night.

Could catastrophic cuts in cod quota come again at Christmas?

Fishermen in the south west will once again be readying themselves for the possibility of another unwarranted cut in the cod quota ahead of this year's annual Christmas CFP quota carve-up. SW fishermen have just cause to be aggrieved at any cuts in their quota for cod - not least because when the quotas were calculated by MAFF way back in the 1970s they were done so at a time when precious little cod was actually fished for - hence the low catch figures - thus we are lumbered with today's ludicrously low TAC for Area VII cod - a perfect example of how such a crude method of conservation can impact in more than one way for those parties concerned. This post is linked to the thousands of blogs that have registered with the global blog action day this year.

For nautical twitchers, a copper bottom has been spotted in Newlyn

Ruth, Possibly the first boat in many a year to be slipped at Newlyn with a fully copper-sheathed hull......
"just as the sun was rising, I heard a maiden singing in the valley below"
a few early morning twitchers didn't spot this one coming.......
plenty of work for Dick on Jake's slip........
a late autumn flower show is in evidence all round the old quay area......
with a slight chill in the air the ice works is evidently hard at work.......
Dragun-an-moar just made high water for some maintenance work on the beach under the harbour offices......
the main reason a big re-furbishment of the existing market would not make economic sense, renewing the existing foundations in order to last for the foreseeable future would be cots prohibitive.....
incoming passenger jet......
while another is outbound and altering course for the US of A, not the gull though......
free training is back on again negotiated through Seafood Cornwall for anyone wanting an under-16m ticket.......
up for sale, a steal at £7000, a 20', 20Hp Toms of Polruan built punt complete with hauler and Category A licence, for more info contact 01209 613246........
which way is that wind coming from?, buy your own wind vane for a loved one at Christmas!

fri nght

Relief lifeboat, Corinne Whitlely puts ashore on the pontoon berths on Friday evening......
while round the corner the inshore pair team alliance of Defiant and the Ocean Star land to a waiting lorry.......
maybe some of the guys will end up sampling the delights that the Swordfish has to offer.

Venus, ice and apples

Looking south-east towards the Mount, Venus is plainly visible alongside the moon at this time of year......
always a tonic first thing in the morning, the ever-cheerful Charlie tops off another lorry load of Cornish ice bound for a beamer down the quay.....
not to be missed today, apples of all varieties available at Penzance's very own Farmer's Market in the old cattle market at the top of Causewayhead.

Fish from the West - simply the best!

Well, so says that cheeky Fishmonger Matt at one of Rex Goldsmith's shops in home of the blues (not Robert Johnson) Chelsea, SW3. Check out his latest posting eulogising over the best that the West can offer in the way of fish, shellfish and other gastronautical delights - no wonder Floyd loved this part of the world.

To be fair, his shop does serve the best that money can buy in terms of produce and to the customers who choose to shop there - but it is only one shop in a town with over 7 million people all bounded within the limits of the tube train network. Nowadays at sea, the cramming fish into boxes filled with crushed nub ice stacked ten high or shelved feet deep in a fishroom and then brutally shovelled into baskets on landing day are for the most part gone - these days the customer is king and those fishermen who take best care of their catch should profit from the more discriminating buyer - yet another reason to see that the service provided by Newlyn Harbour is second to none in order that the number of outlets like Matts and the customer base increases.

Cornish sardines at sundown

A few hundred yards off the promenade and in full view of evening diners in the Queen's Hotel, the ring netter Little Pearl has shot her net for sardines - with little wind and a contrary tide the smaller 'tow boat' has the task of pulling the bigger boat clear of the net, the net's headline floats can be seen extending for and aft......

the tow boat pulls clear of the net......
then gets in a position to pull the bow around and leave the net stream away from the starboard side.....
then, as Little Pearl is successfully manouvered into position with the net now extending away from her and the danger of becoming 'mopped up' lessened, the ILB passes by, post-exercise.....


and the boys on the ILB can't resist the temptation to stop and watch the hauling process.