The Cornishman - this time the newspaper not the flagship of the WS&S fleet.

Hopefully, what looks like a regular new section has appeared in the local newspaper, The Cornishman this week.

An entire page devoted to news from the industry - and in this edition the range was pretty diverse - from a slightly tongue-in-cheek 'letter' to all those dog owners who seem to think its perfectly OK to let their charges 'do what dogs do' all over the gear, fixtures and fittings of the port - although the threat of rabies is negligible these days - the port is still a working fishing port landing fresh fish - a food commodity. Of course, harbour staff might find they have difficulty in exerting their authority over unthinking dog-owners - though if all hands down the quay make their feelings known in a loud voice the chances are said dog owners will exit the premises pretty damn quick.

Next up comes observations from newly appointed harbour commissioner and senior boat owner David Stevens of Crystal Sea II fame. With the majority of his crew now not local, shore skipper David cites the lack of young entrants as the main issue to address for the future and to encourage them to invest - so just what are schools and colleges doing to foster an interest in a career that can sill provide wages well above the Cornish average?

Lastly, fish merchants in Newlyn are being asked to pay a 0.5% levy of their dealings with the harbour as a contribution to overhead in the port - this idea has been around for many years and never quite made it into the rule book.

Do you have something to contribute to future editions of the The Cornishman? If so, email Ellie Evans, the new senior reporter at the paper who will be only too delighted to receive your thoughts, ideas and comments!

Early birds.

 With the full moon still in the  sky Wherry Town Co-Op gets the first of its deliveries.....

 inside the fish market on a raw and rare Monday morning with not more than a dozen boxes of fish for sale, the fridge is given an airing.......

 outside, the port is greeted with another stunning dawn display.......

 making it the ideal backdrop for a group of visiting art and photography students from St Peter's School, Bournemouth.......

 as they make their way down the quay to capture the best of the morning light......

 making use of the props to hand.......

 but finding time to gather for a group shot to say, "we were there", this, the hardcore group, were unlike their remaining twenty classmates who still languished in their pits unable to face such an early start......

after that it was time for hot chocolate in the Mission. With a team of dedicated staff prepared to put together this kind of varied trip to explore the arts and working life in St Ives, Penzance and Newlyn no wonder the school was awarded Arts College status in 2000

Rope walk & ghost walk.

A four mile round walk from the Coach & Horses taking in the coastal path, Praa Sands, Pengersick Castle and the tiny village of Germoe.


View Praa Sands to Germoe in a larger map

 Looking back towards Prussia Cove.......

just before hitting the beach there's a chance to check on the old Bodelva rope barometer, you know, if the rope is still there's no wind, if the rope's wet it's raining and if the rope's missing it's a hurricane.....

 even at this time of year on Praa Sands there's plenty of action in the water, enough to keep a full team of beach lifeguards in action all day.......

 further inland can be found the most haunted property in Cornwall at Pengerisck Castle.....

 not far from which is an abundant supply of sweet chestnuts ready for the hot coal treatment......

 so that's where PZ 2 has been hiding.

Squid in black bean sauce.

Passing showers and a sinking sun mean that the light changes rapidly over the Mount......

providing a dramatic backdrop........

back in the kitchen, take some onion, pepper, spring onion, chili to taste, sliced ginger and a tablespoon of rinsed and crushed black beans......

score one side of the squid.......

blanch the squid for 30 seconds in boiling water.......

and stir fry.

Cool blue nights.

Lunatics lookout.......

more blues.......

aboard the Jacoba as she nears the end of her refit........

whereas Mario's boys are just plain cool......

both sets of gear to go through on the Nellie.......

ice please!..........

last weekend in Newlyn for the Imogen before she heads off to her new home in Mevawizzey.

South Devon crab is the best! so says chef Mitch Tonks.

Day one of Dartmouth Food festival sees Sou'west Chef Mitch Tonks of RockFish Grill and SeaFood Market fame serve up a live demo in whole crab preparation.

Mitch filmed while supervising England rugby star Matt Dawson doing the cooking on the end of the quay in Newlyn a few year's ago.

Clue - Canapes Girls Inn - what you won't see in Mount's Bay next year.

The government's spending cuts announced yesterday pervade every aspect of life in the UK and the maritime trades are no exception......

as a result of the cuts, one morning next year Tom will no longer look out over the Bay and the bright deck lights aboard the 1600Hp MCA guard ship Anglian Princess.......

as she, and four other MCA ETVs, will have their charters taken away from them. Instead, the protection of coastal waters will become the sole responsibility of all those who use or watch over the waters around the coast. French waters in the Western Approaches are served by the privately owned Abeille fleet based in Brest. The Abeille Bourbon with 21,000Hp makes her one of the most powerful ETVs in the world - and she needed every one of those in this rescue incident filmed in the Bay of Biscay.