Falmouth boat Rosemarie during the Second World War.

Can blog readers help provide more information for Shauna Osborne-Dowle from Falmouth who is undertaking a research project to record the history of the Rosemarie through old photographs and interviews with people who knew of, worked or lived aboard the boat. Here is her request: 

I saw your fascinating blog on the Free French and thought I'd contact you because I've currently researching the history of a 42' Falmouth built boat called Rosemarie. She was stationed at Penzance (Newly) during the war and was requisitioned in 1940, served until 1948, she was skippered by a man called Frankie Peters.

I'm making a no-budget film about the whole life-story of this boat, and have been looking for wartime photos of Penzance Harbour or any information about what the Rosemaries duties would have been. Ideally I'd like to find some-one who remembers her in service. Have you any useful suggestions for me?

Shauna's website is www.houseboat-tv.com where you can see some interviews from the boats later history as a houseboat.

Email here for more information.

Coming soon! - Painting Party on the Old Quay

Painting Party on the Quay

Luggers at Newlyn's Old Harbour - for the first time in generations

Saturday, March 12, 2011, 10am~5pm.

Free entry.

A day of boats, painters, heritage and activities in the Old Harbour to mark the start of British Tourism Week.  Luggers and other traditional boats getting a fresh coat of paint for the new season.  Artists on the Quay painting the scene. A Newlyn Archive photographic display of the harbour and luggers in their heyday. All are welcome. Bring your camera, canvas and brushes or sketch pad or just come along and enjoy this rare sight.

View The Old Quay in a larger map

The Old Harbour is situated within Newlyn Harbour.

For more information call: 01736 366868

The Fish Sale exhibition held recently produced a helpful guide for educators on the subject of Newlyn School artists and the harbour.

Cornishman sole fish trip.

All eyes on the pouts as the last few fish from the sole landing for the day go for auction.......

 there's still a good run of cuttles off in the deep water........

 and the inevitable big black conger.......

 a combination of three classic Newlyn names over the big red tub gurnard much loved by chefs these days......

a few bass for the big boat........

have some real competition price-wise with these line caught bass.......

sadly, you'll no longer be able to sample the dark recesses of this shop for all those things you couldn't find elsewhere.........

as Waghorn's Stores are about to close their doors.........

which will mean the Strand loses one of its more unusual window displays.

The boys on the Cornishman head for home!

Tracked on VessleTracker's AIS at 2100, the only boat from the Newlyn fleet left at sea over the weekend's during the gales, the Cornishman is finally on her way in from the deep water off to the south'rd. Hers will be the only fish on the market in the morning. Viewers may remember London chef Arthur Potts Dawson’s trip as a deckie-learner aboard the Cornishman under skipper Pete Elsworth being fairly eventful.

Impact - End of the Line

For the first time a UK TV programme has had its social impact measured in a comprehensive study - read on........

THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE END OF THE LINE



In the last 10 years documentaries and TV are increasingly being recognised as a key medium for communicating social justice issues and inspiring social change. But no-one has ever produced a detailed analysis and methodology to assess this impact. Until now.

Today the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation is releasing a detailed report into the impact of over-fishing documentary, The End of the Line - the first of its kind for a film. It is intended to contribute to the growing and important field of work on media impact assessment. We hope it can be a template for other film projects giving best practice examples of gathering and presenting quantitative and qualitative data.

Download the report for free on our site here.

MOD abandons the privatisation of SAR - Gove announces this morning!

A Sea King from RNAS Culdrose lands at Penzance Cricket ground with a casualty.

The MOD has abandoned plans to privatise the SAR services in the UK following irregularities in the tendering process it was announced this morning.


The move would have seen the privatisation of Sea Kings at air stations throughout the UK including Culdrose on the Lizard.

Newlyn Harbour Commissioners give public presentation in Cornishman forum.

The Cornishman newspaper hosted a very well attended public forum on the future of Newlyn at The Centre.

The new team of commissioners, under the chairmanship of Gilbert Macabe, were introduced by editor Jacqui Walls and given the opportunity to spell out their vision of the port's future. An upbeat presentation was followed by a comments and questions from a wide range of harbour stakeholders, as members of the local fishing community are now deemed!

In the short time they have been together - remembering that the posts are voluntary - the commissioners have made significant changes to the running of the port - though many of these are not visible. These include the formation of a number of sub committees:

• Finance (Chaired by Gilbert McCabe)
• Assets (Chaired by Juliet Taylor)
• Human Resources (Chaired by Ray Tovey)
• Harbour Management and Operations (Chaired by Kevin Bennetts)

These have all been busy reviewing the current harbour operations which were understandably in need of a major overhaul after the previous regime.

Many of the comments from the floor were still concerned over the lack of concrete plans for the much needed new fish market - though these were countered by an assurance from the chairman that far from being shelved new plans were being considered. Glen Caplin, Cornwall Council representative, reaffirmed the Council's pledge of £500,000 of capital project grant funding - agreed in last December's chamber - good news for the port indeed.

One thing is for certain, Newlyn is ripe for development - and, although the harbour does not want the appearance of any large national chains appearing on the scene, they will be mindful of the fact that St Austell can pin its demise as a major shopping centre and the subsequent meteoric rise in Truro's fortunes down to refusing the first Cornish Marks and Spencer's store in the town back in the early 70s!

In Newlyn's case, perhaps well known industry relevant retail outlets would be a better bet in giving tourists a reason to visit the port and not just to see the fleet. As things stand, despite being Cornwall's largest port and the second largest in the England, its sole remaining fish and chip shop is currently up for auction - an big opportunity for someone surely?

One important role for the community or stakeholders to play in the port's fortunes is to support the NPHC's Advisory Board which is currently being formed. Ideas from interested parties or suggestions for additional representatives should be forwarded to the commissioners via their web site where all the contact information needed is available.