Visits to Britanny - Petite Cornouaille - Festivals and fishing.

Making the Breton connection, the ex-fishing boat Solveig was one of the few classic working boats to visit Newlyn in the late 1970s........

eventually, interest in such vessels provoked the organisation known as Chasse Marée to hold a working boat festival in 1988 after the success of a very small fête a few years previously, the '88 event was such a huge success - as much to the organisers surprise, well over the 500 invited boats turned up - from all over the world - some as deck cargo on merchant ships - and the number of musicians topped 1,000.........

many Cornish boats made the journey including the classic yacht, Providence owned for many years by the Minns family of Restronguet and built by Pascoe's in Porthleven for the designer Nigel Warrington-Smythe in 1934.........

she was just one of many boats that enjoyed an event which drew a quarter of a million visitors over three days at the end of that July.........

including the top Douarnenez fishing boat Le Royale that used to target monk, megrim and hake on the Great and Little Sole banks - renowned for her willingness to stick out any weather the boat was never seen in Newlyn until she changed hands in the early 1990s........

looking back across a crowded harbour - and not a safety barrier in sight - and, amazingly enough, no one fell in........

everywhere you looked there were masts - the event spawned the hugely successful boat festivals that now take place every two and four years in Douarnenez and Brest - next year will be the 20th anniversary........

also visiting Brittany on occasion was the Newlyn netter, Keriolet seen here making her way in to Guilvenec for a major engine overhaul in 1992........

crewman Billy Bunn asked one of the local boats for a feed of fish as the engine job was going to keep the boat there for well over a week.......

in which time some of the boat's Breton friends paid social visits, like Bruno the engineer from the Kas Dei........

alternativley, the Keriolet's skipper and crew ventured north to St Geunole to visit old friend Jean-Claude who treated the boys to an evening meal in the Crepsicule Restaurant........

where it seems much gwin ru flowed, judging by the ruby cheeks on skipper Traz and Mr Bunn........

yet another sojourn, this time to see good friend and skipper, Christian and his wife Sylvie along with Annie Le Palud (left) of Le Doris Bar in Kerity - Annie's brother was lost along with the rest of the crew when their boat capsized in mysterious circumstances while fishing for langoustine on the Smalls - a submarine was suspected to have dragged her under - shades of the Buagled Breizh many years later. The Keriolet was fishing in the area at the same time.

Under 10s clarification from a CFPO member.

The following was received from David Stevens regarding NUTFA's comments on quota management. Always keen to promote understanding between the various shore side groups that represent many (but by no means all) fishermen up and down the country.

"Hi Larry, would just like to point out that the local Cornish PO has over 100 under 10m members, and their views are well represented by the PO. 

One of the issue raised yesterday to the minister was for the local under 10 vessels to have their quota managed by the CFPO if they wished, rather than being managed by the MMO, as this would enable them to take their share of the quota as and when it suited them.It is wrong of NUTFA to say that, the under 10 have no quota, within English administered waters they have access to nearly 20% of the whitefish TAC for England.If you compare the monthly bulletins they have from the MMO for the under 10 sector, to those of us in the over 10 sector there is very little between the amounts available in both sectors. 

The greatest problem we have is that by the government creating a two tier system you have one sector which has gone through a huge consolidation process, as opposed to the under 10's who have seen an increase in effort over the last 10-15 years creating over capacity. Government is struggling to know what to do with the situation they have created, the under 10's are struggling to come to terms with working in a managed sector in the last 3 years, and this is has not been helped by the misguided policies of NUTFA.

What is needed is for the industry to come together as one, as it should always have been and sort the problems out in a sensible way. By allowing the CFPO to trial management for the under 10s in Cornwall and work together for the good of all of the industry is to me a sensible approach and one NUTFA should listen to.We have also put to NUTFA that the CFPO would be happy to help them set up a PO in the southeast, to help manage their healthy quota amounts in that area and it would also give them a strong voice in the industry."

D Stevens skipper Crystal Sea II 

Heading for the Autumnal equinox.

Two days after the Harvest full moon proper, the morning sky brings a spectacular sight with the moon is clearly visible in the sky 180° opposite the rising sun. 


In the wake of hurricane Katia, the South West seems to have avoided the worst of the weather unlike the rest of the coastline extending northwards to Scotland where heavy seas pounded the coast and winds over 80mph were recorded.

Vegetable boxes.

You never know where those dilapidated and retired harbour boxes will put an appearance in next or for what purpose - spotted in a graden deep in the heart of Wolverhampton.

A short reminder to the Chairman of the Harbour Commissioners.

"This new website and the meetings of the Commission in public are an expression of the open and transparent way in which the Commission will be conducting this vital and important opportunity for Newlyn in the 21st Century."

"Newlyn Pier and Harbour Commissioners is a statutory port undertaking created by an Act of Parliament in 1906. Newlyn Harbour Commissioners are committed to operating the harbour in an open and accountable manner and welcome feedback from harbour users and the Newlyn Community as a whole." 

The NPHC web site remains unchanged since the 10th of May, 2011. Are the challenges faced by the board a valid excuse for not keeping harbour users and other interested parties informed?

Under 10s meet with fisheries minister Benyon today.

Mackerel men - typical Under 10m boats head for the market.

Representatives from the coves of Cornwall led by local MP Andrew George are meeting with the fisheries minister Richard Benyon today. They go to press their case for less drastic conservation zones as outlined in the recently published MCZ areas from Finding Sanctuary, part of the national scheme to introduce protected areas around the UK coast. Under the current proposals, Cornwall is due to lode 20% of its fishing grounds to protected areas. Many of the cove fishermen rely on some of these areas to carve a living and feel that the tiny numbers of fish they catch using traditional hand and line or small nets hardly warrant blanket restrictions on their fishing activities.

Many of the Under 10s fleet are represented nationally by NUTFA - who in their latest newsletter called for the formation of a PO (Producer Organisation) - which would seem illogical as there are no fish to manage for the Under 10m boats as compared to POs like the Cornwall Fish Producer's Organisation who represent the Over 10s. This once again highlights the stark contrast between the industry in England compared to that, of say France, where there are powerful local bodies like the Commitee de Peche Locale - with national representation and direct contact with the government departments to cite their grievances. The more socialist tendencies of French culture in this case mean that the fishing communities of France are well served by strong, well co-ordinated shore side bodies able to represent all sectors of the industry at local, regional, national and ultimately pan-European levels.

Up-to-date hard facts, figures, catch data and statistics are all readily available for the French fleet and anyone who needs to get a picture of the industry at local or national level - not something that could be readily achieved when collating similar data from English fishing activity.

"Nutfa is also meeting with Defra officials shortly to discuss the ability of the under ten fleet to set up a PO. Whilst it recognises that there is little point in having a PO if you have no fish to manage, the combination of both EU and UK official comments on the allocation of fish has encouraged Nutfa to pursue the issue as a basis for future proofing the sector in the event that the current situation alters. The EU Fisheries Commissioner was clear at the recent meeting with Nutfa that the discussion regarding ITQ’s would be focused on consideration only at Member State level, she said, “I am not talking about privatisation,  I am not talking about ownership rights, but about giving user rights for ten years, after which this right returns to the state”.  Nutfa continues to make clear their reservations about the introduction of ITQ’s, not least for the threat they pose to inshore fishermen without the resources enjoyed by many offshore operators. Experiences in other countries have shown the danger that such a system can represent to small scale fishermen, often resulting in a complete loss of quota from the inshore sector. At the same time, it was leaving no stone unturned and the discussions with Defra on a Producer Organisation were happening in the light of clear messages from Government that they were intent on dealing with what the Minister has described as the biggest challenge facing him and his great commitment to finally sorting the situation out.

Jerry Percy said, following the round of recent meetings, “we must all remember that we are arguing from within the asylum and that unless we get a root and branch reform of the CFP, we are all doomed, irrespective of sector. From a UK perspective, the new Minister has, for probably the first time, the ability to speak directly with the likes of Nutfa as well as with representatives of the over 10 sector. He has the opportunity to really make a difference in both the short and long terms and we welcome his promises in this respect. It will be up to under ten fishermen to make their views known so that Nutfa can clearly reflect them to the Government and others. Believe me, this is the end game for the under tens, irrespective of whether you fish quota, non quota or shellfish. Nutfa doesn’t have the massive resources of other organisations but does have the commitment to fight to the finish for the interests of under ten fishermen but it is down to individuals to support the organisation if they want to make their voice heard and have any chance of a viable future."

Extracted from the latest news - NUTFA.

Cooking fun, Crab in Black Bean Sauce.

Coating the crab just before serving.

Some would consider doing anything other than simply boiling crab and picking the shells for the meat they contain as sacrilege - but this recipe is truly delicious - the flavour from the crab meat and the black bean sauce combine into something special - and a breeze to prepare.

Palm sugar on the left and two kinds of yellow lump sugar that are the preferred means of sweetening in many Chinese dishes.

Use raw crab if possible. Remove the legs and body section from inside the main shell. After taking off the dead man's fingers use a big knife to cut the remainder in half first laterally and then two leg portions. Set aside. The crab will be cooked in the shells so the next step is to crack the claws - a rolling pin is good!


Sauce quantities for two: (Chan's in Penzance, like all good Oriental Shops keep all the ingredients)


1 tsp ketjap manis, a sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp fermented black beans (these need soaking for 30 mins and then rinsing before use)
1 tsp palm sugar
oil for cooking
4 spring onions finely sliced on the diagonal
1 oz peeled finely chopped ginger 
1/2 oz peeled finely chopped garlic
20 fresh curry leaves (not so easy to get hold of - try the local garden centre and grow your own)
1 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
1/2 oz butter
1 red chilli - your choice for heat


Mix the ketjap, black beans, palm sugar, and three tablespoons of water.


Heat 3 fl oz of oil till smoking and add the crab in shell and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside on kitchen paper.


Remove all but enough oil and add the spring onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaves and stir fry gently - don't brown!


Add the black pepper, stir in and then add the black bean mixture and then add the partially cooked crab, cover with a lid and cook through for 4-5 minutes if using raw crab, half the time for cooked. Once cooked, stir in the butter and red chilli turning the whole lot until all the pieces are coated.


Garnish with some of the sliced spring onion. This is a hugely messy and fun dish to eat and requires a finger bowl or two and the kitchen roll a hand - literally finger licking good!