Sunday's peace shattered by the sound of ripping chainsaws at work cutting up a boat in the harbour.

No Sunday in service for Quaker THV Patricia...

the entire length of Penzance's promenade is now out of bounds to the public...

Tom keeping an eye on one of five coasters in the Bay...

hardy souls gig rowers...

it says so here...

in Newlyn Harbour looking across the gaps...

as the Penlee lifeboat Ivan Ellen makes her way...

from a run out...

 to the Runnelstone buoy...

powering her way to the harbour...

and the quay...

 to take fuel while the deepest cuts are applied to the hull...

 of the Wayfinder from above...

and below...

right through the hull...

the stem that has seen thousands of seas in her day...

a job that needs doing while the tide is out...

so the guys can easily cut right down to the keel...

just trawled up by local beam trawler Elizabeth N...

this sizeable gun is thought to have been of the kind mounted on the stern of merchant ships during WW1

seen here upside down...

the two lugs that it would have sat in the cradle clearly visible...

with the heavy breech lock and door closed tight shut...

skipper Jed points out to a local naval historian where the gun was hitched afast to the chain mat of the trawl...

the gun was ripped from is mount due to the encounter with the heavy trawl...

some 27 and a half miles 156º from Newlyn - the spot now accurately recorded on the boat's chart plotter...

the boat is one of three on the Nowell fleet...

after refuelling the Ivan Ellen heads back to her berth...

on the pontoons.

Stopping for nothing

It takes more than a Force 9 to stop a big pelagic boat like 

the Alida from catching fish in the Western Approaches.

Bringing home the #hake for Monday's market.

Tracking the Ajax in, from the fishing grounds south of Ireland

 on a course straight back to Land's End and the comfort of Newlyn Harbour this morning with the winds gusting to Severe Gale Force 9...

not the most uncomfortable ride home for skipper Alan and the boys with the wind on the boat's port quarter.

They call it stormy Saturday

One of four coasters sheltering in the Bay...

the railings on the promenade are being refurbished - the original cast posts have hardly corroded despite over 100 years of inclement weather - the kind of steel they are mode from is known and more amazingly the wooden foundry moulds to cast the sand moulds are still in Penzance thanks to local historian and artist Clive Carter...

low tide at the mouth of the Coombe river behind the Mission building...

the Wayfarer is now missing everything topsides...

and a section of the stern has been cut through...

with another cut around the hull almost complete...

ready to be broken up and removed...

there are a number of visiting boats from padstow like the netter Charisma...

filling the quays...

as is the Berlewen...

while the gales blow across the Bay...

keeping the harbour staff busy checking moorings...

coasters watched over by Tom...

from the safety of the shore.

Loss of the Morgenster Z85 - report from EMMANUELLE DUPEUX et SYLVAIN DELAGE

Wednesday afternoon, the Belgian trawler "Z85 Morgenster" disappeared from radar screens while fishing in British waters. 

(Translated by Google Translate)

Thursday morning, a liferaft ran aground on Équihen-Plage. It was empty. A few hours later, two bodies were recovered off Boulogne. According to preliminary evidence gathered, the sinking was particularly sudden. 

1. The disappearance Wednesday afternoon, the Z85 Morgenster, a Belgian trawler 24 meters, slowly steaming north in the English Channel with its trawls in the water. On board, everything seemed to run smoothly for the four crewmen. Then the ship suddenly disappeared from radar screens. The last position automatically sent AIS back to 14 h 47 (French time). The boat was then in British waters to 20 miles from Dungeness (between Dover and Hastings) and 40 km off Boulogne. 

2. Research Since no warning signal was issued by the trawler, the disappearance was not reported immediately. "These were colleagues who raised the alarm when they realized she didn't respond" said Michel Goron, Director of the CROSS Gris Nez. Calls made by its English counterpart, the MRCC Dover, were unsuccessful. Shortly before 1800 hours, SAR resources were therefore triggered to try to locate the ship. France has deployed including Dauphin helicopter of the Navy based in Le Touquet. By late afternoon, the searches were fruitless. Liferaft Belgian trawler was found stranded in the rocks of the beach Equihen. 

3. A first clue This Thursday, at 10 am, the life raft of Z85 Morgenster was found Équihen-Plage, grounded on rocks. Alerted, firefighters found that the boat was empty and, according to the position of the straps, it was not even used. This was probably triggered automatically on contact with water. This discovery left little doubt about the tragic outcome for the crew, the survival time of a man overboard is thirty minutes in water at 9 degrees. It also implied that the sinking was very fast. 

4. Two bodies discovered In the morning, a 50 French Navy Falcon has reinforced the Dauphin to fly over the area. They were first spotted debris off Boulogne. Then a first body in the early afternoon at 16 km from the coast. And a second to 18 hours in the same area. The lifeboat canoe Boulogne recovered the bodies. Dutch fishermen docked in Boulogne have identified the two victims on pictures in the evening. (photo Marc Ottini) 

WHAT HAS HAPPENED ABOARD CHALUTIER? 

Hard to say as the wreckage was not found. But every indication that the sinking was particularly sudden: the crew had not issued any warning signal or distress message, they had no time to board the liferaft and, According to our information, at least one of the two bodies found yesterday was not wearing a life jacket. 

According to the site Marinetraffic.com, which can follow live the tracks of ships (see below), the Z85 Morgenster was sailing at 2.6 knots, which suggests he was fishing. three hypotheses In this context, the most likely explanation is that the boat had "come fast" on the on the bottom with trawls. "It is a well known risk of fishermen, says Michel Goron, the CROSS. The trawl catches on a stone or a wreck, which creates a huge weight on the rear of the ship and the water rushes quickly. Especially at the time of sorting the fish, all holds are open. "The sea, which was quite rough on Wednesday at noon, could engulf the boat in seconds. 

Unfortunately another common assumption: the fire on board. "But generally, the crew has a little more time to send an alert," said the specialist. That was not the case. 

We also know that the trawler was traveling in the opposite direction in the separation zone down the strait, which is tolerated for boat fishing. 

Would a collision occurred with another ship? 

Track a priori excluded: according to initial analyzes, no boat traveling near the time of the tragedy. 

LAST MINUTES BEFORE THE DISAPPEARANCE 

On the Internet, the VesselTracker website can follow live the routes of ships around the world, especially in the English Channel and the North Sea. The geolocation is done using the AIS system, to which all vessels are connected. The MZ85 Morgenster was no exception to the rule. 

AIS history taken from the website www.vessletracker.com

1. The context of the disappearance. The last position sent by the AIS MZ85 Morgenster date Wednesday at 2:47 p.m. (French time). The trawler was then 40 km west of Boulogne and 20 km from the nearest coast, the Dungeness (between Dover and Hastings). He was changing in the opposite in the seperation scheme/track down the Channel (obligatory passage for ships transiting the North Sea to the English Channel). He moved to 2.6 knots, which suggests that he was still fishing. 

2. course. The history of the trawler of the course reveals that the MZ85 Morgenster was moving from South to North. About 2 am 50, it was south of Eastbourne. He trawled in this area until 8 hours before slowly back towards the Strait. 

3. A final manouvre. Just prior to issue for the last time to 13 h 55, the MZ85 Morgenster began a low-speed loop. A specialist believes that this final maneuver means it has raised its trawl. The vessel then continued its fishing, continuing its original path. Before disappearing screens, a few minutes later. SY. D.

Source: Courtesy of Voix du Nord

Freezing #FishyFriday? - not in Newlyn!

Friday's market full of fresh fish...

with Cefas Sam busy collecting otoliths from a good landing of big turbot...

all safely recorded and stored...

good to see ray back on the market floor and not being dumped like at the end of the year - this is one of those fish that will be a choke species come the implementation of the discards rule...

even murgies are making good money as crab bait...

all sorted...

stack them high when there are plenty...

name the fish...

some fish even appear to have feet...

these bream are a great alternative to bass when baked in a huge pile of sea salt...

scallops by the dozen...

not so much black gold this morning...

but plenty of hake with the gill netters...

including this monster in double figures...

all the lights are on with nowhere to go because of the weather.

Z85 Morgenster update

Latest news from a Dutch website at 7:53am today 9 (from a Google translation)


"The search for the missing cutter Z 85 is still plenty going on. It is intended that today also to look for two ships by means of sonar. Urk cutter Belgian flag is probably sunk Wednesday. On board were at that time Jan Kramer (29), Bert Woort (45), Maurice Coussaerd (64) from Belgium and Americo Martins dos Santos (48) from Portugal. 

The cutter disappeared around a quarter to three Wednesday afternoon at sea, about half way between the British Hastings and Boulogne. The ship was then fishing and sea conditions were difficult. After colleagues alarm had beaten and no one managed to get in touch with the Z 85, a search was initiated by the British coastguard. A growing number of cutters searched it. 

In the course of the evening was reported particularly on social media that the ship was found upside down. But that proved incorrect. 

The search was now attended by three lifeboats. In daylight three helicopters  go back in the air. Besides Dutch cutters, Belgians and French do it. There are still new cutters on the way to the English Channel, where the weather is still very impetuous: force 8 with heavy gusts. From the exit is an active emergency team, working with cutter owner Jelle Kramer, father of the missing skipper."