Blue Wave - new concept Diesel-Electric hybrid trawler for Guilvinec, Brittany.

The "Blue Wave" trawler in its home port of Guilvinec.

The Blue Wave, a new hybrid propulsion trawler from Finistère.

At the end of August 2021, Jean-Baptiste Goulard's vessel aroused curiosity in the Bigouden port, with its diesel-electric engine.

At the port of Guilvinec (Finistère), the Blue Wave, a new trawler, attracts the attention of regulars on the quays. Arrived ten days ago at her home port, this 22m by 6.90m boat is, in many ways, different from the others. It is equipped with a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system.

On board, two 750 kW generators produce the current necessary for the operation of the ship. A technology that the owner Jean-Baptiste Goulard was very fond of. “Normally, this should save us energy and reduce our carbon footprint. "

For the Bigouden, the aim of this operation was "not to improve efficiency, but to reduce the energy cost and to respect the sea better. Today, we cannot embark on a new construction without starting there.".

French equipment manufacturers:

The Blue Wave is the only Bigouden boat equipped with such a system, and one of the few in France. The trawler also intrigues with its straight bow (the front of the hull), "which allows better penetration into the water", explains the owner.

The project was born five years ago from a concept by Jean-Baptiste Goulard and his crew. “We started from scratch and wondered what we wanted on board. "It is therefore not surprising to find large and comfortable relaxation areas and individual cabins there".

For this long-term project, delayed by the Covid, the shipowner has surrounded himself with French equipment manufacturers, such as Bopp for hydraulics, Barillec for electricity and Thomas Froid for refrigeration.

But for construction, Jean-Baptiste Goulard turned to Morocco and the Souss-Massa company in Agadir. “We looked for solutions to do it in France. But we got no funding, not even for innovation. And without help, it would have cost too much. By doing it in Morocco, we saved a third of the budget,” he said. The investment, supported by the armament, still reached 2.7 million euros.

But the satisfaction is already there. On the road from Agadir to Guilvinec, "we consumed about 20% less than with other boats", appreciates Jean-Baptiste Goulard. Figures that will remain to be confirmed during the first tides expected before the end of September. The trawler, rigged for deep-sea fishing, will leave for twelve days in western Brittany with four sailors aboard.

Full story courtesy of L'Ouest France.

Your chance to join the UK Seafood Fund: Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme

Around £10m of the funding will be allocated to a new Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme

The government has unveiled the first instalment of its £100m UK Seafood Fund, which forms part of its ‘levelling up’ agenda.

Destined for fishing businesses across the UK, £24m would be used to develop technology, trial new gear and support “world-class” research to improve the productivity and long-term sustainability of the fishing industry, Defra said.

Around £10m of the funding would be allocated to a new Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme, which aims to bring together seafood producers and universities or research institutes.

After initial engagement between industry and academia, the scheme will invite bids from 18 October for project funding of up to £300k to gather new data to bolster fisheries science and catching practices, as well as increase knowledge of the benefits and impacts of fish farming.

It is not yet clear how the remaining £14m will be distributed.

The other pillars of the government’s £100m UK Seafood Fund include infrastructure – with specifics to be announced this autumn – and skills and training.

Find out the funding available through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme and how to give feedback before applications open.

This guide is for people interested in applying for the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme. Eligible applicants are:

• sole traders engaged in commercial sea fishing 

• organisations engaged in commercial or recreational sea fishing, aquaculture or processing 

• universities or research institutes

You can find more information about which people and organisations are included in these categories on the FISP scheme page on BRAVO, Defra’s e-tendering system.

The FISP scheme is part of the UK Seafood Fund.

About the UK Seafood Fund 

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will manage the £100 million UK Seafood Fund to invest in the long term sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector. The funding ends on 5 April 2024.

The fund’s objectives are to:

• rejuvenate the fisheries and seafood sector 

• take advantage of the UK’s additional fishing quota 

• bring economic growth to coastal communities

The UK Seafood Fund is divided between:

• science and innovation 

• infrastructure 

• skills and training

Defra will publish details of funding for infrastructure and skills and training when they are available.



About the FISP scheme

The FISP scheme and the existing Seafood Innovation Fund share the funding allocated to the science and innovation part of the UK Seafood Fund.

Apply for funding

To get funding, you must either bid competitively for a contract or apply for a grant.

Approximately £10 million will be available in contracts of up to £300,000. Grants of up to £20,000 to develop research proposals will also be available.

FISP will collect data to improve and share knowledge of fisheries and aquaculture to support sustainable fisheries management. This will be done through collaboration between the fishing and seafood industry and research institutes.

Applications for the FISP scheme must include a partnership between the UK seafood sector and a research institute.

The FISP scheme will open on 18 October 2021.

Defra will publish more guidance once the fund is open. Before that, you can attend an early engagement event, read the draft scheme documentation, and give feedback about the scheme.

Attend an early engagement event 

Defra is hosting an event on MS Teams at 2:30pm on 22 September 2021 to explain:

• the scheme objectives 

• how the funding works 

• suitable project examples 

• the application process 

• funding timelines

You’ll get the opportunity to ask questions before the event using the BRAVO messaging system. Defra will share more information after the event on BRAVO. You’ll need to register on BRAVO to attend.


Register on BRAVO

Go to the BRAVO website.

Select ‘Register now’.

Accept the terms and conditions and select ‘Continue’. Enter your organisation and user details.

Make a note of the username you chose and select ‘Save’.

You’ll receive an email with your unique password, which you should keep secure.



If you need help, email help@bravosolution.co.uk or telephone 0800 368 4850.

Monday morning in Newlyn and the rain is late.

Plenty boxes of the fish that loves the sun found there way on to the market from the inshore boats working over the weekend...

along with red mullet...

and ray...

quality big squid from the Unity, the outer membrane so sought after by many chefs still intact...

baggsy some brill...

one seriously forlorn looking conger...

my Dory's got blue eyes...

with no beam trawl fish on the auction this morning it was up to the Unity to keep the merchants supplied with this popular fish...

along with Dovers of course...

sardines came courtesy of the Palagic Marskman...

while the handliners provided all of the morning's mackerel...

and a good run of pollack...

while others like the Tol-Bar...

weighed in with a few bass...

trawl doors come in all shapes...

and sizes...

Seafood Cornwall Training is your first port of call if you fancy a career change, they provide all the training needed to become a fisher...

cuttlefish legacy...

the St Georges heads for the market to land...

joining the crabber Nicola of Ladram while the Ocean Pride takes ice...

and the Ygraine seeks out a berth to take gear ready for sailing...

latest fleet colours, from the Enterprise to the Cornishman

that's a whole lot of dredges to maintain...

not the sweetest lines...

big smiles from the big man himself, relief skipper Scotty and skipper Mario about to enjoy a few days off from the Rowse crabber Harriet Eve...

 there's not too many restaurants in Cornwall where you can sit and eat fish from caught by the boats in front of you.

Cornishman come home.

After a 24 hour lon steam the Cornishman heads in through the gaps after a major refit in Den Oever in the Nederlands...

to be met by fleet manager...

Pete Buckland who quickly gets to grips with a heaving line...

along with the welcoming committee...

while some familiar faces make good the stern ropes...

under the watchful eye of skipper George Stevens...

young Shane draws on his last roll-up of the trip...

the Cornishman now sports her new Ocean Fish colours...

along with the company logo on her bow...

while the boat's name board below the wheelhouse windows looks like it has had some serious coats of varnish applied...

all-in-all a significant change from the longstanding olive green colour associated with the Stevenson fishing fleet of steel beam trawlers... 

she joins the Enterprise in similar livery.

After 70 years of sleep, the Le Gall cannery reopens in Loctudy

 

Closed in 1955, the former Le Gall fish cannery in Loctudy (29), which has become an eco-museum, opens its doors on Friday. This site, unique in France, is a rare witness to the history of Breton preserves.

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Loctudy (29). The Le Gall cannery opens its doors on Friday Posted on September 07, 2021 at 5:40 p.m. Modified on September 08, 2021 at 10:36 a.m. Enlarge To print Web version Journal version

Five years were needed to complete the project to restore and enhance the former Le Gall cannery in Loctudy (29). It has kept all its charm with its exposed stone walls, beams and strange tools from another age that are just waiting to come to life.

The workshop has been remarkably restored. The manufacturing workshop has been remarkably restored (Le Télégramme / Patrick Théallet) A hold nearby to facilitate the unloading of fish An emblematic place in the history of the Bigoudene commune, the cannery was built in 1900-1901 by Jean-Marie Vallière des Filières, a trader-trader from Ille-et-Vilaine. The land is located near the shore where a hold is built to facilitate the unloading of fish. However, the cannery never really took off: strikes followed the long sardine crisis and, despite initial investments, it remained on the fringes of the technical changes of the time and remained semi-artisanal.

Historical testimony The factory was then bought, in 1919, by Alexis Le Gall, a native of Douarnenez (29). This modernized the cannery and increased its productivity by investing in mechanical seamers and a steam boiler. He also installs the electricity and the telephone. About forty women then made high-end products.

Boiler, autoclaves, topping and conditioning tables have been restored by local companies. Boiler, autoclaves, topping and packaging tables have been restored by local companies (Le Télégramme / Patrick Théallet) The factory slows down during the war and, after a bad fishing season, the cannery ceases its activity in 1955 for lack of buyer. Despite inactivity, most of its premises are kept and its machines are maintained thanks to the perseverance and the purchase of the site by Jean-Baptiste Chapalain, husband of Alexis Le Gall's granddaughter.

Everything threatened to fall apart This working production tool is the last historical witness of its kind in France. Its owner approached the municipality at the time, but the latter did not have the necessary means to carry out such a project on its own. In 2014, given the deterioration of buildings, there is an emergency. “Everything threatened to collapse,” remembers Pierre Quillivic, works assistant. In 2015, precautionary measures were then taken by the Drac (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs). The machines and equipment were classified as a Historic Monument in 2016 and, that same year, the town hall of Loctudy acquired the entire site.

The entire site has been restored: the tide store, the mansion and the manufacturing workshop and its 19th century industrial architecture, with its jagged roof and chimneys. The entire site has been restored: the tide store, the mansion and the manufacturing workshop, with its 19th century industrial architecture, with its jagged roof and brick chimneys (from right to left ) (Pierre Quillivic) Cost of the work: 2.1 M € In 2018, the site was included in the list of 270 monuments of the Heritage Loto . The town is no longer alone. The project benefits from substantial financial support from numerous public authorities (State, Region, Department, Europe, community of municipalities) and from private partnerships, through corporate sponsorship. The overall cost of the operation amounts to € 2.1 million, subsidized up to 80%.

To read on the subject Conserverie Le Gall: catering on the move After two years of work and nearly 70 years of sleep, this exceptional heritage has been saved. The former Le Gall cannery will open its doors to the public on Friday. Access is via the old tide store, transformed into a reception area coupled with a shop. The visit continues with the dining room and Alexis Le Gall's office, reconstructed identically.

Alexis le Gall's office has been restored identically. Alexis le Gall's office has been restored identically (Le Télégramme / Patrick Théallet) A human adventure

After crossing the small garden, visitors approach the factory through the sauce preparation workshop to finally enter the manufacturing workshop. The factory is equipped with numerous explanatory panels, screens and audiovisual and interactive tools which retrace the different phases of the production of the product: topping, drying, cooking, oiling, crimping, sterilization. The careful scenography highlights the condition of women, the difficulty of their daily lives and their struggles. More than an industrial epic, the Le Gall cannery tells the story of a human adventure.

Le Gall cannery museum , 8, impasse du Nord in Loctudy (29). Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Musical navigator extraordinary, Michael Chapman sails the music circuit seas no more.

Music has a great way of bringing together the elements - and none is stronger than its affinity with the sea. 

Way back in the 1960s when British Folk music was perceived to be so subversive that MI5 closely monitored the affairs of its leading proponents a young man, having first picked up a guitar to "impress the girls", stumbled skint and soaked into a remote folk club with an open door policy near the cliffs of Botallack. That tiny embryonic club in the Count House at Botallack became the home to Pipers run by Mike the Fish and the formidable, Brenda Wootton. Of all the troubadours who filled the old tin mine counting house's thick granite walls the best know to a wider audience would be Ralph McTell whose song Streets of London resonates perhaps even more today than it did back then.

Back to our rain-soaked singer guitarist and how a very different career with humble beginnings panned out. In the early days the clubs owner was more interested, rightly so in running a viable club than the inherent musical value of its players. John the Fish along with Brenda Wotton were the resident artists and the musical backbone of the club. Local and visiting guest players were always welcomed but in those days there was a house rule that they could play any song they liked other than Dylan's 'Blowin in the Wind' - because at that time everyone did and the owner was sick of hearing it.

When the broke, wet and weary Michael Chapman happened upon the club desperate to earn at least a hot meal (they served food in those days) he was made aware of the rule and, as a result, launched into a set of his own songs. Such was the audience reaction Michael Chapman was immediately offered a residency for the rest of the summer season. Legend has it that Brenda Wootton was so put out by the young upstart taking all the limelight that she largely ignored him and his presence at first. So began a long career and even longer association with touring in Cornwall, especially in West Penwith where he has returned on a regular basis until very recently. 

Unlike Ralph McTell, Chapman never enjoyed a song with the widespread success of Streets of London and consequently nor a wider audience. His early albums featured Mick Ronson of Bowie fame and Steeleye Span's Steve Kemp - other collaborations are too numerous to mention. Undoubtedly, his affinity with Cornwall led to imagery of the sea becoming a common feature if his lyrics. Local writer, poet, rock climber and fisherman Des Hannigan was there in those early days - in his case fishing proved a more powerful driving force as a means of earning a living than his attempts at guitaring. Des provides a more intimate look at life back then here.

Two of Michael Chapman's most iconic songs with saltwater connections are Fully Qualified Survivor and Rabbit Hills - not that any self-respecting fisherman use such a word so endowed with bad luck as rabbit at sea - Bush-Conger Hills or Underground Mutton Hills would not quite have the same ring tough.

Here, in tribute are both songs form his second album;

Full Qualified Surviver

Rabbit Hills

There's much more to hear and read about those heady days of live acoustic gigs and venues - with a few key words Google will provide enough to keep you reading and listening to hours of words and songs with much of their roots in the far west of Cornwall.

RIP Michael Chapman - 1941-2021

Spanish longline fleet currently enjoying the support of the world's largest hospital ship dedicated fishing.

Guide tour of the Esperanza del Mar

The Esperanza del Mar can be located in areas where there are high-concentrations of Spanish fleets, she offers on-site health care to any ship that requests it within their area of coverage, as well as providing radio consultation, outpatient care and even on-board hospitalization, when this is prescribed to patients. She can also evacuate the patient to dry land using the fastest and most suitable method possible, if the case is serious enough to require this.

When carrying out her activity, she works together closely with the Radio Medical Centre of the Social Marine Institute and with the National Sea Rescue Coordination Centre of the State Sea Rescue Association, responsible for organising the evacuation of crew members from high seas using the most suitable method available, in the cases when evacuation to a port is urgently required.

In addition to their health care work, she also provide emergency logistical support such as the unhooking of nets, diving services, electrical repairs, etc., to the Spanish boats that require it, as well as the rescue of shipwrecked persons.

She has been specially designed as support vessels to provide health care and logistical support to Spanish fishing boats in any fishing ground, in every sea and ocean in the world, and under extreme weather conditions.

She boast the best state-of-the-art medical and technical equipment, the only ship in the world along with her sister ship Juan de la Cosa that has these features and what's more, they are owned by the Social Security Administration.

The design of both boats was based on having a hospital occupying an entire deck from the bow, with direct access to the heliport and the deck to facilitate the transportation of patients and shipwrecked persons to the hospital area.

The hospital area contains the following services:

• Operating theatre.
• Laboratory.
• Intensive Care Unit.
• Dressing room.
• Radiology room.
• Isolation ward (for the treatment of burns, infectious diseases and psychiatric conditions).
• The ship also has a special area for shipwrecked persons, cabins, communal areas and service areas.

Operating theatre

The initial capacity of the “Esperanza del MAR” is 17 patients in the hospital area and 30 in the area for shipwrecked persons. Both of these areas are separate from the rest of the ship's rooms. The “Juan de la Cosa” has capacity for 10 patients on the hospital deck, as well as 12 beds to increase the hospital capacity or for other uses.

Safety is the key concern at all times, as demonstrated by the spaciousness of the cabins, the arrangement of beds and cabin compartment systems, as well as the various floating and lifeboat recovery devices. This is crucial for providing urgent medical attention to other ships and for bringing patients on board the hospital ship.

The medical and logistical services provided from these ships are as follows:

• Health care services:

• Radio-assisted medical consultations.

• Videoconference medical consultations

• Outpatient consultations on board the hospital ship.

• Transfer of the mobile medical team to ships that request assistance. Hospitalisations in the on-board clinic.

• Minor surgery.

• Evacuations using helicopters, other vessels, or the hospital ship itself.

Urgent Logistical Support Services:

• Scuba-diving tasks.

• Mechanical assistance.

• Electrical assistance.

• Electronic assistance.

• Tugging.

• Water supply.

• Emergency fuel supply.

• Collaboration with Navy ships in the area.

Propulsion and Maneuvering

Izar Manises participated actively in the construction of the hospital ship Esperanza del Mar. The company also supplied a deck crane, and the complete propulsion pack. The ship is arranged with two separate shaftlines for total engine redundancy, to ensure rescue operations at all times.

Each propulsion line consists of a Mak Model 9M25 four-stroke propulsion engine with a power output of 2,700 kW at 750 rpm in compliance with IMO NOx emission requirements. Each engine is coupled through a Vulkan resilient coupling to a Reintjes WAF 4545 reduction gear of a reduction ratio of 3.42. Shafting 18.5 m in length and four fixed pitch propellers by Baliño of a nominal speed of 219 rpm. The system is fitted with braking elements and the shafting has a clutch that confers the system broad operating flexibility. The electric power plant installed aboard the Esperanza del Mar, supplied by Pasch, is composed of three gensets and one emergency set, all designed and manufactured by Demp. Three MAN D 2842 LE301, 12 cylinder in V auxiliary engines and one 500 kWe Stamford electric power alternator. These sets are cooled by means of a water/water heat exchanger with a centralised on-board water circuit. An emergency genset with a MAN D 2842 LE201, 12 cylinders in V and a 500 kWe Stamford electric power alternator, cooled by means of an air/water radiator. Special care has been given to control noise emissions and vibrations, given the mission of this ship.