Penzance sailing club, cup night.

in what could only be described as 'light airs', the annual Matthews Cup took place in the Bay....
with boats jockeying for position before he start....
and making a run for the line with spinnakers set.....
as the Scilly helicopter came in and circled for a better view....
time to check the watch against the start signals.....
as all shapes and sizes milled.....
and all ages....
seems like chaos!

Stevenson's first beamer makes her final voyage

In a scene reminiscent of JMW Turner's "Fighting Temeraire", the Elizabeth Anne Webster is towed by the Chickadee and the harbour punt round to the slip for breaking. She was the port's first beamer, skippered for most of her career by three well known Newlyn men, firstly by David Hooper followed by Dell Puckey and Michael Corin.
she's towed passed the newest wooden beamer, the Marie Claire up on the slip......
a tricky moment as the Chickadee takes her past the end of the Old Quay....
at this time, first time visitor from Bideford, Our Olivia Belle makes her way quietly to the market to land....
hard to know how many times the Chickadee has manouvered the EAW into a berth, this time its the last and final berth.....
even Lifeboat coxwain, Neil Brockman has been drafted in to help!......
as ever, Mav and Clive bring things into perspective as the ominous arm of the crawler make a grab for the hull.....
and the tow is let go......
back at the fish market, the Bideford boat, in her somewhat striking livery has begun to land.....
as the boys on the Defiant get down to some serious mending after pulling the net on to the quay by the iceworks.

'George', the people loving dolphin pays adds Newlyn to his list of places visited!

Scratch me back....
check out the shore ropes....
and off we go! Robbie's submission for the Turner Prize?



Members of Cornwall Wildlife's Trust arrived to see if they could encourage George the dolphin to make his way out of the harbour. Although George had been in and out of the harbour all day he seemed fascinated by ther boats' shore ropes. CW Trust member and diver, Rory Goodall from Elemental Tours operates all year round from Penzance Harbour with guided walks, tours and a 12 seeter rib available for charter. He identified the dolphin as George, who has been spotted in most harbours from Bridlington on the North East coast down as far as here in the South West! - last Saturday he was off the beach at Porthcurno playing with the kids in the surf! Last reported on September 17th off St Ives - maybe he's in some kind of cetacean 'Round Britain' race?

Black is black

Just when you thought it was a mullet - a garfish takes a bite!
The Jacoba's bulwarks are coming on....
The Ripple is beginning to shine....
and the black hand gang are in town again!

An esoteric evening in the Bay

a local seal watches points!.....
Sennen lifeboat has found its way to Newlyn.....
more wellies on the move as the sun goes down....
as the swans pass by the Monday race....
and the rest of the fleet pass by other more solubrious boats at rest in the Bay; like the chartered Solaia at anchor. Look closely, and you can just make out a kite that one of the guests is flying from her stern! Rumour has it that the present encumbent has swopped roles and is now a Pirate of Penzance!

Chaos - it's Monday and Newlyn is end-to-end with fish!

Peter's drafted in new help and he'll be busy box-washing all day looking at the market this morning!
..the Berlewen from Padstow gets her boxes washed and back aboard the boat pronto!

tagged pole-caught tuna from the Charisma...
.. unusually for a netter, a few crayfish...Although only two beamers landed, the market was wall-to-wall fish this morning....
with several big gillnetter trips from the Berlewen, Ocean Spray and Carol H dominating the western end of the market. Pole-caught Charisma's tuna trip looked lost amongst the hundreds of netter boxes. Unusually, the Carol H landed a dozen boxes of spur-dogs.

Anyone who tasted the tuna from the Nova Spero was in for a treat!
Boxes go back aboardthe Carol H for a back-to-back trip.