Rust

Three beamers head for the grounds early on Saturday morning.......
still work to be done on the gantry.......
with 34 dredges in total the rust element is high aboard the Jacoba.......
heavy duty Trinity House lifting ship Galatea is about to weigh anchor and leave the Bay bound for a job in the Scillies - you can track AIS ships here......
the cradle was modified to take the Lyonesse.

Mexican spotted in Cornwall

Spotted outside the charity shop in Newlyn, what appears to be a sleeping Mexican.

Pilchards, past and present

Looking spruce after her bottom scrub and topside paint......
visiting charter boat from Paington, Liberty Lass can be contacted on 07768014174......
Mr Curtis has some work ahead with new fotropes on the quay.....
a first for the slip at Newlyn, Lyonnesse, the first catamaran and the newest pilchard boat in the fleet.....
and on the Canner's Slip, the oldest pilchard boat in the fleet.

Plea for the Porthleven provider

Dr Carol Williams, Ted Gundry and GT Stones transport are amongst a group of Portheleveners keen to see the last big fishing boat built for Porthleven restored. There is an open meeting at Porthleven Village Halll, 2.30pm on Saturday 9th May for anyone interested in taking the project forwards. The boat was rescued from her resting place in Canvey Island, Essex over two years ago and returned by road courtesy of Graham Stone of Stones Transport.

The case for the defence

Originally due to finish on Thursday, the blackfish trial at Truro Crown Court has continued until today. In a twist to events it appears that the defence for W Stevenson's have cited "missing" records taken by the MFA.

By land and by sea - an invasion from the land of red soil

Heavy plant from across the border about to be unshipped......
alongside the Sea Spirit, out of the water again....
looking more like a scene from an American road movie than a tranquil Cornish seaport......
another Devonian, this time the Girl Debra has put a trawl ashore for mending.....
as the bug beamer Lady Lou with around 120 boxes prepares her gear for the next trip.....
in the meantime, the transport has arrived to take the visitors' fish....
there's bags of work for the Nowell fleet over the next few days, ashore......
not the best way to pull off the bridles from a trawler, watch that clutch.......
almost done, a refurbished footrope from the Crystal Sea II fills the quayside......
but there's another heavy rockhopper footrope waiting on the quay......
over on the hard for a bottom scrub and checkover, the Ripple waits for the next low water.....
one of many ex-Breton fishing boats converted to liveaboards to be found in Penzance Harbour.....
and there's always a pirate to be found somewhere in the vicinity.

Stevenson's day in Court

In a landmark case, local fishing company W Stevenson & Son are in Crown Court over the landing and sale of over-quote or 'blackfish'. Day one of the hearing saw the prosecution allege that around £4 million pounds worth of illegally handled fish were involved. The case is likely to add weight to the arguemnt that the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) is being used unfairly to target fishermen - as in the case of father and son aboard the trawler, Arcane, featured in the BBC series Trawlermen. The confiscation hearing is due to last three days and finish on Thursday.

A blue day

With the best fishing for langoustine when the tide has a low co-efficient, visiting Scottish prawner Tranquility gets her trip ashore to the waiting transport, which sadly means there won't be any supplies for local buyers on the market for Cornish restaurants and hotels.....
turning for the gaps, the Ajax ends of her neap tide's netting trip......
ahead of another afternoon mackerel man......
the Ben Loyal finishes off her annual refit with a bottom scrub.......
seems that you had to be blue to land at the market today, so Mr Chivers is the odd one out in his black-hulled punt......
ready to square away after landing on the Tranquility......
alongside the Crystal Sea II, where skipper David is up the pole with grease gun in hand.....

below the waterline on this tosher shows the need for regular maintenance to keep the hull as smooth as possible in order to reduce friction and therefore lower the all-imprtant fuel consumption.

Better run of Bank Holday mackerel

Local Falmouth based RYA sailing school, Trysail pay a visit......
the Inspiration seen heading back in past the Mount with the mornings haul of line caught mackerel......
and a good run at that.......
yet another bottom gets scrubbed at low water on 'the hard'.

Blake and other artists on show

Short and simple message outside the Star Inn....
off for a long weekend, the big Dutchmen waits to go back to sea after consigning their last trip to Ostende market by lorry.......
bright and cheerful art in Babcocks......
including the current show from Peter Blake...........
and just to prove the property market appears to be moving in the area, this Newlyn cottage, handy to the Dolphin and Swordfish comes complete with a work by local artist Ben Gunn (who knows, one day the artwork may be worth more than the house)........
old-fashioned rooftop surveillance.......
given their stability, catamaran's, like this French example, often prefer to anchor off the harbour, ........
the punt Sea Jay complete with the wiffer aboard, gets another run round the Bay.