Tai Chi on Mazey Day

Plenty of colour in the centre of Penzance on Mazey Day as one of the day's dances passes the bottom of Causewayhead.....
with a myriad of mythical and other incarnations on display.....
for those with strong stomachs, the fair provides all the thrills......
adding to the cultural mix that is Mazey Day, it's time for some Tai Chi in the early hours......
first time visit to Newlyn for the Dartmouth super-crabber Edward Henry........
"is anybody home?"........
with her vivier pumped empty she rides high in the water......
the Brixham sail fishing boat Leader proudly flies a Cornish flag ...... as all hands rig the cranning pole on the crabber......
idyllic sailing conditions out in the Bay for an early riser.

TN fleet arrives en masse

Twinkle and young Mr Curtis take time to enjoy the view as they clear the gaps on their way out for another trip in the Elisabeth Veronique.....
as the Tranquility makes her way in...... followed by TN Trawler's Philomena.....
and the dive charter vessel Evert from DivingFish.co.uk, which had just exited the harbour stern first, something no local fishing boat would consider doing..... Lenten Rose follows the Evert at a more leisurely pace.....
sent in to Through the Gaps from another blog, a picture of the Kathleen and May, last remaining sailing three masted sailing schooner built in 1900 passes deep off Perranuthnoe -you can check out the comings and goings around Perranuthnoe on the blog site here all of this made so easy and possible by the folks at Google and Blogger......
there's enough of a chill in the air to see the seawater cooled exhaust on this punt.....
crew up on the bow make ready the shorelines......
of the biggest of the TN fleet, the Olivia Jean with a trip's worth of scallops to land.

Brotherhood of the palette at Penlee House Gallery, Penzance.

If you are in and around Penzance, take the opportunity to view Penlee House Gallery's Brotherhood of the Palette exhibition which runs from now until 20th September. The gallery houses one of the finest collections of Newlyn School art works, all of which contribute to our knowledge and understanding of the way Newlyn was around 100 years ago.

Opening review of the exhibition here in the Western Morning News' pages.

Swans

This week a paper was published citing the role the county's myriad of ports and harbours should play in making a major contribution to the Cornish economy. One example being the leisure trade here in Newlyn where, if there are berths available, yachts soon fill them as can be seen here. Which would suggest that Penlee Marina would have no problem in catering for all those yachts which currently make the long journey from the French coast and beyond, via the Scillies to Ireland or the west coast of the UK - Newlyn would become an obvious stopping off point for many of these passages and may even become a first stop for trans-Atlantic crossings.....

on the quay for a check over, an inshore ring net used by the sardine boats.....

and, judging by the list on the Resolute, it would appear to be hers.....

passing the Mount, the Tranquility heads off for her next foray on the prawns.....

a small fly-past courtesy of a few of the local swans as they make their way back to Newlyn.

Over the top of the tide

Not till the Autumn will the Old Quay be filled with this much water as the top of the mid-summer tide is reached......
for scallopers like the Katie Clare the fine weather is just what they need to keep the dredges firmly on the seabed.......

about to pass the dive charter boat Evert the Crystal Sea II heads for the gaps and a waiting lorry......

high water means thet the Cornishman can now leave her temporary berth on the hard, her bow ballasted down and her stern raised to give as much water as possible to prevent her being beneaped.

It's time for Plan C from the Harbour Trust.

Work continues in Newlyn to drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Plans that include a rigid temperature controlled landing, sorting, grading, storage and auctioning building, a fully computerised remote fish auction to attract buyers outside the UK and a general overhaul of existing market practices where the largest range of quality fish is landed on a regular basis are being re-assessed at the behest of the MFA - keen that Newlyn should meet the July submission deadline for their re-worked bid. The CFPO has given its support and is calling for all those involved to work together for the future of the port. See further details here on the FishUpdate web site.

Scrubbed up well

Basking in the morning sun, the Leader has a well scrubbed bottom and is now ready for new anodes....
built in 1892, she has had some modifications to her stem over the years......
the tide has yet to reach last evening's zenith.

Brixham sailing trawler Leader goes up on the slip

Big beamer wheels beat big fuel bills for the Chloe T......
Resurgam heads away and out through the gaps....
unusual to see one yacht towing another.......
biggest tide for the year fills the old harbour......
community spirit shines in the Star Inn.......
onwards and upwards aboard the Cornishman as she is turned to paint the hull starboard side.......
in the background the Leader is nudged on to the cradle......
the Brixham sailing trawler Leader is about to go up on the slip to have her bottom scrubbed and anti-fouling renewed (slideshow). She is making her way northwards to the West coast of Scotland before sailing across to Bergen in Norway. Her last charter was for students at North devon College.

Trawlers and Trawler Folk by Ernest Cleveland

Second book in a series that picks up on Ernest Cleveland's life after leaving a boy's home on the Humber and sees him begin a life-long affinity with the sea and fishing.

Red Trawlers and Trawler Folk by Ernest Cleveland by Pnema Springs Publishing.
ISBN 9781905809677

Newlyn Copper exhibition at the Geffrye Museum London

If you are in the big smoke, or know of anyone likely to be there from now untill August there is an exhibition of Newlyn Copper at the Geffrye Museum.

The Geffrye Museum is one of London's best-loved museums. It shows the changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day.

Golowan hots up

Under a sky devoid of clouds the Golowan fair waits for the evening trade.....

so, too, PZ Gallery which will be running a BBQ alongside the bar........ a question mark hangs over what will happen to work on this luxury yacht-to-be now that the Penzance Dry Dock has ceased to trade.......

back in Newlyn, Robert George fills in the gaps with another tour around the harbour......

and, with the weed growing at break neck speed, more and more boats are taking to the hard for a bottom scrub.

Weed control

A most un-sedate form of travel off Newlyn Green.......
with 18 inches of weed scrubbed off yesterday its time for a fresh coat of anti-fouling to reduce the growth aboard the Guinness man's Vipa, with the warmer water conditions found around the pontoons and still weather the weed is growing at a considerable rate this year.....
Plymouth Marine Laboratory's research vessel Sepia takes a berth against the quay.....
though they won't be there for long with the Harvest Reaper's trawl requiring some serious attention.......
presently under the command of relief skipper Phil while Tom McClure is a way with the tuna tigers aboard the Nova Spero who should be landing in the next day or so.......
key player in Looe Luggers events, the lugger Erin is in town for a few days, no doubt to be one of the attrractions at the Golwan Festival's Quay Day Sunday coming over in Penzance Dock. Read more about Loe's luggers here.

Dr Nick Tregenza rescued

Dr Nick Tregenza, long time dolphin spotter and trustee of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust was one of four people thrown into the sea when the small 18 foot boat they were in capsized in a heavy swell off the Runnelstone Buoy off Gwennap Head. Two local fishing boats chasing bass were involved in rescuing the crew, all unharmed. First on the scene was Jesse Walter in the Boy Dylan (see above) followed by Andrew Pascoe in the Cynthia.

Old hands will recall the time another fishing boat sank in the vicinity of the Runnelstone Buoy, the crew were rescued after swimming and then clinging to the buoy for some time. Billy Stevenson was heard to suggest that the England swimming team might be interested in them as the Olymipcs were about to start that year.

Out and in

Bound for the gaps, one of a growing number of yachts that are now a growing part of Newlyn's trade - the development of Penlee Marine would see this grow into a significant part of the local economy in time.....

something to challenge the local anglers, the fickle-feeding mullet in the harbour grow bigger with the passing of each day......

almost a flat calm......

with her derricks dropped, the St Georges is the latest resident of the slipway......

in Mousehole an idyllic life, a seat in the sun next to the sea.............

in the Bay, a Lowestoft registered sailing drifter makes her way westwards off the Trees and Tater Dhu........

looks like the services of a gardner might be required down the old quay, or perhaps a local silage contractor might be interested.......

making her way in through the gaps to land another trip of scallops, TN Trawler's Olivia Jean.

Tuna time

While the Nova Spero is at sea, you can keep a tally on the tuna fleet through the Cornish Tuna's web site and blog - though skipper Shaun Edwards is on paternity leave for the first four trips, the boat is in the capable hands of skippers Tom McClure, (Harvest Reaper) and (ex-Girl Patricia) skipper Shaun Williams. As usual, tuna-tiger Quentin Knights provides the blog with his own commentary of proceedings as they unfold.

Here's a story from the Independent's archives when the local fleet used nets instead of pole and line and were not so well recieved by the Spanish boats of the day! and another story from the previous year when the situation was even hotter as the largest vessel in the local fleet, the 30m ex-beamer Silver Harvester (now decommsssioned) joined the fishery.

Long tide, busy market

Work has dried up for the Dry Dock, it seems that work there now depends on a new owner stepping in.....

its that time of year again, as the Golowan Festival hits Penzance and the prom gets closed for the small fair set up next to the Jubilee bathing pool......

evidence of the weekends fun and games over at Penlee Marina are still evident....

more ice needed in the weather, as Mark tops of the boxes of another quality trip from the netter Ajax.....

father of the bride at the weekend, Robin 'knees' Turner looks for other bids as Ocean Fish's buyer Edwin pulls out of the small Dory price battle .......

evidence that the Wiffer has turned his attentions away from the mackerel
to pollack with a good haul of rod caught fish that made well over £3 a kilo......

even the big beamers can't help scraping those wrecks or rough ground to dig up more than a few congers......

big money on big dovers, Ocean Fish in the market for quality again......

however, probably the most expensive single fish of the day per pound goes to this fine turbot snapped up by Smarts......

not yet with the tuna poles up, the Charisma gets in a big turbot trip.....

and with a market this busy the box washing will go on all morning......

end to end with netter and trawl fish......

greening the seas, more black bags head for the bins provided on the quayside.....

keeping cool, several tons of ice flow aboard the small inshore trawler, Lentern Rose.

buzzard

A gliding buzzard showing clearly the wing shape that is supposed to have been the inspiration for Mitchell's Spitfire fighter plane......

a UFO in passing over the Fal river......

from the slipway up river at Malpass, Truro time and tide wait for no man as the owner struggles to get his boat launched before the river ebbs away......

slowly but surely, this ex-French fishing boat continues its transformation into a houseboat - but where was she from originally?......

another river resident about to take to the water.