You don't need this.

Damage on and below the waterline to the starboard side of the Nantewas which was involved in a collision with another vessel, the Herm is clearly visible.....
as is the damage to the wheelhouse......
a handful of inshore boats landed to the market on Friday evening.....
Drew on he CKS continues the paint job on the hard.....
after landing, the multi-purpose boat Capriole heads back to a berth....
keeping an eye on the bridles to make sure they are an even length has to be done on the quay for the best results.....
not many of these left today, an ex-Danish style Anchor seiner from Grimsby reveals the lift-up section of her whaleback that allowed easy access to the anchor when fishing with her 'anchor seine' - hence the name....
the huge net hauler aboard the Sowenna which is in Penzance wet dock for a refit.....
the Lady Vista is still in dock.

Colour and light all in one night

You can never be sure what you will see down the quay, possibly some sort of tai chi being practiced by the guys from Olympic Conveyor Services.....
the Geordie boys land to the back of a lorry......
as the Billy Rowney makes her way in through the gaps....
possibly the oldest working fisherman in the port, and not a grey hair in sight on 'Milford' Mike's head!.....
after last night, now away from the hard and up the slip over the big tide goes the James R H.....
Mr Curtis gets his boxed trip ashore....
from the Elisabeth Veronique sporting her new colours......
out in the Bay it's the Thursday evening club race......
landing well into the night, the beam trawler Nellie fills the waiting Darley Ford transport bound for Plymouth Market.....
also working into the night, the guys fit a new wheelhouse lock......
and it's 24/7 for Consols Oils.....

seen here alongside the iceworks keeping the Crystal Sea II topped up.

Goujons galore! in celebration of Seafish fortnight's '2 a week'

Time for some more cooking tips, especially if you get your hands on some small whitefish like whiting or haddock.

Step one, as per the previous post, is to skin and then fillet your fish......
step two, cut the fillets into bite size chunks or 'goujons' - adjust the size according to the eating styles of those at your table - these are great for kids or the fussy ones who can't deal with a few bones! - and then cover (dredge) the goujons in flour....
dip each flour-coated goujon in egg - one egg, whisked in a small dish will do the job.....
next, and here's a hot tip to impress your guests, ever wondered how those breadcrumbed fish in the restaurant are so crisp? - well head to your nearest supplier of oriental foods (or maybe your local supermarket) - ditch that packet of awful yellow sawdust you have been using for years and get yourself a packet of Japanese breadcrumbs.....
here are the bite-sized chunks waiting to go into the pan of oil.....
a good alternative to the chip-pan is a wok, you won't use much oil - which must be hot of course before the fish go in, they will only take a minute or so, when the breadcrumbs turn a light golden colour whip them out quick and do the second batch, as a guide, do two fillets worth of goujons at a time....
the wire ladle, a must have tool for the kitchen leaves the oil behind.....
and keeps the goujons crisp....
ready to be served hot and crunchy!

2 a week and it's 2 in one night ce soir

Check your gills! look for blood red gills on your fresh fish......
a good filleting knife with a flexible blade makes the job of filleting much easier, if not get your fishmonger to do the job for you.....
the trick is to keep the blade tight against the backbone......
back to the salmon steaks, a splash of Japanese shao xing rice wine, parsley, one sage leaf and a few basil leaves, cover the bowl and give a couple of minutes in the microwave....
back at the harbour tuna man Quentin takes the fast boat out for a spin.....
in Penzance Dry Dock the Rix Harrier is being worked on well into the night....
replacing the Cornishman on the hard, Pete Elsworth supervises the James R H as she goes against the quay.....
and several tons of steel weights are dropped on the sidedeck to lean her into the quay, closely watched by Billy Stevenson, who despite having retired from 'active service' likes to keep an eye on proceedings with the family's fleet of beamers......
the stern rope is made good......
a disconsolate Edwin shares the prices from his landing docket from the previous day with Mike Mahon and hopes the prices will be better tomorrow.....
not that these lesser spotted dogfish will make Mike rich but they will keep the crab pots baited....
a cold start for the big motor on the Cornishman as she leaves the quay at high water on the top of the tide.

There's a whole lotta painting goin' on!

The immaculate Sapphire is almost ready to go back to sea, with crude oil at around $80 a barrel, some $50 less than at the start of her refit......
Drew and boys will also benefit from the reduced cost of fuel aboard the CKS, also in the middle of an extensive refit and paint job.....
back in the harbour, the dive support vessel, Mair from north of the border.....
how to shorten the main beam chains on a beamer when working on the gear in the harbour.....
the stern of the netter Ben My Chree showing tiers of net in the pound; to the right the headline with floats, to the left the footrope, a man stands in each corner, pulls on either the headline or the footrope to spread the net evenly around the pound.....
that man Alistair looks cheerful as the work aboard the crabber moves on....
there's plenty of shotblast gravel waiting to be used both inside the shelter, hence the protective tarpaulin.....
and out on the hull of the Emma Louise.....
the Polaris, a quality German yacht registered in Berlin......
whose skipper spends some time asking questions of the everhelpful Grimmy Mike Mahon.....
who netted this 10lb lobster.......
all lit up and nobody at home yet, space to let in Penzance Dock basin.

Don't be selfish - eat more shellfish!

Next month will see the annual Falmouth Oyster Festival tickle the palates of anyone lucky enough to sample these pearls of Falmouth estuarine waters. Unique to this country, a fleet of traditional sail boats using hand-hauled dredges work the shallow river waters around Falmouth. Wether these succulent taste bombs contribute to prowess of one kind or another is, as ever, subject to conjecture. The boats are in many cases ancient and, of course, entirely free of concerns over the cost of fuel as the licence they fish with demands that they are soley sail powered.

Silver Dawn at silver dusk

Kilkenny annihilate Waterford in the all-Ireland hurling final......
it must be a big spring tide to get the Cornishman up this far on the hard, if you get this wrong you'll be be-neaped and unable to float again until the next higher tide which may be months away!......
in the heavy evening drizzle the Crystal Sea II takes ice for the next trip.....
right colour, wrong time of day.

Falmouth Tall Ships - the Funchal 500

Through the gaps spent a day at sea off Falmouth on Saturday enjoying the spectacular spectacle that is the Falmouth Tallships Race, last seen in Falmouth ten years ago!

This year the fleet, including the Mir and other giant square riggers headed off for the Portuguese coast and Ilhavo. Organisers could not have dared hope for the weather conditions the boats enjoyed - with a mix of sun, cloud and an almost non-existent Nor' Westerly breeze, it meant that the stars of the show, the giant square riggers could un-furl their sails close inshore for the thousands sat on Pendennis Head and other vantage points.

Enjoy the gallery of images shot in and around Falmouth Bay, courtesy of skipper Phil Lockley aboard the Falmouth fishing boat Amanda J.

There is still a chance to purchase limited edition hoodies and T-shirts from SeaSalt clothing who were the official clothing suppliers for the event.

Twilight at Twilight

Penzance Dry Dock Company is being ket busy with the small tanker, Rix Harrier....
Newlyn's Fisherman's Cafe provides solid sustenance for its customers......
waiting on the quayside all the gear for a new set of trawls....
for the beamer Twilight whose deck is covered with the chain links and shackles required to build a new set of chain mats.....
end of another tide and the Harvest Reaper heads back to tier after landing.