Wick fishing boats

[johnjake]

I asked my Dad about this and he asked another person who used to live on Stroma . They provided copy of a newspaper article that said the boat sank in 1974. `3 men were on board : skipper Sandy Gunn, Ackergill ; Robert Munro. Staxigoe and a temporary hand`. The boat was holed on rocks at the NW corner of Stroma.like cheap canoe. All were rescued, moments before it sank. The Longhope lifeboat and `Stroma Isle`raced to help. It was the `M.V. Viking`, skippered by James Simpson, Canisbay, who was line-fishing in the area, that hauled the `Tern` off the rocks.

I hope this is of some help.

I read your post and search history related to boat sank in 1974 so i find that "e web

The fishing vessel Gaul was a deep sea factory ship based at Hull, United Kingdom. She sank some time on the night of the 8-9 February 1974 in storm conditions in the Barents Sea, north of Norway. Thirty-six crew were lost in the worst peacetime disaster to befall the UK fishing " is this true or not......?
kindly conform year of that newspaper or any other details for this article....?

[Bill Fernie]

Opportune WK171
The Opportune has left fishing and in case anyone missed the story it was in the John O'Groat Journal 19th November 2019.
https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk...-years-186498/

Written by Jean Gunn - Reporter - Photos on the link above.

AFTER a career spanning 40 years the Wick-registered fishing boat Opportune (WK171) has landed her last catch.

The seine-netter was given a fond farewell as she set sail from Scrabster on Sunday evening en route to Peterhead on the first stage of her voyage to Hartlepool, where she will take up a new role in the offshore wind sector.

To mark the occasion, the owners, Bremner Fishing Company, donated the last box of fish from the boat to the Seafarers Memorial Group in Wick.

At the auction the box of cod was sold for £150 to Scrabster Seafoods, with another five buyers – H & D Calder, Thomson International Ltd, Bell's Seafood, JPL Shellfish (Scotland) Ltd and Fish in Crieff – all donating £100 each. Scrabster Seafoods also put in an additional £100, with the Bremner Fishing Company bringing the total raised up to £1000.

Owner Andrew Bremner explained: "Normally when a new boat starts service it is tradition that you donate your first box of fish for charity. We just thought it would be nice to to donate the last box of fish out of the Opportune after 40 years at sea.

"There is no memorial in Wick for seafarers and we are trying to help raise funds to put up a fitting memorial on the Braehead."

On the decision to sell the boat, Mr Bremner said: "It was always part of the long-term plan when we built the new Boy Andrew three years ago that we would go down to operating one boat."

He went on to say that the present fish quotas had also influenced the decision.

The timing was also aimed to coincide with the retiral of the skipper David Fraser, of Lybster, who received a lifetime achievement award for his services earlier this year.

Mr Bremner said: "The Oppertune was built in 1979 for my father. I was skipper on board for seven years before David Fraser took over for the last 33 years.

"She has been an extremely successful boat and has given employment to local fishermen over the many years she has been here. First of all she was called the Boy Andrew III and was built in the Campbeltown shipyard in 1979."

He added; "I would personally like to thank all the crewmen, past and present, who have been on board the Boy Andrew/Opportune."

The reality of it all has not quite sunk in yet with the skipper, who has spent 40 years on the same boat, as his duties in the wheelhouse will not come to an end until he delivers the Opportune to her new owners in Hartlepool where she will take up duties as a guard ship at an offshore wind farm.

First the seine-netter will be spending a few days in Peterhead where she will have her WK171 registration swapped for HL6. Then in around a week's time she will set off for County Durham.

"I will not be fishing on her again," Mr Fraser said. "It has been my home for 40 years and it will be strange when I finally come ashore from Hartlepool. I am 65 now and cannot go on for ever."

The retiring skipper, who has been with the company since March 1974, added: "We have had the same crew for about 20 years. It is the end of the line."

The other crew members of the Wick-registered boat are Michael Munro, Lybster, Alistair Jappy, Helmsdale, David Mackay, Wick, Keith Macadie, Wick, and Magnus Cowie, Helmsdale, who will also be retiring.

Bremner Fishing Company hopes to be able to employ the remaining four members of crew on the Boy Andrew, working a rota system.