Wick fishing boats

[bonami]

This surely must be one of the best threads ever on the org and will have brought back many memories to a lot of people. Maybe it is time someone with the knowledge and knowhow put together a book on the subject of the WK boats and the men who skippered and crewed them. A lot of this is slowly dissappering and as nature takes its course will be gone forever. There is probably hundreds of photos around homes in the county that have never been seen by the public and the storys passed from some of the (OLDBOYS) would fill a book on there own. These were men that really new there jobs and who sailed with just a compass and clock.All modern boats wheelhouses are filled with modern gadgets that once set will litterally take a boat to sea and home again once set. Takeing nothing from the modern fisherman it is still a very skilled job that probably does not get the credit it deserves but these old guys realy new their busness. They or their boats should not be forgotten in the mists of time I doubt we will never see their likes again or so many boats with WK on there bows Their skills here like in so many other fishing ports are gone.

[Amy-Winehouse]

This surely must be one of the best threads ever on the org and will have brought back many memories to a lot of people. Maybe it is time someone with the knowledge and knowhow put together a book on the subject of the WK boats and the men who skippered and crewed them. A lot of this is slowly dissappering and as nature takes its course will be gone forever. There is probably hundreds of photos around homes in the county that have never been seen by the public and the storys passed from some of the (OLDBOYS) would fill a book on there own. These were men that really new there jobs and who sailed with just a compass and clock.All modern boats wheelhouses are filled with modern gadgets that once set will litterally take a boat to sea and home again once set. Takeing nothing from the modern fisherman it is still a very skilled job that probably does not get the credit it deserves but these old guys realy new their busness. They or their boats should not be forgotten in the mists of time I doubt we will never see their likes again or so many boats with WK on there bows Their skills here like in so many other fishing ports are gone.

Good post there Bon-Ami , my brother & father often said this, there should be a book written with some of the cracks they used to tell us when theyd come home stinkin of fish.
The Chance WK 126 was legendary for some of the things that used to happen , splicing the ropes through 2 different wheelhouse windows & not realising until it was done !!! Sinking in the firth & 1 old boy asking did they want a cuppa as the sweat was pouring off them as they were bailing out!!!
They also had dirty water, so the cook made the mince in lemonade but didnt tell anyone until theyd eaten it- he coyly asked did they enjoy it & the crew said aye but a bit sweet cue hysterics!!!

Another one was a certain boat had its radar fall off the wheelhouse roof!!! Or back to the chance again, the wheelhouse used to roll a bit further than the momentum of the boat!!!

It would be good to get some of those tales in a book, because Ive heard many & they always raise a chuckle

[peter macdonald]

Tony That would be Alec Thomson that was with Angus Macintosh in the tape They were both in the Primula WK97 Pre 1939 Angus had a boat at the seine net called the Eastward which I think would have been built by Allans of Thurso he was awarded the DSM and Croix de Guerrre in WW2 due to his efforts in the Norwegian campaign then made a MBE He passed away 13th Feb 1992 aged 84 having retired at the age of 70

[Tighsonas4]

thanks peter that was the boats mentioned and it seemed seine netting was in its infancy when the cassete ,must see if i can find it
am i right in thinking that angie was cox on the lifeboat at one time?? tony

[peter macdonald]

Tony Yes he was Coxswain of the Thurso lifeboat ..Did not Gilbert Reid succeed him?? Fly thanks for the history!!!

Dunbeath
Venus WK31 Skipper Mackay built Alexanders Wick 1929 sold to Stromness 1959
Harvester WK33 Skipper Cowie built 1929 Noble Fraserburgh sold to Swansea 1967
Amaranth WK242 Skipper Mackay built Stephen MacDuff 1934 sold to the Orkneys 1957
Tidy WK297 Skipper Sutherland built Banff 1908 sold to Wick (renamed Scot) in 1947,She was sold to Peterhead 1953
Fram Wk28 Skipper Noel Sutherland built Montrose 1969 sold to Mull of Galloway when Noel bought the Moira from Alec Calder of Lybster I think she is still going in Sligo Ireland as SO915

The Venus and Harvester were delivered within a week of each other to the village ..The Harvester had no wheelhouse when new !!!
One boat I forgot about was the green painted Foxglove WK12 which used to lie at the "cellars" for a couple of years in the 1980s She was owned by Shearer of Clyth in 1983 and was bought from the Milne family of Whitehills She went to the west coast and is now lying wrecked at Kerrera near Oban A MFV she was built in Bideford in 1945
PM