Wick fishing boats

[trinkie]

This is a wonderful thread.... many thanks

Peter - did you mention The Elsie Budge? Likely I've missed it, you have named all of the others ! What a memory you have.
Can you not smell the sea water ?

Trinkie

[Amy-Winehouse]

Am I right in thinking that the Royal Burgh was the last fishing boat built in Wick. I remember her being launched into the river, off the north pier.

Does Ronnie Plowmans boat Rhona not count as a fishing boat?? Jimmy McCaughey was still building fishing boats in the 90`s , maybe not seiners or Herring boats but they were still fishing boats.

Kestrel was built in Wick, Bill zFernie has provided the link to it , sadly there wont be anymore boats built here as the boatyards have all shut

[dirdyweeker]

Does Ronnie Plowmans boat Rhona not count as a fishing boat?? Jimmy McCaughey was still building fishing boats in the 90`s , maybe not seiners or Herring boats but they were still fishing boats.

Kestrel was built in Wick, Bill zFernie has provided the link to it , sadly there wont be anymore boats built here as the boatyards have all shut

Th e boat is called Ma-rona and I guess being a boat that goes to sea for Lobsters and Crabs it is a fishing boat. (twin hulled)

[dirdyweeker]

Ronnie also previously had the "rona" and "wave dancer". I don't think they were mentioned.

[Tighsonas4]

amongst the list of skippers especially the worthies there was one that never got a mention [KORKY] worthy of a mention tony

[celtic lass]

well peter youve got some memory this is an excellent thread i mind when my dad would go of to the sea on a sunday night and come home late thursday night if the boat didnt get cleaned on the thursday night it was done first thing on the fri morning then it was of to the pub just for a quick one ha ha or rather thats what he would tell my mum ha ha

[celtic lass]

amongst the list of skippers especially the worthies there was one that never got a mention [KORKY] worthy of a mention tony

i dont think thats very nice to call some of these men worthies fishing is hard at the best of times fishermen were always noted for working hard and playing hard

[peter macdonald]

Tony Aye George (Korky) was great crack ..dear me some yarns he could tell .. and if you wanted a yarn about politics who better was there than Jockie Bhan??? I hadna forgotten Sanders MacNabs Kestrel or Ronnies boats but I could not get any more words on the post !!!
Amy Very true about Jimmy McCaughys boats and also a chap called Edwardson also built a couple of boats in Wick before he moved to Invergordon and built some more

Some more from my notes though before my time a few!! but after WW2

Sustain WK290 Skipper Sinclair sold to Berwick as school training vessel
Ever Ready WK100 Skipper George Carter sold to Wales
Ebeneezer WK227 Skipper John G Sinclair sold to Lybster
Scot WK297 Skipper George Carter sold to Peterhead
Eileen WK143 Skipper Jack Watt struck flaggie and sank
Glad Tidings Skipper John MacLeod (I think)sold to Lybster
All best
PM

[Amy-Winehouse]

Ronnie also previously had the "rona" and "wave dancer". I don't think they were mentioned.

It was the Rona I was meaning, I was at the launching back in 1998 & we ended up at the Staxigoe hall. It was a great night.

Theres a lot of the wee creelboats that havent been mentioned, Sulair, Bon Ami, Rona, Boy Ritchie 1&2 , Maria B . But I think this thread is more about the seiners tbh.

[Tighsonas4]

i dont think thats very nice to call some of these men worthies fishing is hard at the best of times fishermen were always noted for working hard and playing hard

quite agree but you miss the point
worthies is in no way detrimental in fact very much the reverse
you would need to have met them to understand regards tony

[jock leith]

There is a great painting of him in the Frances Street Club.Hope it is still there as its been a few years since I visited Home .

Tony Aye George (Korky) was great crack ..dear me some yarns he could tell .. and if you wanted a yarn about politics who better was there than Jockie Bhan??? I hadna forgotten Sanders MacNabs Kestrel or Ronnies boats but I could not get any more words on the post !!!
Amy Very true about Jimmy McCaughys boats and also a chap called Edwardson also built a couple of boats in Wick before he moved to Invergordon and built some more

Some more from my notes though before my time a few!! but after WW2

Sustain WK290 Skipper Sinclair sold to Berwick as school training vessel
Ever Ready WK100 Skipper George Carter sold to Wales
Ebeneezer WK227 Skipper John G Sinclair sold to Lybster
Scot WK297 Skipper George Carter sold to Peterhead
Eileen WK143 Skipper Jack Watt struck flaggie and sank
Glad Tidings Skipper John MacLeod (I think)sold to Lybster
All best
PM

[TBH]

So, all in all we have almost lost the experience these skippers and crewmen have aquired through the generations and we have also lost the boat-building expertise. Once it's gone it's gone so they say.

[ala]

Jockies boat the Ivy was aground at low tide on a sandbank at the quay heads. The crew were having a cup o tea . Jocky was heard to say over the radio. " Wur drinking water for e' want o' water and if we had plenty water we'd be drinking beer." He had some logic.
His crew at one time was Billy Bain and Jimmy Bruce who used to help him out when he was home from merchant navy.
My Grandfather was Donald Miller ( sorrie) and I remeber him telling me this story

[Tighsonas4]

i would just like to say a BIG THANK YOU to you all jock for starting this off and especially peter for his wealth of knowledge
also alll who contributed to it
its been one of the best threads in my short time here
regards to all tony

[Mizpah]

i would just like to say a BIG THANK YOU to you all jock for starting this off and especially peter for his wealth of knowledge
also alll who contributed to it
its been one of the best threads in my short time here
regards to all tony

Hi would fully agree with you this must have been one of the best threads ever on here and the wealth of knowledge that has come up because of it has been amazing.

[jock leith]

Tony,thank you for your kind words,it just shows that people do enjoy childhood memories,remembering some of the "old boys" who were living legends when I was growing up.Especially the fishermen, some of the stories of their exploits were just magic to us young one's.But at the same time each and every one was a gentleman regards jock.

[Amy-Winehouse]

There is a superb photo of Wick Harbour taken in the 60`s from above the power station on another website & the boats are lying 4-5 abreast in the outer harbour!!!!
Ill see if I can get permission from the owner but it really is a great pic of how things used to be in the good old days.

[TBH]

[peter macdonald]

Annabel Wk94 Skipper Ian Simpson
Primula Wk97 Skipper Angus MacIntosh
Boy Allan WK252 Skipper Magnus MacKay
Barbara Mackay WK 9 Skipper Billy MacKay
Venture WK98 Skipper A MacIntosh
Sealgair WK241 Skipper Magnus MacKay
Golden Chance WK22 Skipper Gilbert Reid
Maureen WK270 Skipper William Simpson then Nicky Simpson
Pavonia WK53 Skipper Donald Simpson
Two Boys WK151 Skipper John MacLeod
Albion Skipper WK 88 Skipper Tommy Reid
Pentland Swell WK353 Skipper Magnus Mackay
Amber Queen WK230 Skipper Alfie Sinclair
Liberty Wk218 Skipperr Donald Corbett
Pentland Wave Wk245 Skipper Magnus MacKay
Pentland Skerry WK 251 Skipper Jim Bruce
Pentland Firth Wk224 Skipper William Sinclair
Crest WK87 Skipper Donald Mackay
Rambler WK174 Skipper Gilbert Reid
Undaunted WK210 Skipper Jimmy McIntosh
Streamlet WK332 Skipper John MacLeod also called Emerald
Bydand WK155 Skipper Arnot Sinclair
Better Hope WK138 Skipper Magnus MacKay
Loch Fyne WK248 Skipper William Simpson
Crissy WK69 Skipper D MacKay
Ben More WK52 Skipper Jimmy McIntosh
Lea Rig WK331 Skipper John Macleod
Hopeful WK196 Skipper William Simpson
Provider KY201 Skipper Alex Mackay ??
Daisy WK21 Skipper D Maclean
Star Devine WK16 Skipper Jack Ritchie
Prolific WK53 Skipper Denny Simpson
Challenge WK27 Skipper George King
Viking Queen WK510 SKipper Jim Mackay
Orion WK112 Skipper Bews
As you can see by the question marks this from memory with a few notes Feel free to add
any or fill in the blanks

[peter macdonald]

The pic above (going clockwise)
Spindrift WK177 Morning Star WK27 Maid of Honour WK30
Girl Linda WK426 Ajax WK106
Golden Spinney WK245
Ivy WK396
Ardent WK55
On slip Left to right is the Superb WK432 ?? Boy Peter WK64 Ithink the Green boat in front of George Lyalls is the Rose Valley that the Macleod brothers had and it could be the Be in Time lying outside the Ivy
The Girl Linda was yellow painted when Donald Stewart bought her from Billy Rendall from Stronsay .She was yellow (I think ) when she was the Venture WK98 in Thurso when skippered by Angus MacIntosh (Pudders) the Superb was red and maroon when Alister Budge bought her from Stonehaven (A611)
Thanks for posting the picture Tony ..taking back memories from 1968 perhaps??
PM