This day last week there was drama here at the harbour. Late Thursday evening one of the fishing boats came up on some rocks just off the Kilkeel coast. This would be a fairly rare occurrence, especially so close to shore, so the event gathered a lot of attention.
Nothing could be done until the tide changed, so Friday morning Tugs from Carlingford came to assist the boat off the rocks, with the Kilkeel lifeboat standing by (as well as half of Kilkeel watching from the Harbour Road).
Thankfully the boat came off the rock without damage, and she was able to steam back to Kilkeel unassisted. Nevertheless, the boat went up on the ship lift at the harbour to see if any repairs were necessary. The lift is a busy area, where boats are constantly coming in for repairs, and for painting. Since I arrived three weeks ago, it has always had its three bays full.
The reaction from the public shows how sensitive people in the area are to any potential accident at sea. Recent incidents are still fresh in the memories of the locals, so any happening is now treated with a lot of respect and some nervousness. Thankfully this passed off without further drama. It served as a reminder for me however, that the unpredictable seas are no match for any amount of technology or experience.
Friday 6 August 2010
Monday 26 July 2010
New boy about harbour
I'm really enjoying working at the harbour, and seeing all the action, hustle and bustle, the energy that is still around the place. I have heard a lot about how Quotas and Days at Sea have hurt the size of the fleet, and how much of an impact the economic climate has had on the industry.
I was also delighted to be introduced to the Harbour's resident seals, Salt and Pepper who seem to have friends staying with the for the summer, I saw at least three heads popping out of the water!
Another surprise hit me on my very first day. I had naively thought of the harbour to smell of, well, fish actually! Not so. Paint, Oil and Diesel are the dominant aromas wafting through the air.
Maybe I need to get up earlier for the fish market to get that smell!
I was also delighted to be introduced to the Harbour's resident seals, Salt and Pepper who seem to have friends staying with the for the summer, I saw at least three heads popping out of the water!
Another surprise hit me on my very first day. I had naively thought of the harbour to smell of, well, fish actually! Not so. Paint, Oil and Diesel are the dominant aromas wafting through the air.
Maybe I need to get up earlier for the fish market to get that smell!
Now blogging at full steam
Hello all,
You are very welcome to the first post of my very first blog. My name is Conor Keenan and just this Monday July 19th, I took up a new post as Maritime Officer in the town of Kilkeel in County Down, Northern Ireland. For the next twelve months I will be based here at the Nautilus Centre which overlooks Kilkeel harbour. My mission, (which I have already chosen to accept), is to produce an exhibition for the Maritime Visitor Centre here, which will be called ‘Families at sea’.
The exhibition will cover the important family element to the fishing industry in Kilkeel, which has seen many generations of sons follow their fathers and grandfather into the boats, and off to sea. The goal is to make contact with at least Twenty families so their stories, documents, tales(fishy or otherwise) and artefacts can be put on display.
I am slightly daunted but very much looking forward to the project and am keen to get out and talk to the locals to discover more about this amazing occupation. Brutal, unforgiving, but always compelling, Fishing is not just about the men that go out on the boats. So I will be interested to find out how the families of these men coped without the head of the household for so much time, and how the rhythm of a fishing family would differ from that of a family with ‘shore jobs’.
I will be popping up with regular updates on the progress of the projects, as well as my own little maritime musings and discoveries. I hope to add some photos as well to keep anyone who is interested in the project up to date and to give a different perspective on how our exhibition will come together.
See you soon
Conor
You are very welcome to the first post of my very first blog. My name is Conor Keenan and just this Monday July 19th, I took up a new post as Maritime Officer in the town of Kilkeel in County Down, Northern Ireland. For the next twelve months I will be based here at the Nautilus Centre which overlooks Kilkeel harbour. My mission, (which I have already chosen to accept), is to produce an exhibition for the Maritime Visitor Centre here, which will be called ‘Families at sea’.
The exhibition will cover the important family element to the fishing industry in Kilkeel, which has seen many generations of sons follow their fathers and grandfather into the boats, and off to sea. The goal is to make contact with at least Twenty families so their stories, documents, tales(fishy or otherwise) and artefacts can be put on display.
I am slightly daunted but very much looking forward to the project and am keen to get out and talk to the locals to discover more about this amazing occupation. Brutal, unforgiving, but always compelling, Fishing is not just about the men that go out on the boats. So I will be interested to find out how the families of these men coped without the head of the household for so much time, and how the rhythm of a fishing family would differ from that of a family with ‘shore jobs’.
I will be popping up with regular updates on the progress of the projects, as well as my own little maritime musings and discoveries. I hope to add some photos as well to keep anyone who is interested in the project up to date and to give a different perspective on how our exhibition will come together.
See you soon
Conor
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