Thanks for this Chris. I had the video but my dear wife ditched it when we came ashore after 18 years afloat in an old ketch. I was a deckie learner and spare hand in mostly Marr's sidewinders out of Hull between 1972 and 1975 when the last Cod war finished off a whole industry. I won't pretend it was an easy life, and no doubt my romantic memories are due to my age rather than an accurate memory, but by God it was a real life. This video shows my first trawler, "Swanella". I sailed in her after 3 circumnavigations as a navigating apprentice in Blue Star Port Lines. I think I was probably Hull's first fishing cadet but the skipper, Ted Fox, had other ideas and that 3 month trip was a bit of a trial. Harold Powdrill and Tommy Quinn were good to me, Dennis England Wolf was a complete twat. I paid off her, did a trip as deckie learner in "Benella" under the legendary skipper Harry Eddom (survivor mate off the Ross Cleveland), bosun Sid Bolton (one hard man) and my sea daddy Harry Berry, shipped up under another legend, Bill Brettel (Arctic Fox) who was by then teaching at the Hull nautical college, got my spare hands ticket, and went into sidewinders for 3 years and loved every minute of it. My last trawler was the "Westella" under "The Pennine Beast". Say no more. We'll never see the like of this again.
@curleyteeth8 жыл бұрын
Great work.Thank God for people having the nous to film these trawlers when it wasn`t as easy in those days.Of course kids can film today with the technology available to all.Jim.Liverpool.
@josephmckenzie89533 жыл бұрын
Iron ships and iron men in those days.
@johnbutler36544 жыл бұрын
some of the moaning young lads of today need a bit of what these men went through
@kevinbell6247 Жыл бұрын
Offered a young lad a trip at the pair trawl.....his reply was " have ye got sky telly on the boat?" They have it so easy these days...the lads who crewed the sidewinder were a special type of man
@jackmajor78655 жыл бұрын
The yo yo Derrick was used to put the cod end overboard not to bring the cod end onboard. Small oversight in an otherwise great video.
@flyingfox7854 Жыл бұрын
Hi Shipmates …. My story is very similar to yours except out of Fleetwood on the Marretta one of J.Marr & son’s sidewinders …. All finished when Iceland got their 250 mile exclusion zone in the 1970’s … as someone commented above … these soft arsed young lads today haven’t got a clue about hard work … they can’t even sort out what sex they are …. 😂🤣😂 …. Love the video by the way …. bought back some happy memories …
@rolanddunk5054 Жыл бұрын
The Ross Tiger is a motor trawler not a steamer.She has I believe has 9 sister ships.Ex marine engineer and fisherman from Grimsby.
@konradrunarfrifinnsson652410 ай бұрын
Always been amazed at Icelanders why they never made any real documentary about the life on board an Icelandic page trawler of its time like this one we see here?
@Dusty3574 жыл бұрын
A sailed with many ex GY FISHERMEN with Boston n putfords all cracking lads likes off terry proctor David gillian and many many more bear island etc terry used to tell us about the time the trawler went down off of bear island .
@stuarthearn98903 жыл бұрын
canna think oh a harder job
@kevinbell6247 Жыл бұрын
I agree....I started at the seine net beginning o the 80s working 22hrs a day in summer. Really physical work that many genuinely "hard" men just couldnt handle. The sidewinder crews who worked up at Iceland and the White Sea were different breed altogether. I would have loved it.
@makkamcphee93893 жыл бұрын
Ross tiger was Grimsby fastest steamer she had two or three sister ships
@makkamcphee93893 жыл бұрын
They 70s trawlers
@romakayak6 жыл бұрын
Why do crews in those days wear a suit and tie on a trawler?
@chrish29965 жыл бұрын
Hi Chris, great film. My father Eddy and his brother alf sailed Ross trawlers Jaguar, cheetah, cougar, leopard and tiger. Many thanks for the memories