Trawler Boy

[@flyingfox7854]

I was a Deckie Learner (Brassy) in the early 1970’s …. Did my Pre-Sea training at the Fleetwood Nautical College …. My first training trip was on the Resolute … one of Wards boats … upon finishing my training I was on the Marretta …. one of J.Marr & sons boats ….. unfortunately the fishing industry was decimated in the U.K when Iceland achieved their 250mile exclusion zone ….. I was lucky enough to be part of the historical life of Fleetwood as I was from Manchester …. I’m approaching 70 years old now and still think about the time I was on the Trawlers …. Obviously all the old hands I sailed with will have passed away by now … R.I.P. Shipmates.

[@davidmaddick4258]

Great reply thank you.

[@bobbyscombover]

Still quite a few ex trawlermen (homewaters and deep sea) knocking about...I worked on a prawner mid 70's for a few trips a lot of my mates at the time were fishing Iceland....

[@jackharrison6771]

My Dad was Foreman Ships Rigger for Bostons.

[@andycollings4302]

I actually sailed on FD42 Boston Seafoam in the early 70s and when it was sold and renamed Westleigh out of Lowestoft. She was a great boat.

[@alanbuckland7274]

I can relate to this film.... I started out as a decky learner in 1969

[@g1stylempdesign929]

We have Deadliest Catch in the US and this is a version 1.0 - I prefer it frankly. Thank you for posting

[@rolanddunk5054]

Having sailed in side trawlers in the 70’s this is the first documentary I have seen of a ship using the port gear .the gullies always seem to know when a trawler is hauling.Roly🇬🇧.

[@stephensmalldridge9504]

I wish there was an update on the lad, he's an old old man today if he's still above the waterline

[@CaptMarkSVAlcina]

I was thinking the same thing

[@D16S06]

My granddad (Alexander Holden AKA Pazzy) on my mother's side was an engineer on the Fleetwood trawlers all his working life ... 20's - 30's - 40's, my dad had a few initial trips before moving to ICI Thornton, and many of my extended family sailed from Fleetwood (where I was also born) and worked in and around Fleetwood Docks (Wyre & Fish) including the slipway ... I even recognised the house he called home ... I too went to sea, and joined the Submarine Service 77 - 96 ... loads of memories & family missed.

[@davidmaddick4258]

Glad you enjoyed the film, my family fished out of Hull, and the Helyer’s had huge fishing industry there, all my relatives.

[@KingsleyGallagher]

I was a deckie in 1983,

[@haleyreddington5946]

Great video. How fleetwood has changed. I'm guessing my grandad would off been a teen or early 20s when this was made.

[@alexandermunro1984]

The owners made absolute fortunes off the backs of the slaves that worked in outrageously dangerous and bad conditions trawling at sea. This aspect of the ''industry'' is never spoken about a lot...but it was very real. Very real indeed.

[@nickmail7604]

I enjoyed every minute of my time on fishing boats, working with proper men was a pleasure. After it collapsed I had to leave Grimsby, go south and spent the rest of my career in construction, but it was like working with children, "hard bricklayers, groundworkers, plasterers and scaffolders" ha I've shit better.

[@ob1983]

What a fantastic film, so please I found it. Thankyou 😊

[@johnbockelie3899]

My mother didn't want me to go to sea, you know, I should have listened to her.

[@zerofox7347]

The difference between a teenager then and now is astonishing! And quite sad to be honest.

[@stuarth43]

amazing how new helmsmen always try to steer by the compass, stead of a speck on the horizon, the sun, or moon, doing this you'll move the wheel almost never, just an occasional look at the card

[@johnbockelie3899]

I quite enjoy watching the others do all that hard work, as long as I got my hiding places to go to.

[@johnbockelie3899]

I swear to God, if I ever see another fish again!!!.

[@D16S06]

@@johnbockelie3899 "if I ever see another fish again!!!" ... 😂🐟😂

[@justinabbottabbott7892]

Wonderful really enjoyed that thank you

[@voicefulvirusreviewsandv-b7203]

very intresting watch i would of loved a chance at sea on one of them boats.. what port was they sailing out of there

[@bobbyscombover]

Fleetwood

[@mmcc8022]

Tough job

[@thesevenseas]

Interesting footage! Is it possible for me to use and share this footage on my youtube page? I share footage from all kind of activities on our ocean. Cargo ships in the 1960s till now, oil rigs, fishing vessels, etc. Of course full credit will be given to the owner of the footage. Looking forward to your reply. Kind regards. Cheers.

[@davidmaddick4258]

Yes of course.

[@thesevenseas]

​@@davidmaddick4258do you know who are the makers or owners from this video? Thanks!

[@bigronvfr750]

Great film! And you ask kids what they want to do when they leave school now and they say a youtuber 🙄

[@MrTylerStricker]

Conspicuously absent from the scene with all the 'Gulls is the explanation that the birds and other sea life are there & attracted to the boat because of the huge amount of by-catch & "discards" that are going over the sides as well as being thrown over-board. Long line hauling for Hake in the North Sea can be extremely in-efficient with upwards of 60% of all catches being by-catch or discards.

[@nickmail7604]

Oh a little knowledge is a dangerous thing mate, well it is in your case. The mollies (gulls) are there for the offal that was thrown overboard, the only part of the fish inwards kept was cod livers, everything else from the guts and hearts went back into the sea and that's what the gulls were after. There was practically no by catch then as the mesh was too big and those old trawl nets were kept off the bottom. You mate are an ignorant twat.

[@highwindsclarke2685]

This is great.

[@stephenrice4554]

I feel sorry for kids these days , I've never been to sea but I've had a few jobs where you rely on the crew and learn to sort the banter from the wisdom , get some hard skin on your hands and muck under your fingernails . Great video 👍🇬🇧

[@daffyduk77]

Bet they stank at times from all that fish - hope the soap was effective or the GF wouldn't want them near 🙂

[@whiteonggoy7009]

Wage sometimes bad as we was payed on the share basis.

[@PGBrown-qu8yz]

Narrated by Alvar Lidell.

[@seanbyrne4512]

The fishermen of today voted for Brexit , to put a stop to this way of life , they succeeded,

[@flyingfox7854]

@@seanbyrne4512 this way of life … as you put it was long gone before even the thought of Brexit came into existence … this was the distant water deep sea fishing industry … they had been fishing these, our traditional fishing grounds in international waters for generations before we were betrayed by our own government into giving them up … I was visiting Iceland earlier this year (2024) and I was talking to an Icelandic ex fisherman about the same age as me (71 years old) who was also on the (Icelandic) trawlers around the same time as me and he told me that they only had to go about 50 miles from the mouth of their fjord and they could catch around 20 tonnes of fish within a few days … I asked him if that’s so … then why did they need a 250 mile exclusion zone which cut off our traditional fishing grounds and decimated our fishing industry back in the 1970’s … and in doing so destroyed thousands of jobs and livelihoods in villages … towns and cities around the UK …. He didn’t have an answer … he just shrugged his shoulders and walked away ….. The fishermen of today voted for Brexit because they were being unfairly treated by the EU who favoured their own fishing industry interests (and still do) over our own … all that you see these days in the cute little seaside towns of Brixham and the like are the inshore fishing boats or near water fishing boats that go out fishing for a maximum of 3 or 4 days or so … some only go out for one day … back in the days of the Deep Sea Trawlers it usually took 3 days just to reach the fishing grounds and we usually stayed out (in all weathers) working an 18 hour day for around 25 days or until we filled the hold up with fish ….