Portavogie
May 25, 2023
25 May 2023. HM 218. Portavogie - a beautiful word - a hard place and deeply religious.
Colin Dixon, deputy HM, gave me a huge welcome to his harbour, and as is the Irish way, we sat down in his office with colleagues David Anderson and George McCormick and talked, and talked.... and talked. (I know what you are thinking - how am I going to get around the whole of Ireland in just six months). After 12 years of fishing out of Kilkeel, Colin returned to his home port and has worked in the harbour for 28 years.
Incredibly, when he started, he would shovel 60 tons of ice a day, keeping 105 fishing boats supplied 24/7.
There are now just 45 boats. Times are changing. Brexit has had some unexpected consequences. Nearly all the deckhands here are from Ghana (earning £1,000 a month). They are here on temporary work permits which prevents the boats from fishing within 12 miles of the UK coast - if broken the skipper faces a £20k fine. This has lead to many skippers giving up and sons no longer taking over from their fathers. There are some abandoned boats.
At this time of year most of the boats were "away" in the Clyde catching prawns. Colin told me that in Campbeltown and also Maryport, they are known as the "wee Portavogie men". He asked me if I liked prawns (langoustine or scampi to you and me). "Very much" I replied. Before I knew it we had jumped down onto the "Illustris" and I was handed a bag of prawns. "How much do I owe you?"..... "Don't worry - the skipper owes me one" was the reply! What was good to see was that the fishermen sorting the catch were young locals.
Colin is a kind man, not only did he pop my bike in the back of his e-van for a lift back to Strangford, but the ladies from the FishMish in Kilkeel, told me he did a lot of social work with the foreign crews. A huge invisible community supported by The Seafarers' Charity.
I loved my visit to Portavogie. Thank you Colin.
Colin Dixon, deputy HM, gave me a huge welcome to his harbour, and as is the Irish way, we sat down in his office with colleagues David Anderson and George McCormick and talked, and talked.... and talked. (I know what you are thinking - how am I going to get around the whole of Ireland in just six months). After 12 years of fishing out of Kilkeel, Colin returned to his home port and has worked in the harbour for 28 years.
Incredibly, when he started, he would shovel 60 tons of ice a day, keeping 105 fishing boats supplied 24/7.
There are now just 45 boats. Times are changing. Brexit has had some unexpected consequences. Nearly all the deckhands here are from Ghana (earning £1,000 a month). They are here on temporary work permits which prevents the boats from fishing within 12 miles of the UK coast - if broken the skipper faces a £20k fine. This has lead to many skippers giving up and sons no longer taking over from their fathers. There are some abandoned boats.
At this time of year most of the boats were "away" in the Clyde catching prawns. Colin told me that in Campbeltown and also Maryport, they are known as the "wee Portavogie men". He asked me if I liked prawns (langoustine or scampi to you and me). "Very much" I replied. Before I knew it we had jumped down onto the "Illustris" and I was handed a bag of prawns. "How much do I owe you?"..... "Don't worry - the skipper owes me one" was the reply! What was good to see was that the fishermen sorting the catch were young locals.
Colin is a kind man, not only did he pop my bike in the back of his e-van for a lift back to Strangford, but the ladies from the FishMish in Kilkeel, told me he did a lot of social work with the foreign crews. A huge invisible community supported by The Seafarers' Charity.
I loved my visit to Portavogie. Thank you Colin.