CORNWALL DREAMING….

If there’s a more idyllic place to get off the grid, and have the sea breeze wash over you, and let the tension of a tumultuous year seep out of your soul, I don’t know about it. First time for Annie and I to Cornwall, down in the south of the UK. We stayed with a wonderful friend and fellow photographer, Marea Downey, in a tiny fishing village called Cadgwith, nestled amongst the rocks and headlands of the coastline, an area referred to as the western approaches to the English Channel.

It is beautifully out of the way. We owe a great debt to Marea for introducing us to the wonders of Cadgwith, with its sturdy fleet of fishing boats, and an astoundingly gregarious and friendly pub known as Cadgwith Cove Inn, where the fishermen gather on Friday nights for a weekly songfest of deservedly great repute.

Marea, possessed of a wonderful eye, has made many beautiful images of a land she clearly loves. It was via the friendships and respect she has amongst the fishermen that I was allowed to go out on a trip, in the pre-dawn chill.

This was a rare opportunity indeed, as those boats are small, and there is the hard work of fishing and making a living to be done. Hardly time to bring along and educate a day tripper or landlubber such as myself (call me either, both are appropriate). There is not much room at all on a boat like the Silver Queen to simply not be in the way, but I did my best.

The skipper of the ship, John Trewin, a veteran fisherman, and wise in the ways of the waters, routinely brings along one of his sons to crew the boat. On my sojourn, it was Jaimie, young in years, but at the same time an extraordinarily confident and knowledgeable mate. It was wonderful to see the skills a father can teach a son. Jaimie kept me safe, and directed me to areas of the deck where I would be out of the way and apart from the action.