HALF A WORLD APART

Here's a couple of seascape oil paintings, both featuring pelagic fishing vessels, but from completely different stages of development of this fishery.  Both pictures were commissions completed within the last few months.

The first is of the Gamrie steam drifter "Daisy Bank" (BF393), wooden-built by W & G Stephen of Banff in 1911.  At 86 feet LOA, 35 tons net and 28hp, she was fairly typical of this type of vessel.  Apart from her herring fishing career, she also saw Admiralty service in both World Wars, finally being wrecked in 1949.  One of her crew was George Mutch, and his grand-daughter, now living in Queensland, Australia, commissioned the work from me.

The second is of the Whalsay pelagic trawler "Research", steel-built and completed at Flekkefjord, Norway in 2003.  At 232ft LOA and 2,430 grt, she is a good example of the new style of vessel pursuing the herring and mackerel shoals.  The two paintings illustrate how boats have changed in terms of size, power and technology over the last century.