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weeks of planning in conjunction with Seafish Scotland and the festival
organisers, on Thursday May 23rd 2003 the Budding Rose left Peterhead
with a crew of volunteers bound for Scotland's first International
Festival of the Sea. We arrived in Leith Docks Edinburgh the following
morning, and proceeded to take our berth along with over 200 vessels
of all different types and sizes, this included warships, tall ships,
traditional crafts and fishing vessels. We were berthed in the festival
named fishing village and were berthed alongside more traditional
built fishing vessels including the hundred year old Fraserburgh
registered Reaper owned by the Scottish Fishing Museum in Anstruther.
As well as the vessels on show there was a wide range of show attractions,
from steel bands to shanty groups, dancing in the street, and maritime
arts and crafts, and exciting simulators. As well as these forms
of entertainment there were many restaurants featuring delicacies
of the sea, which some of the crew of the Budding Rose had time
to sample after the Budding Rose was closed to the visitors.
From Friday morning at
10am to Sunday night at 5pm for approximately 8 hours a day the
Budding Rose was open to visitors. In that time over 2000 visitors
to the festival boarded the Budding Rose and learned what it was
like to be a fisherman aboard her. To promote Scottish haddock many
visitors were also given samples of fresh haddock to take home with
them and cook. Every visitor was given a guided tour of the Budding
Rose. |
In
the wheelhouse the skipper Peter Bruce explained the method of fishing
the Budding Rose uses, the way he steers and navigates the Budding
Rose, and what all the electronic equipment is used for. In the
galley Stephen Ritchie explained the role of cook in the Budding
Rose; he also showed a video on the television of the crew of the
Budding Rose being rescued from their previous vessel before it
sank and the building/launch of the present Budding Rose.
Stephen also shared his experiences as skipper of working out of
Peterhead, and how fishing has changed since he first went into
the wheelhouse over twenty years ago. Under the shelter deck Stephen
Bruce and Brian Buchan skipper of the Lapwing took turns to explain
how the catch was cared for aboard the Budding Rose, from the time
the fish was brought forward with the codend winch, and dropped
into the reception hopper, till the time they were gutted, washed
and packed in the fish room, and finally landed at the end of the
trip on the market in Peterhead. Brian' son Robert age 10 now better
known as Robert "Entrepreneur" Buchan showed everyone (usually to
their amazement) who visited the Budding Rose the different species
of fish caught aboard the Budding Rose in a typical trip. Robert
was so professional at it he even received some tips.
The fish on show were a catfish, a monkfish, a dogfish, a brill,
a ling, a lump fish which everyone found very amusing given its
good looks, a halibut, and big cod, and a haddock. Robert was the
"star of the show" and everyone could not get over his knowledge
of the fish at such a young age. Retired fisherman Johnny Coull
showed the visitors the cabins where the crew sleep when not working
on deck, and he even give some of the kids the opportunity a chance
try out the bunks, lucky for Johnny none of them fell asleep!! Alex
"Shonie" (a very well known fishing family name in Peterhead) Strachan,
also a retired fisherman from Peterhead helped everyone aboard,
and gave them a very warm welcome, before he showed them which way
to go to start there visit aboard the Budding Rose. Also onboard
the Budding Rose were representatives of the Fishermen's Mission,
Superintendent Graham Dench and his wife, and Ian Bailie and his
wife Leslie. Ian is director of the Fisherman's Mission fund raising
in Scotland. On the aft deck where the visitors boarded they had
a sales table and collection boxes. In the three days over £500
was raised for the mission.
Over the three days hundreds of children along with their family's
and friends visited the Budding Rose, before they left they were
given a quiz about the Budding Rose and a drawing competition
again featuring the Budding Rose. Two prizes are on offer a family
pass to Dynamic Earth and a family pass to Deep Sea World, both
prizes were donated by the Fishermen's Mission. Winners will be
informed soon also the results will show here on the net in the
near future.
The voluntary crew of the
Budding Rose had a wonderful time sharing what it was like to
be a fisherman aboard a modern fishing vessel, it was our privilege
to be visited by guests from Australia, USA, Switzerland, Sweden,
Mexico, China, Norway, Denmark and even a fisherman from Turkey.
The crowds of people meant that some guests had to wait over 20
minutes to get aboard and they wish to thank everyone for the
patience shown.
We will never forget our visit to the International Festival of
the Sea, and we hope our guests enjoyed it as much as we did.
If you visited the Budding Rose at the International Festival
of the Sea, be sure to leave us a message on our guest page. |
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