The women of south-west England working in the male-dominated fishing industry.
Lorna Lawrence
Fished on her dad's boat for five years out of the Helford River, Cornwall
“The first year was difficult. The cold on your hands really hurt.
By the second year you barely noticed it.
Your body definitely builds up a tolerance.
The hardest part is getting up at four every morning.”
Tina Hicks
Harbourmaster at Looe, Cornwall
I was asked if I wanted to be the 'harbourmaster' or 'harbourmistress'.
We felt 'mistress' produced connotations of short skirts, knee-high boots and suspenders.
But I wear long trousers, big heavy boots and a fluorescent jacket with a hat on.
So we decided to keep it 'master'.”
“Years ago the harbourmaster’s role was very visual.
Managing the boats and being out on the quay.
But now there's mechanisation outside and paperwork inside.
It’s not really a physically demanding role any more.”
Annie Gilbert
Commercial skipper on the Jurassic Coast from Poole, Dorset
“Ian, my then husband-to-be, asked if I would like to crew for him.
I absolutely loved it.
Since then, I have only missed a couple of days’ fishing in 13 years.”
“The worst bit is the occasionally very long days for very little return.
Sometimes the nets fill up with crabs and weed.
It takes ages to sort them for very small quantities of fish.”
“I've always liked rollercoaster rides so I quite enjoy the rough weather.
As for having no toilet on board, I'm an outdoors girl and not shy.”
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