On The Quayside

The first of today's pictures is a view of Runswick Bay, I took this shot because I liked the way the village is reflected in the wet sand in the foreground. I had originally intended to get down onto the beach a little further along the coast at Kettleness. I was looking for a path down the cliffs and was told by a local fisherman that the path was very poor and quite dangerous in places and that the final 100 feet was via a rope. I did not fancy that loaded up with my camera gear so I was directed to Runswick Bay which fortunately has easy access to the beach and the shoreline beneath the cliffs.

Further north from this spot is Staithes a quaint little fishing village and location for (Captain) James Cook's first job in a merchants office. In the summer season the place is a hive of activity with lots of tourists but on a cold February day it was anything but. Most of the shops were closed and the few people brave enough to face the steep streets down to the harbour and then the arduous climb back up didn't stay very long.

The second shot is of a few of the small fishing boats at anchor in the small harbour taking shelter from the incoming tide and heavy seas. All of the boats were very colourful but look quite sad.

The last two shots are by far my favourite. I think they are really evocative and full of character. The lobster pots were, like the boats, quite colourful with brightly coloured tags and floats but having taken both colour and black and white shots I think the black and white are the stronger images.

While taking these pictures I spotted a local lobsterman, checking on his pots and making sure everything was in order. He took some time to answer my questions too which was really nice.  He explained that these pots/traps are for both lobsters and crabs depending on the time of year and that they set them up to three miles offshore and would go out everyday in order to make a living. He was frustrated because the weather and sea conditions had not allowed him to get out to sea and so he was not making any money for that day.