Plea for return of missing local fishing boat
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A plea has been made for the safe return of a local fishing boat which was stolen shortly before it was to be transported to Brough harbour.
The boat, Sea Mew, plays an important part in the history of the harbour and was donated to the Brough Bay Association (BBA) by Sinclair Coghill.
The 15ft long clinker-built vessel had been lying at Castlehill harbour, Castletown, awaiting transportation which had been arranged for last Friday. However, enquiries suggest it went missing the previous evening around 8.30pm.
A report of the theft has been made to the police and the association members are keen to have the boat returned.
BBA member Mick O'Donnell said: "The boat was destined to be the main feature of a heritage display at Brough harbour with an information panel about how the harbour was used from the '60s to the '80s. We had been working on the presentation.
"It was gifted to the association at the end of last year but for various reasons could not be picked up until last week. From information we received it was taken away the night before it was due to be collected, which was really strange."
Sinclair Coghill, who donated the boat to the association, said: "I went over last Friday at the top of the day to get the boat – apparently the boat had gone the previous night, but nobody knows where."
Sea Mew was originally owned by Mr Coghill's father, also Sinclair Coghill, who lived in Brough, and fished from there in the waters of the Pentland Firth for salmon, lobster, crab and cod.
He bought the James McCaughey-built boat new in 1966 from T & J W Edwardson, Wick, for the sum of £85 – it was the last boat Mr McCaughey built for the Edwardsons before he took over the business.
Mr Coghill snr rented the salmon fishing rights to the east of Dunnet Head from the Crown Commissioners between 1966 and 1970. The salmon were sent to London's Billingsgate fish market by train.
He made his own creels and his catches of crab and lobster were destined for hotels in York. The association has some of the original creels along with the drop nets used for the salmon.
Mr O'Donnell said: "The Sea Mew is an important part of the history of Brough harbour and is the last boat that was used commercially from the harbour in the '60s.
"There were other crofter-fishermen fishing from Brough at the same time – George Shearer, and Peter and Jessie Henderson, using similar-sized boats."
BBA owns the harbour at Brough thanks to the generosity of Margaret Munro who donated it to the association in 1993. Members of the group maintain the harbour and usually hold a variety of activities during the summer such as harbour days and music events which are very well attended.
The association has plans to make major repairs and improvements to the harbour including the slipway and the sea wall defences to prevent further erosion.
