Aberdeen registered stern trawler A528 CLARKWOOD, pictured returning to her home port in July 1989.
Picture added on 08 February 2007
Comments:
I was skipper of the Clarkwood through her fishing life from 14/07/1976 to Middle of 1990 cannot remember exact date. We fished Cornwall, Rockall, Orkneys, Shetlands, Faroes, Barents Sea, Bear Island, and many areas in between. My boss Ian Wood (now Sir)and myself escorted the Queen and Princes Anne aboard my ship at the opening of the new fish market. Little mistake, the number is A526. Kind Regards Stuart Thomson
Stuart, thanks for your comments. I was leaving Aberdeen for Lerwick, on the St.Magnus I think and Clarkwood made a fine sight as she made for port. I should imagine you were desperate for a jar as you were really motoring! Best wishes, Lee Brown.
Added by Lee Brown on 11 October 2007.
i was sure my Grandfather George Baxter was Skipper of the Clarkwood for sometime in the 80's, he certainly was when i went on a pleasure trip at the age of 10 to Rockall in 1985......when i think back at the conditions those guys worked in its a shame they werent paid more cuz they were up against it when it was time to pull those nets back in....i remember at first the guys thought i was bad luck as they hadnt landed a fish for 10 days then they recorded one of there record catches, 500 baskets in one go......i was only away with them for 12 days but its something ill never forget...
Hi barry, george was mate with me for quite a time and when I came ashore for a break he took over as skipper. George was mate with me when I had to appear in court in thorshaven in the faroe islands for allegedly illegal fishing george took over then for a couple of days, but george was a skipper in his own right of other fishing trawlers one that springs to mind was the ben luie belonging to richard irvin.geoegr was also with me when we were fishing for mackeral out of falmouth. i have lost touch but I usually hear or are told things about old shipmates stuart
ah i see.....well the old bugger hasnt changed a bit, still sipping the rum n vodka but cut down on the fags as hes got angina now, but still fighting fit, hes a tough old cookie....i got on to this as i was offshore last week and someone was speaking about the "Grampian Wood" and i said im sure i went to see on her when she was the clarkwood......but i wasnt sure if i was right or not so ended up on this site.......were you on board when i was away with you guys??? do you remember me?? i only went cuz my ma didnt believe id go....but if she could do it when she was a kid then so could i....what a sharp shock i got....sick as a dog for 10 days!!
Hi Barry, Glad to hear George is still enjoying a dram, so do I. Sorry to say I didn't meet you that trip you were away on the Clarkwood because if George was the skipper I must have been ashore on a break.Please pass my kind regards to George when next you see him and tell him I'm suffering the same as he is. That's the worst of being an old sea-dog.Ask him if he remembers the time when he had the hernia, I got in touch with doctor ashore and my nearest port was Kirkwall but when I told George he said OH NO! I want to go home, so we proceeded to Aberdeen. I did not know the Ckarkwood was still going she was a good ship to me. See and buy him a bottle for his Xmas.
Hi Stuart, I was 2nd fish with you a long time. I have finished trawling now not the same. The best time was working Norwegian coast I remember the codend bursting open with the weight of fish wouldn't like to say how much fish there was in that haul but we made a lot of good trips especially from rockall the big coley which we landed in Germany ah well those days are gone shame. I'll hang my oilskins now.
My Dad Whinton Nicol was aboard Clarkwood for a long time as Engineer , I remember him telling me about fishing out of Cornwall & Barents Sea , Faroe Isles & Rockall etc, I also remember him telling me about the Codwar off Iceland but that was before he was on Clarkwood, think it was Aberdeen Fisher or Progress , not sure, My Dad sadly passed away yesterday 28th Sept & trying to find some stories or information / dates for his Service to be held on Monday Any help appreciated Sean Nicol. e mail seanknicol@hotmail.com
hi sean sorry to hear about your dad winton i was just a yong 16 year old apprentice when i sailed with your dad on a ship called the BURWOOD he was chief engineer then.as i got older i sailed with him on a trawler named ABERDEEN PROGRESS skipper was jhonny smith he was not trusted with the bond all the spirits and beer so your dad had to look after it and so the crew would get their share cuz the skipper would have drunk it all.then i joined the CLARKWOOD in 1982 or 83 your dad was chief engineer i sailed a few years of my sea life with your dad.on the clarkwood if we had big hauls of fish he and the cook and 2nd engineer would give us a hand to gut the fish.me and your dad was also their when we lost three of our shipmates with one freak wave we got one man back BOBBY CLARK it was your dad that managed to clip his oilskins in horrible seas and haul him aboard but it was all in vain bobby was alredy dead i will never forget that wild afternoon and that wave that took our shipmates yes we had a lot of ups and downs on board the CLARKWOOD with your dad but really we are just one big happy family when we leave port well sean your dad will not be forgotten.
Hello George, Thanks for putting a message up, can you remember the wooden boats my dad was on , The Golden Promise was one I can remember him speak about,
Hello Dougie, Thanks for your thoughts. I mine my Dad speaking about Johnny Smith & Burwood now, I that was a good while ago. I remember him being very humble about the lads that got lost from Clarkwood . He never talked much about it.I have found some pictures of some of the crew on the Clarkwood in the 80`s , theres some of the gus on deck & him with Zoom his mate for a long time , I remember him well ,Zoom passed away a good while ago now.
Hi lads just came across this site while trawling the net (excuse the pun hahaha) was a decky learner on the clark wood in the late 70s was on the boat when Stuart had to go to court in the Faroe. Many fond memories of my time on the trawlers. One name i remember is kung fu and a dodo. My name was Robert Heron, All the best in your old age Stuart.
hi my dad went trawling for years i think he was on both boats mentioned i know he was on the burwood and elinor viking my uncle also went fishing thye are joe and frankie davidson i would love to get a picture of an aberdeen trawler do you guys know of anywhare i can get one? thanks margaret davidson aberdeen Are you guys aware of the compensation being payed for the cod wars the clakewood is one of the boats on the list for paymentso if you guys worked on her at this time please let me know and i will give you the details for you guys to claim your payments if you was on this bot during the cod wars you are due compensation
Added by Margaret Davidson on 23 January 2010.
hi margaret i knew frankie well and sailed with him when he was 2nd fish ive bin in his house having a drink cuz cowboy macbeth lived next door to him in danestone circle middlefield.
margaret if you go on the net and put in pictures of aberdeen trawlers there are loads of pics there i spent hours looking at boats i went away pleasure tripping in the school holidays with my father
hi ronald i sailed with your dad i think it was on the birchlea a BUT ship i was 2nd fish he was always a happy guy.i also knew your uncle coggie he was a character.well happy days are gone.
Added by Dougie Brechin (aka)boots on 22 May 2010.
hi everyone, I'm not sure if any of you know or have sailed with my dad, brother and uncle. Frankie. Colin , and Ian Sutherland. i have fond memories of coming down to watch my dads boat coming in. I hear cowboys name mentioned too, he was a mate of my brothers.
hi do you know the name of the trawler built in peterhead A288 at herd and mckenzies probably in the sixties app
Added by Robert Cowie on 26 February 2011.
I was just speaking to my Dad and he told me he was on the Clarkwood in the mid 80's and his skipper was Stuart Wood. His name is Gordon Mcintyre, would be great to hear from anyone who knows him. he was also on the Ben and Glen boats.
fit like boots don't know if you remember me Mike Harris good to see you are kicking about. I have been back to klaksvik a few times since year 2000, 4 times the reason was to visit my son and grandkids there. Keep and if you ever go Facebook look me up and we can have a yarn. Keep well hope you catch up with me. Bye for now Mike.
My boss Ian Wood (now Sir)and myself escorted the Queen and Princes Anne aboard my ship at the opening of the new fish market. Little mistake, the number is A526.
Kind Regards Stuart Thomson
Added by Stuart Thomson on 11 October 2007.