Staithes Cobles & Cowbar Nab…
Pots for crab and lobster lie piled at the Golden Crown’s bow,
Silent, mended, yet reeking of previous catches;
The coblemen add the final customary touches
To their equipment on a grey, dank day at low tide
In Staithes harbour, their dour demeanour misting with the greyscale,
Pondering the haul and the inn where they would tell their tale…
And the crumbling sandstone Cowbar Nab sneers
At the fishermen and glowers at the coble’s prow…
No registration lies painted upon the Golden Crown’s hull;
Silent, with a blue livery sleek in the morning,
The coble basks in the safety of its mooring
But its equipment is not visible at autumn’s low tide
In Staithes harbour, its solitary demeanour listing in the quay,
Wondering at its historic past and a previous identity…
And the eroding sandstone Cowbar Nab jeers
At time’s passing and the fishing industry’s cull…
Pete Ray
6th November 2020
The 1960s image of Staithes harbour shows the sandstone Cowbar Nab towering over the harbour.
The two traditional north-east boats, known as cobles were used for longline fishing and also potting for crabs and lobsters.
These two were half-decked motor cobles, registered to Whitby, built in 1953, hence their names: Golden Crown (WY 78) and Coronation Queen (WY 75).
I was in Staithes harbour in mid-September and pictured the cliff and also a blue coble, remarkably named Golden Crown…
Some coincidence…
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