Captain Mark Killingback has two harbours and 10 miles of deep water river Fal to look after, a huge area. Famous for the enormous cargo tankers which anchor in the river, I have often wondered why they are there. The one photographed, The Kuzma Minin, has a sinister story. Russian owned, the ship went aground off Cornwall in December and it is now “Under Arrest” by the wonderfully named Admiralty Marshall of the High Court in London.
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The human story behind this ship is very relevant to the charity this challenge is supporting, Seafarers UK! Have you ever thought who looks after the sailors on an abandoned cargo ship? With little food, no wages, no communication and unable to speak English the 18 crew on this ship faced a bleak Christmas. The charity Mission to Seafarers stepped in, delivering food, Christmas presents and translators to the crew. I will do a post about these missions, supported by Seafarers UK, later.
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Back to Mark’s day to day job. When not arresting cargo ships, he says the most unexpected part of his job description is managing public loos! His innovative solution in one popular mooring area, Loe Beach, is to charge each boat a £10 “poo tax” which allows the loos to be maintained to a high standard! Brilliant. .
Finally a big thank you to Roger and Dinah Graffy for my berth in Mylor Yacht Harbour and to the marine engineers there for providing a part for my VHF radio. The marine community of Cornwall is very generous.
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About the Harbour Master Sailing Challenge: I am circumnavigating the #UK attempting to visit every #harbour with a #harbourmaster #fundraising to #support @Seafarers_UK and their work in the #martime industry, supporting #seafarersand their #families. You can #sponsor my #challenge by visiting the link in my bio. Thank you for your support!
#harbourmastersailingchallenge #teamseafarersuk #seafarersuk
#sailing #adventure #personalchallenge #circumnavigation #sailinglife #sail #charity #charityfundraiser #charitychallenge#port #humansatsea #atsea #sailor #instasea #lifeatsea #seaman #mentalhealth
