ANOTHER FEATHER · PORTSCATHO IN THE 1960s

Frederick Chenoweth — Fisherman, Mariner & Artist

A remarkable Portscatho life, remembered by John Peters

From a booklet written by Hilary Thompson about her grandfather ‘The Reminiscences of Frederick Chenoweth’.

A remarkable Portscatho life

I was fascinated by his reminiscences. Born in the village, he became a Master pilchard fisherman, a Master Mariner who travelled the world fighting in two World Wars ,a Boatbuilder, and an accomplished Artist. He owned the last pilchard ( sardine) seine net used in Portscatho. Fred was born in 1878 and retired and died in Portscatho aged 75 in 1953.

Whilst living in the village he was painting local scenes in water colour and pastels and was entertaining one of the most well renowned marine artists from Falmouth, Charles Napier Remy.

I am lucky to have two of Fred’s paintings, one of Porthcunick steps with the village in the distance and the other from the washed away access track and slipway at Pencabe / Flagstaff looking towards Grebe Point, both dated 1947, which I would like to share with you. Photos attached.

The Arethusa

When I was a young lad Frankie Collins had taken over Fred’s boat, the Arethusa. I think she was a double ended clinker boat about 20 feet long, and could have been an old lifeboat. She was fitted by Fred with an unusual Kitchener Rudder which was an experimental system he helped pioneer with the Navy, It was like a bucket/nozzle around the propeller, controlled by a crank handle on the tiller, not so strange as modern day high powered boat waterjet systems are very similar. However this made the boat difficult to control in the Porth.

Fitted with a Brit or Kelvin engine it was a B…r to start. Being a young fit lad I was roped in to swing the starting handle whilst Frankie squirted neat petrol into the engine until she fired then threw a lever to run on TVO (Tractor Vapouring Oil} basically paraffin. Whilst trying to turn the engine over I was always reminded not to hook my thumb around the handle, because ‘ If she kicks back she’ll have your thumb or arm off! ‘ Once the engine was running it was a privilege and a reward to go out on a fishing trip with an experienced fisherman.

Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened to the boat.