Rachel's setting of "Mother Carey's Chicks" is a very poignant arrangement - a great contrast to some of the more rough-and-ready tunes I have used for much of Ron's fishing output. The name "Belfar" I think is Ron's eccentric spelling in operation. It occurs as "Belavar" in Ron's memorial to all the vessels from Fleetwood which went down with loss of life, the song "Lost", which will also feature in "The Golden Dream" our show for Fleetwood's 175th anniversary this year. (Is there an on-line version of us singing "Lost", Sean?) Listed as "Belovar" on the Fishermen's Memorial near the Lower Light, her details follow:-

BELOVAR: February 06 1913 Lost with all hands (10) North of Barra Head

S.T. Belovar GY109

Technical

Official Number: 122715
Yard Number: 94
Completed: 1906
Gross Tonnage: 242
Net Tonnage: 94
Length: 125 ft
Breadth: 22 ft
Draught: 11.8 ft
Engine: 65 NHP T.3-cyl by Charles D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull
Speed: 10.5 knots
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley

History

29.11.1905: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley (Yd.No.94) for Alick (Alec) Black, Grimsby as BELOVAR.
1.2.1906: Registered at Grimsby (GY109).
2.1906: Completed.
1909: Sold to Walter M. Olney, Grimsby (Alick (Alec) Black, manager).
1.1912: Transferred to Iceland, salting (Sk. Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson).
6.1912: Returned to Grimsby.
1912: Transferred to Fleetwood.
31.1.1913: Sailed Fleetwood on 12 day trip to Rockall grounds (Sk. George Schofield); ten crew.
4.2.1913: Reported fishing at Muldonich, Hebrides.
6.2.1913: Posted missing; crew lost.
8.4.1913: Grimsby registry closed.

Note: One source lists her as wrecked north of Barra Head

Crew List
George Schofield
James Johnson
James Adams
Frederick Allet
George Salmond
Harry Clarke
Samuel Farrow
Richard Wright
Robert Wright
Frederick Kidd

Details from http://www.fleetwood-fishing-industry.co.uk/fleetwoods-trawlers-lost-at-sea/ . From fishing smacks in local waters to steam and motor trawlers in middle and distant waters, this page shows the attrition which affected both ships and men in this most dangerous trade.

Charley, if you haven't already found the Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust sites, these links might provide some interesting reading:-

http://www.fleetwood-trawlers.info/ ("The Bosun's Watch")

http://www.fleetwood-fishing-industry.co.uk/ ("Fleetwood Motor Trawlers")

Also http://float-trawlers.lancashire.gov.uk/index.php ("Fleetwood On-line Archive of Trawlers" - created by Fleetwood Museum to make available the photographic archives of Peter Horsley and Wilfred Dodds).

Ross