Ian Shearer has been fishing from Symbister on the western side of Whalsay in the Shetland Islands since leaving school.
Now he and three others from Whalsay have come together to invest in a new single-rig trawler built at Vestværft in the Danish port of Hvide Sande. The 32 metre trawler has a 28.10 metre overall length and an 8.70 metre breadth, and the Courageous name symbolises toughness and determination
For Ian Shearer and his partners in Courageous Fishing (Whalsay] Ltd, fishing usually starts before daylight on Monday morning, taking three of four hauls a day, before heading for Lerwick at the end of the week to land the catch of mainly cod, saithe and haddock.
He highlights that the new Courageous has excellent working facilities, with plenty of space for handling gear and catches, plus the new trawler’s seakeeping characteristics and operating economy are very good.
Down below, the four twin and one single cabin plus the well laid-out crew areas provide high quality living conditions.
All of the hydraulics and deck machinery are supplied by Thyborøn Skibs & Motor, with the trawl winches controlled by a Scantrol autotrawl system.
The streamlined catch handling setup has been supplied by VCU and the fishroom has space for 1400 boxes, providing capacity for any hits of unusually big fishing.
He commented that while they have enjoyed their stay in Hvide Sande, where the yard and local services have looked after them well, Ian Shearer said that he and the crew are looking forward to getting home and starting fishing with Courageous.
Courageous LK-470 was designed and engineered by Vestværftet in Hvide Sande and was delivered in March 2021. The hull was built in Gdansk in Poland and fully fitted out in Hvide Sande. It is built according to the MCA rules and classified by Bureau Veritas.
