Georgina of Ladram

Innovation and clean lines on biggest new Brixham beam trawler

Delivered by the Luyt Group, based at Den Oever in Holland, Georgina of Ladram BM 100 is a 35.25m beam trawler with an 8.70m moulded breadth, a moulded depth of 4.29m and a maximum draught of 5.20m, reports Quentin Bates.

Georgina of Ladram underway at the start of her maiden trip. (Photo: Alan Letcher)

Scheepstimmerbedrijf Schrier fitted out Georgina of Ladram’s accommodation and wheelhouse.

Looking down on Georgina of Ladram’s deck and the extending reception hoppers/catch conveyor during preparation for the beamer’s first trip.

Luyt manufactured the 10-drum electric-drive trawl winch located beneath the wheelhouse. (Photo: Hanneke de Boer)

Georgina of Ladram’s galley.

The skipper’s chair, flanked by screens on both sides.

Designed exclusively for beaming with 12m trawl gear, and with the clean lines the owners were looking for, Georgina of Ladram is a comfortable boat, with accommodation at deck level in three cabins outfitted to a high standard, and with air conditioning throughout, as well as a spacious mess area and a well-equipped galley in the full-width deck house aft.

Georgina of Ladram was designed by Peter Jeeninga of main contractor Luyt BV, in collaboration with Ian Paton of SC McAllister & Co Ltd, for Waterdance Ltd. The hull and superstructure were built at Ibis shipyard, Burgum before being taken through the Prinses Margrietkanaal to Den Oever for completion by Luyt BV.

“It’s our design, and when it came to the propeller design, we suggested talking to Ian Paton at SC McAllister, as he has a lot of experience in this. So he looked at the stern with our designer to make it as economical as possible, and they made some changes to the underwater profile,” said Luyt’s production and sales manager Patrick Koopman.

“Ian also designed the propeller and the nozzle, which came from Teignbridge Propellers.”

He commented that the 23t bollard pull and the 11.5-knot speed achieved on sea trials were both better than had been predicted.

The aft engineroom houses the ABC 6DZC main engine, which drives the 3,200mm-diameter propeller inside a nozzle via a ZF W10230 gearbox supplied by ADS van Stigt, with a 7.524:1 reduction ratio.

Electrical power is derived from the two 335kW Mitsubishi S6B3-MPTAW auxiliaries, each with a 405kVA generator, and there is a 49ekW Caterpillar C4.4 harbour/emergency set located in the forward store.

Georgina of Ladram has tank capacity for 46,000 litres of fuel and 1,000 litres of lube oil, as well as 23,000 litres of freshwater.

Kalkman supplied the 110kW 150E Beta thruster, and the steering gear is an MT2500 system from AS Scan Steering. Blokland supplied the box coolers, and fuel passes through CC Jensen filters on its way to the engines and gensets.

Georgina of Ladram’s trawl winch, located in the winch compartment below the wheelhouse, has two shafts.

There are two trawl drums, each spooled with 1,000m of 28mm warp, two topping drums to raise and lower the derricks via a fivefold purchase, and two safety lines that keep the double-purchase trawl blocks at the head of each derrick in place. The additional four drums are Gilsons. The control system is a conventional pneumatic arrangement, with the deck machinery controlled from the wheelhouse position, with levers each side of the central wheelhouse window to clutch drums in and out. A control box is placed on the casing for the deck crew to control the winch when working on the gear.

A pair of smaller winches mounted on the outside of the wheelhouse casing are used for landing catches and for lifting boxes and stores onboard, and are controlled with a remote system.

The 10-drum winch comes with a trawl management system delivered by ESU, which also installed the electrical systems onboard, as well as supplying the winch motors and Georgina of Ladram’s cruise control. The winch also has a back-up system, with an 18kW electric motor.

Georgina of Ladram has extensive back-up systems onboard, and each of the two generators is capable of supplying the trawler’s electrical requirements.

Patrick Koopman said: “If there’s a failure with the winch drive, then the back-up is enough to get the gear onboard. It provides around 10% of the usual hauling speed, but it’s enough to retrieve the gear, so you don’t have to cut the warps.

“You can run all week on one generator,” he said. “There are also two big deckwash pumps, when one would be enough. There are two starting air compressors, and two ice makers. These are all doubled up, so if there’s a problem with one, you don’t need to stop fishing.

“We’re very happy, and we’re very proud of this one,” he said, adding that there had been a delay in the original mid-April delivery date due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that things moved fast when they were able to resume work on Georgina of Ladram.

“The crew rigged the boat in four days, and we did the sea trials and testing, the inspection work with RINA and the bollard pull test all in a week, which I think is the quickest we have ever done all this,” he said.

The Luyt yard has a strong reputation in the UK and Ireland, with fishing vessels brought across for refits and maintenance, and the yard and Waterdance go back a long way.

“Now we have Julie of Ladram here for a refit, overhauling the winch and the engineroom, and then William of Ladram will be here next for a refit,” said Patrick Koopman, adding that discussions are in progress about several more new beam trawlers.

Luyt has been building winches for as long as the company has been in business, and its workshops are currently busy with five new 10-drum winches – similar to Georgina of Ladram’s type BT-E10-2-HA190-0H winch – for a series of new beamers being built at the Maaskant and Padmos yards for Belgian owners, as well as a couple of four-drum winches that are being supplied to Macduff in Scotland.

When the codends are taken aboard forward, catches are released into two collapsible stainless steel reception hoppers positioned on either side of a central elevated conveyor.

Fish are moved forward onto the selection conveyor, from which they are placed into an integrated fish washer. They are then delivered to two selection bins in the heavily insulated and lined fishroom, which is served by two Buus flake ice machines and two fan-driven blower units supplied by Polar Koeltechniek.

Milestone for English fishing

Georgina of Ladram is the biggest beam trawler to be built for Brixham, and is also the first new beam trawler to arrive at the South Devon harbour for 30 years, making her delivery an undoubted milestone for the English fishing fleet. The last beam trawlers to arrive at Brixham were the 23m Sea Lady BM 28 and the 18.2m Sara Lena BM 30, which entered service in 1990, 12 months after the 23.8m Carhelmar BM 23.

Georgina of Ladram is also the first of her kind in the UK since Maaskant shipyards delivered the 42.4m Saint Anthony LT 1005 for Colne Shipping in 1999 and Padmos delivered Interfish’s 23.9m Admiral Grenville PH 550 in 2001.

“This has been something of a lifelong ambition for Waterdance’s lead directors Robin and Rowan Carter, to build a beam trawler of this size. They have both been heavily involved in the build process, and on boarding the Georgina of Ladram as she arrived in Brixham from Holland this week, they were delighted with the final build,” said Waterdance managing director Nigel Blazeby.

Following the company’s vessel-naming tradition, the new beam trawler is named after Rowan Carter’s son Mat’s young daughter Georgina.

“With more than 20 vessels, including netters, crabbers and whelkers as well as beam trawlers, Waterdance has a strategy of modernising its fleet, providing vessels that are optimised for fuel efficiency and that are safe and comfortable for crews,” said Nigel Blazeby.

He said that Georgina of Ladram has been a collaborative project involving Dutch vessel designer Peter Jeeninga and leading UK designer Ian Paton of SC McAllister & Co Ltd.

The design process looked at a range of options for length, power and layout. The finished product reveals a vessel with an overall length of over 35m and a registered length of 29.9m, with a slow-running main engine and a long bulbous bow section. The stern section, propeller and nozzle have all been designed specifically for optimum fuel economy.

Nigel Blazeby said that extensive sea and fishing trials had so far been extremely promising, while the modern look and striking lines add to the new vessel’s visual impact.

Covid-19 restrictions called for innovative measures to man Georgina of Ladram for trials, but careful planning and the need to take one of the other Waterdance vessels to Holland for refit minimised crew exposure.

“Two weeks of final preparations and sea trials were safely conducted under the command of the vessel’s new skipper Trevor Sclater, overseen by myself,” said Nigel Blazeby.

Georgina of Ladram will be fishing mainly in ICES area VIIe, but also in areas VIIf/g and VIIa.

Waterdance is currently working with SWFPO towards MSC certification for VIIe plaice and sole. Nigel Blazeby commented that Georgina of Ladram is an investment for the next 40 years of South West fishing, and working in an area where fish stocks are sustainable is therefore vital. In January 2021, Georgina of Ladram will join the Western FPO – the UK’s newest FPO, of which Waterdance is a significant member.

Georgina of Ladram is the second of three new builds for Waterdance, underpinning the company strategy of modernising the fleet. “We took delivery of the 15m vivier-crabber Nichola of Ladram E 1 in 2019, and in early 2021 we will take delivery of a new Amanda of Ladram II, a 22m netter under construction by Parkol Marine Engineering at Whitby,” Nigel Blazeby said.

Waterdance is also acquiring Banff skipper John Clark’s 19m twin-rig trawler Reliance II BF 800, which will replace the wooden-hulled Pen Glas SE 34, the company’s oldest vessel at 60 years. Reliance II will be renamed Kelly of Ladram, and will be rigged to fish for whelks.

“Waterdance’s significant investment in its new build and acquisition programme shows we are confident – and indeed excited – for the UK fishing industry going forwards,” Nigel Blazeby said.

“We passionately believe that investment in quality vessels and good people, whilst utilising company-held quota, results in a business that provides significant jobs, opportunities and continuity of food supply to UK and worldwide consumers. That is what we are about.”

Building a new beam trawler has been a long-held ambition for Waterdance directors Robin and Rowan Carter.

Bow view of Georgina of Ladram, showing the beamer’s modern appearance and striking lines. (Photo: Alan Letcher)

Brixham’s new beam trawler

Georgina of Ladram’s skipper Trevor Sclater has been fishing from Brixham for more than 20 years. He spent 16 of those working for Graham Perkes, continuing when Waterdance stepped in as the new owner, including nine years as skipper of the Eurocutter Angel Emiel BM 28.

He and the crew of the new beamer sailed across to Holland last month with another Waterdance beamer, Julie of Ladram E 271, which was heading to the Luyt yard in Den Oever for a refit. They spent a couple of weeks fitting out and running sea trials before taking Georgina of Ladram back to Brixham for the first time.

Delivery was delayed due to the effects of Covid-19 on the Luyt yard’s activities, putting back the original April completion date. After a couple of days squaring everything away in Brixham, Georgina of Ladram sailed for her first trip on Monday, 22 June.

“We’ll be fishing mainly in VIIe. Then it might be VIIa after Christmas, and maybe VIIf and VIIg, but that’ll be fishing with open gear,” said skipper Trevor Sclater, adding that Georgina of Ladram is starting with 12m chain mat gear that was shipped across to Holland from Brixham Trawl Makers for the sea trials.

“These are standard Edd trawls. The crew rigged the boat in Holland, with the help of the yard’s crane to lift the derricks into place. We rigged everything and put together the trawls – it was all there for us, in kit form.”

He said that the build was practically finished as they arrived in Den Oever, with only minor details to be completed.

“We took the breathing apparatus set and the fire extinguishers over with us on Julie of Ladram, and the liferafts were already there ready to be fitted. There was a lot of small stuff to fix towards the end of the build. We had carpenters onboard to finish things off. Everything was in place, with electricians onboard connecting it all up. The interior is lovely – well laid out, and it’s immaculate – as it should be,” he said.

Sea trials were carried out over several days, with the bollard pull tested and tows taken with the 12m beam trawls to check the winch operation.

“This is also the quietest boat I’ve ever been on,” said Trevor Sclater. “The engine is on flexible mounts, and that takes out a lot of the noise. We’re hoping for fuel consumption to be a lot less, but we won’t know the answer to that until we’ve done a few trips. We’re hoping for 2,000 litres a day, compared to more than 3,000 litres a day that the other bigger beamers burn.

“I’d like to see 100 litres per hour. It’ll be more when we’re towing against the tide, maybe 130 litres, and down to 80 litres going with the tide, so that averages out – and I’m hoping we won’t have to put the hammer right down when we’re fishing.”

To begin with, Georgina of Ladram is sailing six-handed, as shore engineer Jordan Blewitt is onboard to ensure that everything is running as it should be. Then the crew will go down to five.

“We’ll be working two trips on and one off when we’re up and running,” Trevor Sclater said.

He and relief skipper Liam McGlade will be joined by another mate to alternate in the wheelhouse, as Georgina of Ladram is a two-ticket boat, alongside crew Scott Whittaker, Lizard Bradley and Steve Rees.

“Steve Rees is about the best trawler cook in Brixham,” Trevor Sclater added. “His meals are restaurant standard.”

Georgina of Ladram is expected to fish six- to seven-day trips before returning to land at Brixham, where the beamer’s catches will be sold by Brixham Trawler Agents on the world’s first-ever online clock auction system Kosmos.

Innovation onboard

The MaxSea TimeZero set and the CCTV monitor built into the control console.

Georgina of Ladram skipper Trevor Sclater.

The 10-drum trawl winch is housed in a compartment under the wheelhouse. (Photo: Hanneke de Boer)

Compared to the older beam trawlers in the fleet, there is plenty of innovation to get used to onboard Georgina of Ladram, including the advantages of a 10-drum winch.

“Angel Emiel only had six drums,” said Trevor Sclater. “So now we have four Gilsons instead of two, and an extra Gilson is always handy to have. The quick-release gear also works straight off the winch. So there’s no knocking out pins needed. It’s a lot safer, and I can drop the block straight to the deck if there’s a problem. If there’s a block that’s sticking then nobody needs to go along the derrick to grease it, because we can drop it to the deck, free it up and get turning.”

The learning process will be in Georgina of Ladram’s wheelhouse, fitted out by Echomaster Marine and Globe Marine with an array of the latest electronics.

“There’s everything,” Trevor Sclater said. “MaxSea, C-Plot and Olex, but it’s all brand new. It’s the same systems as I used on Angel Emiel and my data is the same, but these are the latest systems, and there’s a lot to learn. It’s going to be a learning curve finding out what these systems can do.”

He said that the Olex with its ground definition is invaluable, making it possible to identify seabed features that would otherwise be impossible to make out.

“On the banky ground in the mid-Channel, the Olex shows where the banks are, and if you can get onto the top of a bank and stay there, then you’ll get a lot of good fish. The new MaxSea, or TimeZero as they call it now, is all-singing and all-dancing, and looks like it can do some wonderful things – and that has 3D and bottom definition as well now.”

Something else that’s new is the ECU winch control system displaying warp tensions, a system that Julie of Ladram and Margaret of Ladram already have.

“This is what lets you fish in places like the gravel pits. Sometimes you can be towing and it might feel a bit sticky, so you give it a bit more power – but it’s not sticky, it’s your gear filling up with sand,” said Trevor Sclater.

“You have to set it up with your own parameters, but this tells you as soon as warp tension increases, so you know there’s weight in the gear and you can have the trawls up right away – instead of blowing your gear out.”

Brixham Trawl Makers’ gear

Brixham Trawl Makers supplied Georgina of Ladram’s 12m chain mat trawls, and are now making the beamer’s open gear.

One of the beam shoes, fitted with rubber wheels.

Darren (Edd) Edwards of Brixham Trawl Makers supplied the components for Georgina of Ladram’s gear after the decision was taken to rig the trawls in Holland for sea trials. The trawls are on largely standard lines, with 300mm mesh in the back, 180mm mesh in the head of the belly and 160mm in the belly, to avoid the need for working with a Flemish panel. Codends are 90mm. Footropes are rigged on 6in-, 8in- and 10in-diameter rubbers.

The chain mats are put together using 20mm chain and 20mm shackles from Van Laar.

Georgina of Ladram was rigged in Den Oever, with rigging supplied by CIV Den Oever, including two 1,000m sets of 28mm warp from Euronete.

“We’re busy at the moment making up Georgina of Ladram’s open gear – trawls made in nylon, and made with a deeper opening and longer ground gear than the chain mat gear,” said Trevor Sclater.

Co-operation on electronics

The wheelhouse electronics onboard Georgina of Ladram were supplied in a collaboration between Echomaster Marine and Globe Marine – the first time that the two companies have worked together on a project of this scale. This went very well despite the difficulties presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Georgina of Ladram’s wheelhouse is laid out with a central console built around the skipper’s seat, with integral monitors for key items of equipment displaying data on six 22in AG Neovo screens.

The Olex 3D plotter is to the skipper’s left, with the MaxSea TimeZero placed in front of the control position, above the screen displaying feeds from the 16-channel Hikvision cameras in key locations onboard, including an observation camera mounted over the propeller.

Displays are also built into the console for the Furuno FAR 2218-BB and FAR 1513-BB radar sets. The sounders are also from Furuno, with an FCV-295 linked to a 38BL-9HR transducer and an FCV-588 with a 50/2001T transducer.

The navigators are Furuno GP-170 and GP-39 sets, and the AIS is a Furuno FA-170 Class A unit.

The gyrocompass is a Simrad GC-80, and the satellite compass is a JCR JLR-21. Georgina of Ladram also has an MK2002 magnetic compass binnacle and an SR4 magnetic compass. The autopilot is a Navitron NT951G, with an NT921 watch alarm panel that comes with a remote alarm in the skipper’s cabin and mess area, and an NT921 NFU lever.

Communications systems include a pair of Sailor RT6222 VHF DSC sets, and three Icom IC-GM1600MED handheld radios. The FS1575 SSB radio is from Furuno, as is the NX700-B Navtex set. There is also an Echomaster Marine Ka-band VSAT system and an Intellian I6 satellite TV antenna with Freesat TV for the messdeck.

Safety equipment includes two Ocean Signal S1000 SARTS and a VEP8 GPS EPIRB.