A lightvessel of Trinity House on station at Breaksea off Barry in the early 1960's. In the distance (right) is the town of Barry and to the left of the vessel are the cliffs at the end of Cold Knap beach with Font-y-gary further left. [176]

I once swam in the sea at Cold Knap after about eight pints of Guinness in the dead of night and on a winter's night in February - crazy or what? On another occasion I swam out as the tide was in full flow and could touch the rocks below with my feet but the strength of the tidal flow swept me onto the headland between Cold Knap and Barry Island beach. I gained a lot of respect for the seas around the coast of the Bristol Channel after those experiences!

The Breaksea lightvessel off Aberthaw at sunset. Left are the twin chimneys of Aberthaw 'A' and 'B' power stations and right is the smoke from the cement works of Aberthaw. A close friend and fellow apprentice at Penarth Dock Engineering, Bill Muir and I were invited around Aberthaw power station because his father was an engineer there. I think we inspected parts of the plant which most visitors would not be allowed to enter!

Both images are borrowed from one of the wonderful maritime books of Mr. Chris Collard. In this case it is his 'Bristol Channel Shipping - The Twilight Years.' [176] However, the number of crew quoted by Chris was four but I was corrected by Mr. Neil Jones of Trinity house who informed me that an eleven man crew was assigned to each lightvessel and at any one time, eight men manned the vessel working on a rota basis.

A report within a Penarth newspaper in October 1895 mentions the harvest thanksgiving services held at the Missions to Seamen, situated near to the lock gates within Penarth Dock. It ends 'The numerous offerings of fruit, vegetables, bread, etc., were delivered to the lonely dwellers on the Breaksea Lightship on Monday last.' I suspect that it was all very well received as well! Penarth Chronicle and District Advertiser [375] [361] 26th October 1895.