Boat Stories is delighted to be named winner of the digital, film and moving image award 2025! Mandi and I went up to collect the award (a lovely Dartington Crystal goblet.) Huge Congratulations to our film crew, our wider team and of course all our film stars. The award was given to us by Joe Rossi now of Devon Film Logistics who briefly appears in our Fishing for Clovelly Herring Film. And compere for the evening was Seth Conway who we got to know when he filmed some of our stories as news items for ITV.

Wednesday 16th March  at Shirwell village hall Doors open 2 pm. tickets Beaford Arts.
Thursday 17th March talk and film show from Jo for Coastwise North Devon. 9.45-11.45 Henry Williamson room Barnstaple library. All welcome tickets on the door. More info www.coastwisenorthdevon.org.uk
Wednesday 23 March Langtree village hall. 7pm Beaford Arts.

Friday 22-24 April Ilfracombe film festival. Support Ilfracombe's very first film festival with its sea theme. All ten boat stories films will be shown individually before various features. Find them on facebook for more information.
Friday 13th May High Bickington community centre. Doors & bar open 7.30pm films from 8.30 Beaford Arts.

"Brilliant evening. Lovely local community feel to it. Well done everybody" Pam Ley via facecbook

 Instead of the twelve days of Christmas we have the ten boat stories' skippers or crew all linked to each other in this fun animation. And each spoke of the wheel also links them to one of the three local RNLI stations: Ilfracombe, Appledore or Clovelly. Enjoy!
Animation by Joanne Beech, written by Jo Stewart-Smith, music by Alice Bollen (from our gig film)

I planned to do two graphics for boat stories. One was an interactive map which followed the journeys our boats made along the coast, out to Lundy, around the estuary and up river. And the second a boat stories 'family tree' highlighting the links and family connections between the people I'd been filming from Clovelly round to Ilfracombe. I could only afford to do one and in the end 'the family tree' won, partly because of a conversation I had with Beccy MacDonald while we were staying on Lundy about the links between the different films.

Beccy is the first port of call (via the radio) for all the boats visiting Lundy and I could have put the island in the centre of the wheel. Dave Gabe who goes up river on Cheeky Monkey, for instance, was once the Lundy boatman in the days before the passenger ferry. But Lundy of course is one of our stories and I chose the RNLI because I'd wanted to make a film about one of the local RNLIs and the family networks - one of the many stories that 'got away' as I could only make ten films. I had many more anecdotes than I could fit in but I had to choose an order for the boats and once I'd done that I couldn't jump across the wheel -otherwise it would have become a spider's web.

I spotted Jo Beech's work posted on the Sea Ilfracombe facebook site. She'd done a little animation of all the events going on during the festival including the boat stories film premiere - an animated poster if you like- and it was brilliant. I wanted one for boat stories! She was going to draw the boats but we decided to use my photographs because they are colourful and instantly recognisable to locals who know the boats. Check out Jo's website icanlearn2.com to see the animations she's done to market events or help put complex scientific ideas across. As she says "we create animated videos to help explain and educate anyone about anything."

A gala screening event at the Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe on Friday 4 September 2015 celebrated the completion of Boat Stories, a series of short films about local people who live their lives connected to boats and fishing in North Devon.  This was the first chance for the public to see the whole series of ten, five minute films on the big screen with the added bonus of hearing from and chatting with some of the characters in the films and the film makers themselves.

Boat Stories collaborated with the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon's Fishing for History Project to organise the Ilfracombe Event and Museum Development Manager, Alison Mills commented: 
" the films have done a great job in capturing the way in which North Devon people interact with our landscape - which is such an important part of how this area has become the beautiful place it is." 

" I would single out the salmon fishing (Salmon Netting on the Taw & Torridge) & Steve Perham (Fishing for Clovelly Herring) films as vital in capturing what may be the last few practitioners of traditional fishing methods, but I also greatly enjoyed the other films - and the obvious concern of the other fishermen about how they can protect as well as prosper from our maritime resources."

The production of these insightful and professionally produced films was made possible in large part by funding from Northern Devon FLAG.  Steve Pitcher, Chair of Northern Devon FLAG and North Devon Coast AONB Partnership applauded the work of film producer Jo Stewart-Smith: "The films are inspirational and are a great showcase for the beauty and activity that are found on the North Devon Coast. Above all it is the people talking about their lives and livelihoods that makes them so good. As the Northern Devon Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) we were very pleased to support the making of these films and to secure funding for them. Apart from the high quality of the films they are also an excellent record of the strong fishing heritage we have here in North Devon. Everyone should see them!" 

One of our toughest challenges has been to get the last three films finished for the Sea Ilfracombe festival premiere on Friday 4th September. With the deadline looming, I planned to choose less ambitious, simpler films. Instead, we've taken on greater challenges. In April we started following the work of the Bideford Pilot and crew as they head out to meet big ships and escort them into the estuary. I'd seen the pilot boat at work many times - but until I started researching this film, I had no idea quite how dramatic and skilled their job is.. Watch this evocative trailer from Matt Biggs, Artaura Productions - coming soon!

The Bideford Pilot will premiere at Sea Ilfracombe and then we will hold it back to show again in Bideford Friday 16th October.

I promised that every film would be different. But after we released our first film Lobster Potting and Berried Hens, last June to an amazing reaction - the big question for me was would we - could we keep up the quality?  Judge for yourselves by coming along to one of our FREE film events, with a chance to hear from some of the filmmakers, fishermen and skippers. Details on our home and events page. As I write the stalls have already sold out at the Landmark, Ilfracombe, so don't forget to book your free tickets.

I'm getting that sinking feeling - the realisation that I've been out on our last boat stories - boat trip - unless I can think of any more excuses!!

We also continued working with Matt Biggs from Artaura Productions on our 8th film - the Bideford pilot -following as the title suggests the work of the Bideford pilot. Until I researched this film I wasn't sure what the pilot and the pilot boat actually did. I guessed and I guessed wrongly. Matt and I were impressed by the skill and teamwork of the pilot crew and how matter of fact they were about an often difficult and dangerous job. On the rushes Matt can be heard saying something like, “have you got hold of me Jo? I’ll be really fed up if I lose this film now.”  All will be revealed when the film is released!

We've also been busy preparing materials for various events and organisations which have been showing the films.  And for our own two events showing all the films to the public. Put these dates in your diary: Friday 4th September in Ilfracombe to open Sea Ilfracombe festival and Friday 16th October in Bideford. This is your chance to watch all the films and meet the contributors, filmmakers and funders. Tickets are free but you need to book - details on our home page.