Orkney Image Library

probably boxes for keeping lobsters in prior to shipping south.

Lobster boxes ?

Hi they look like Lobster keep boxes.

Lobster Boxes ?

The rafty things are lobster storage boxes belonging to Meils Shellfish Co. AYRE Road where Fushion Night is now. The boxes were towed out of the Basin by their own motor boat called the MIM. A former ships lifeboat and moored near Hatston Slip. They could be towed in to the Slip and unloaded on to a lorry for shipping.

Well Steven, I am old enough to remember these boxes. They belonged to "Meils" who had their business premises where "Fusion" is now and they housed fresh lobsters which were purchased from the local creelers! As boys, we used to scamper from one to another and hoped not to get wet or slip completely into the basin.

Meils lobster boxes--hopefully full with lobsters

The same photo, or a similar one, appeared in OIL some time ago. The 'rafty things' are lobster 'kists' which were used for keeping lobsters alive until they were sold to buyers in the south. They were kept at moorings outside the harbour and were towed in for emptying. I remember a Mr Wylie doing that job with a small motor boat for D. Meil & Sons, the shellfish merchants.

see picture #5422

Indeed Jim, 'lapster kists' in North Isles parlance!

rafty things are for holding the crabs / lobsters the guys caught, I remember as a kid we used to jump from one to the other, how we all lived is a mystery still.

As owld Jock Gray wid say, A lapster kist.

See picture #5422. You've got more coments than me Merv!!

Hi Barbara, didn't know that you had submitted a post card (picture #5422)- sometimes this will happen. I will find it difficult to go over all pictures, maybe getting too old for this game time to retire! Merv

This picture brings back memories. Dave Kelday and John Leslie used to teach Kirkwall children to swim at Scapa beach in late 50s/ early 60s. When we were proficent it was into deeper waters swimming from the steps in the top right corner of the basin. Not sure when the steps were built.

Had many wet feet when fishing for sillocks at the Cornslip. We used to push the boxes out of the way with our feet to clear a space to fish in.The empty ones were more bouyant and you could run over the top of them -if you were quick!

Neil bigger sillocks as you know could be caught when fishing from the cattle slips towards the end of the pier. Summer holidays started with the purchase of a 6ft bamboo cane, 3 yards of fishing line, 1 yard of gut, two small hooks and a fish head from Jollys fish shop. Summer holidays for a shilling, only in Kirkwall!.

Yes Dougie, the 'openings' as we called them were a good place to fish from when the tide was right.They were a gey slippy place at the best of times.It was a wonder nobody ever fell in - or maybe they did - but I never saw anyone do it.