THE winners of a national photography competition to find the best sea views from Ireland and Britain have been announced.
The competition held by one of the UK’s oldest maritime charities, the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society attracted a flood of entries from across Britain, and one winning entry taken off the coast of West Cork in Ireland.
The overall winner was Bernie Pettersen, an ex Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, for his photo Smooth Harbour, which captured a storm crashing into the Bickford-Smith Institute clock tower building in Porthleven in Cornwall.
The competition was judged aboard the Cutty Sark in London, by a prestigious panel of media and maritime experts.
Scroll down to see all the winning pictures...
Winners were also named in five categories:
Recreation category: Bernie Pettersen – Cornish Seas taken at Praa Sands
Ships and Shipwrecks category: David Jenner – Wrecked taken at Hoo Marina
Coast category: Rory Trappe – Llanddwyn Ponies taken in Llanddwyn
Industry category: John Roberts – Fisherman Dawn taken in Ballycotton
Judges’ category: Lee Acaster – At The Edges taken at Shingle Street
The competition was run from the Charity’s website and across social media, with participants entering photographs they believed best encapsulated Britain and Ireland's coast, seafarers, and the sea; whether in relation to the work of fishermen, merchant mariners, or wildlife and seascapes.
Malcolm Williams said: “The important thing about the photography competition is to raise awareness among the general population of how much we rely on the sea and those who work with it every day."
The Charity, which celebrated its 175thanniversary last year, provides financial support to retired merchant seafarers, fishermen and their dependants in need, and also to those injured or too ill to continue working at sea.
See the winning shots of the British and Irish coast here:
