A former Bridlington fishing skipper who spent 40 years at sea has won a prestigious gold award in an international photography competition in Paris.
Tony Pockley, a familiar face around Bridlington Harbour for decades, received the Gold Award in the 2026 Prix de la Photographie Paris (PX3) competition for his photograph My Sea, entered in the Nature/Water – Non-Professional category.
Tony, who was forced to give up his life at sea after developing Parkinson’s disease in 2015, has found a new passion in photography, capturing the beauty of the Yorkshire coast.
His speciality has become spectacular images of waves, with the rising sun providing a stunning backdrop.
The award-winning photograph was captured during one of his early-morning outings to photograph Bridlington Harbour and the sunrise, when an extraordinary wave appeared in front of him.
Tony’s success is a remarkable achievement for the former skipper, whose love of the sea continues through his camera lens.
Despite the challenges of living with Parkinson’s, he continues to get up early to capture the changing colours of the sky as the sun rises over Bridlington.
His daughter said he loves sharing his beautiful sunrise photographs and decided to produce a calendar for 2026 featuring some of his favourite images.
All proceeds from the calendar sales went to Parkinson’s UK, which helped support vital research and the development of better treatments for people living with the condition
