Traditional British Fishing Boats

Huntingdon, United Kingdom: Waterline Books, 1000. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8" x 10.75. h/b 256 pages, condition is very good, the DJ has been price clipped. The coasts of Britain and Ireland are surrounded by some of the most tempestuous waters in the world and are amongst the most geographically diverse. For centuries the inhabitants of these islands have striven to harvest a rich bounty from the many varieties of fish that inhabit the shallow seas of the Continental Shelf and the deeper waters of the adjacent Atlantic Ocean. The evolution of a wide diversity of fishing boat designs reflects the nature of particular local environments from where the fishermen set sail, the waters in which they fished and the specialised nature of the methods used to trap their quarry. This book examines the roots and traditions of each native design that is known to have worked the waters that surround these shores. In this era of computerised machinery and mass overkill on an international scale, the world of the small fishing boat is dwindling rapidly, and it is now rare to glimpse tanbark sailcloth against a setting sun - and yet there is an undertow of sentiment that wishes to preserve, or even rebuild some of our classic craft to maintain links with a long and proud maritime heritage. This book opens the archives to centuries of the shipwright's skill. Many engravings and early photographs portray these boats in their halcyon days and detailed plans explain the subtleties of each individual design.