Historic Sail: Britain’s Surviving Working Craft

Around the British Isles many former working sailing craft survive from the once large fleets of distinctive local types, such as the Humber keel, Brixham trawler, Cornish lugger, Scottish fifie and Thames spritsail barge. In this beautifully laid-out book Paul Brown documents these vessels, concentrating on those of 40ft and over. Each type is introduced and its evolution tracked, with the main characteristics of the traditional design described; there follows a concise history for the surviving craft, including details of their working service, conservation, current location and use, and basic particulars such as dimensions and tonnage. Profusely illustrated with colour photographs, many taken by the author and others sourced from vessel owners and National Historic Ships’ archives, Historic Sail is simultaneously attractive and informative, and will appeal to any sailing enthusiast and all those interested in Britain’s great maritime heritage. Historic Sail has been produced in partnership with National Historic Ships UK, the official body dedicated to supporting the conservation of historic craft.