Cornwall’s rich waters have always provided a bountiful harvest for its fisherman. In many ways, the fishing industry of Cornwall is inseparable from its heritage, evoking images of fishing boats resting in picturesque harbours.

The industry has not always provided so idyllic a picture. In Once Aboard a Cornish Lugger, Cornish former fisherman Paul Greenwood vividly describes life as a crewman throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He draws on his own experiences to graphically bring to life the hardships and dangers faced by Cornish fishermen, and tells of gales, whales, wrecks and rigours of life aboard the fishing boats that worked off the south coast of Cornwall.

His frank account of the hardships he encountered at sea, overcoming sea-sickness, fatigue, cold and wet while working night and day hauling nets and lines is a brilliant evocation of a bygone age.