The Last of the Fairhaven Coasters: The Story of Captain Claude S. Tucker & the Schooner Coral

Fromthe early years of our nation, the coasting schooner served as the primarymeans of hauling the cargoes that fueled thecountry’s growth. Several thousand ofthese coasters once existed, but by thelate 1930s, relatively few remained. Among those still in operation was the coasting schooner Coral. Hailing from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, the Coral and her owner, CaptainClaude S. Tucker, carried goods to portsthroughout southern New England. The Coralhauled cargo into the twilight years of the coasting trade, long after newtechnologies began to replace it. Authors Robert Demanche, Donald F. Tucker andCaroline B. Tucker use first-person accounts of crew members and captains totrace the life of the Coral andCaptain Tucker. Set sail to discover the story of the Coral through her glory days until the 1938 hurricane left herbeyond repair, hastening the end of an era.