Image Title: Low water Heybridge Basin Essex

Description:

 
The drawing was made a few years ago when wooden staging was used extensively for moorings along the East Coast tidal rivers – in this example, the River Blackwater. The vessel in the foreground is a ‘hooker’ with the characteristic hull shape of a working fishing boat The graceful lines of the hull and the large gaff rig sail plan would have had produced a powerful, fast sailing boat. Capable of hauling a heavy trawl and racing home to get a good price at the market for her catch, 52 weeks of the year. Many of these beautiful vessels are maintained, sailed and raced today. A family would expect to get three generations of work from such a hull