The Past Afloat

This introduction to Britain's seafaring history, which accompanies an eight-part BBC television series, fascinatingly recreates our maritime past in words and pictures. Sailing for pleasure is a surprisingly modern pastime. Two centuries ago virtually every boat on the water was there to do a job of work. So this book tells the absorbing story of the working vessels of the past: How they were designed and built, what sails and rigging they carried; how and when steam took over. All these details together made, and sometimes changed, the lives of those who lived and worked on the sea. The Past Afloat shows us preserved ships, ports and maritime museums; and reconstructs the working lives of a wide variety of vessels, from the early sailing ships like the Humber keel to the battleships of World War II. The meticulously researched text will serve as a detailed guide to maritime collections in Britain, and the photographs vividly evoke the atmosphere of those early days at sea