This is the story of mariners and their vessels. It studies the past two hundred and fifty years of men and craft that hailed principally from the small communities along the Essex coast of the UK. It tells of fishermen, salvagers, professional yachtsmen, the ship and yacht builders. It is an adventurous, varied and often harsh story through which runs much social change. It also illustrates the high regard in which these seamen were held in many branches of seafaring.
John Leather has collected material for this book over many years. It has required considerable research, and the contents have been checked and verified to present and accurate record of Essex seafaring which often takes the story well beyond the North Sea to the Baltic, Mediterranean, America and elsewhere.
