Feb02
More on the last Portuguese fishing schooners
Brites, built in 1936 crossing the Atlantic in the 1960s – her wooden dories clearly visible on deck
(Above, left )Adelia Maria, (above, right) Coimbra, both of which were built in 1948
Novos Mares
Following his tip-off about the stunning Lonely Men of the Dories Youtube videos Jay Cresswell has sent through some old photos of the last of the sailing Grand Bankers of Portugal from his personal collection.
The Lonely Men of the Dories footage shows the crews of the Portuguese Grand Banker schooners using the small wooden boats called dories for long-lining cod.
Luisa Ribau was the last sailing Grand Banker to be built, and was launched in 1953 and destroyed on the Grand Banks by fire in 1973.
A number of large Grands Banks schooners were built by the Portuguese after World War II, notably the four-masters Adelia Maria and Coimbra in 1948.
Collectively known as the White Fleet, the last departure of the schooners from St John’s in Newfoundland was the wood-built lugre named Novos Mares in July 1974. So ended the last significant chapter of trans-Atlantic commercial sail, an aspect that Jay remarks seems to be barely known about here in the UK, and which seems to have been missed by famous maritime historian Basil Greenhill when he was writing wrote his 1980 book Schooners, which was published by Batsford – although he did include the Canadian Bankers at the very end of the dory-schooner fishery on the Banks, and enjoyed rowing a dory on near his home towards the end of his life.
Perhaps he hadn’t heard about the Portuguese – the world was a bigger place in those days, and I suppose it’s a reminder that historians, like journalists and everyone else, can miss important points from time to time. What I find striking is the discovery that these large sailing fishing craft were working so late into the 20th century. When I grew up I remember everyone said that the days of large sailing craft were long over outside of sail training ships – but everyone was clearly wrong.
6 Comments »Culture: songs, stories, photography and art, Events, Locations, Rowing boat, Sailing boat, Small boats, Techniques, Traditional carvel, Traditional clinker, Uncategorized, Working boats
tillerman Feb 2nd 2010 at 02:39 pm 1
I wonder where they all are now? I know that one of the Portuguese fishing schooners Argus built in 1938 was acquired by Windjammer Barefoot Cruises in 1975 and sailed with them for many years as the Polynesia. Windjammer went bust a few years back so I have no idea where the Polynesia is now but I did had he pleasure of sailing on her for a week a few years back.
peter Feb 3rd 2010 at 01:24 am 2
Strange how I found this – I was looking for Ierne, a Fife class yacht that was found in Portugal and restored in Barton upon Humber by Draughtsman Yachts http://www.draughtsmanyachts.com, which led me to the article you have on Spider T which is excellent by the way they recently visited us at the Humber Yawl Club.
Which led me to searching this website and reading this article about Portugese Fishing Schooners.
Strange how the web works. I really enjoyed reading this article and shall be adding this site to my Bookmarks!
Gavin Atkin Feb 3rd 2010 at 08:22 am 3
I’m very pleased you like intheboatshed Peter!
jay cresswell Feb 3rd 2010 at 06:18 pm 4
Hi Gavin
Note the comment about Greenhill and offering the benefit of the doubt that possibly he did not know about this fleet. I have absolutely not doubt at all that he knew about the vessels.
Hi Tillerman … if you look for my earlier observations about the Portuguese schooners, I refer to Argus and her sisters Creoula and Santa Maria Manuela. All three are in good hands … in Portugal. There is a fourth “lugre” and that’s the barquentine Gazela PPrimeiro … she’s a part of the Philadelphia waterfront and well cared for
Gavin Atkin Feb 3rd 2010 at 06:54 pm 5
Thanks Jay. You may well be right – I have no idea, but if he did know I can’t think of a motive, good or bad, for deliberately leaving out the Portuguese.
Gav
Dexter Donham Feb 10th 2010 at 06:10 pm 6
I just finished reading Alan Villiers Quest of the Schooner Argus; great book about the days of Portuguese Grand Banks/Davis Straits dory long line cod fishing. Windjammer Barefoot’s Polynesia (ex-Argus) has been purchased after the demise of the company and taken to Portugal. She has been renamed Argus, and is going to be used for sail training. http://polynesia2.blogspot.com/