314 NEW ENGLAND FISHERIES 



jib. The gaff topsail and maintopmast staysail, now so 

 generally used by fishing vessels, had not been adopted. ' ' x 



The Revolution annihilated our fisheries and with them 

 the fishing craft that had been employed. When peace 

 had been made and the fisheries were again resumed the 

 fishermen could not afford to build vessels of large size. 

 The craft that came into general use subsequent to the 

 war was the chebacco boat, so named because they were 

 constructed at first at the parish of Chebacco, now a part 

 of the town of Essex. These were from three to five tons 

 at first, but were constructed of larger size as more of 

 them came into use. They usually had sharp sterns, were 

 partially decked, having standing-rooms in which the crew 

 stood to fish, and had a little cabin, or cuddy, beneath the 

 forward deck which served for sleeping quarters and cook- 

 ing. The stem of the chebacco boat always stood high 

 above the bow and served as a bitt-head for the boat's 

 hawser when she was at moorings. Later the chebacco 

 boats were constructed as large as twenty tons burden, 

 and some had square sterns. These were called "dog- 

 bodies/ to distinguish them from the other kind. Both 

 kinds were cat-rigged, with two masts, the foremast stand- 

 ing as far in the bow as possible. 



From the round sterned chebacco boat to the pinky was 

 an easy and natural step in vessel construction. Boats 

 were needed for offshore fishing, so the chebacco boat was 

 enlarged, a bowsprit and jib were added, and thus a new 

 type was brought into use. The pinky was very much 

 in favor from the close of the war of 1812-1815 down to 

 1840 or later. The special feature of the pinky was the 

 extension of the rail and bulwarks away aft until they met 

 and were fastened to a V-shaped board, like the stern of 

 a dory, with a hollow crotch on top to serve as a rest for 



i Collins, pp. 337-338. 



