﻿22*2 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [6] 
  

  

  Both 
  oars 
  and 
  sails 
  are 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  propulsion. 
  The 
  rowlocks 
  

   are 
  heavy 
  wooden 
  cleats 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  gunwale 
  and 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  

   stuck 
  a 
  single 
  stout 
  wooden 
  thole-pin, 
  the 
  oar 
  being 
  held 
  to 
  this 
  by 
  a 
  rope 
  

   becket. 
  A 
  sprit 
  sail 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  jib 
  tacking 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  stem 
  head 
  is, 
  

   perhaps, 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  rig, 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  carry 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  

   saii. 
  

  

  Another 
  and 
  larger 
  class 
  of 
  boats, 
  which 
  are 
  purely 
  European 
  in 
  type, 
  

   are 
  used 
  at 
  Havana, 
  chiefly 
  for 
  the 
  net 
  and 
  seine 
  fisheries, 
  we 
  were 
  told. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  built 
  at 
  the 
  Balearic 
  Isles 
  and 
  brought 
  from 
  Europe 
  

   to 
  Cuba 
  by 
  merchant 
  vessels 
  trading 
  between 
  the 
  island 
  and 
  Spain. 
  

   One 
  of 
  these 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  examining 
  had 
  all 
  the 
  

   characteristic 
  features 
  that 
  distinguish 
  the 
  fishing 
  boats 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  

   from 
  whence 
  she 
  originated. 
  She 
  was 
  a 
  carvel-built, 
  keel 
  boat, 
  Avith 
  

   broad 
  beam, 
  medium 
  depth, 
  ends 
  moderately 
  sharp, 
  rounding 
  at 
  the 
  

   gunwales, 
  and 
  concave 
  at 
  the 
  water 
  line; 
  a 
  fall, 
  round, 
  easy 
  bilge, 
  and 
  

   curved 
  stem 
  and 
  stern 
  post, 
  the 
  latter 
  rising 
  about 
  15 
  inches 
  above 
  the 
  

   gunwale. 
  The 
  boat 
  had 
  a 
  moderate 
  sheer, 
  and 
  three 
  heavy 
  rowlocks 
  

   on 
  a 
  side, 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  single 
  thole-pin. 
  An 
  outrigger 
  pro- 
  

   jected 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  feet 
  beyond 
  the 
  stern 
  on 
  the 
  port 
  side. 
  The 
  boat 
  was 
  

   decked, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  an 
  open 
  space 
  amidships, 
  that 
  was 
  3 
  feet 
  

   wide 
  and 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  her 
  length. 
  The 
  deck 
  was 
  built 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  

   decided 
  carve 
  upwards 
  (or 
  " 
  crowning" 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  called), 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  

   while 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  beams 
  were 
  but 
  little 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  

   gunwales, 
  the 
  bulwark, 
  amidships, 
  was 
  15 
  to 
  18 
  inches 
  deep. 
  She 
  car- 
  

   ried 
  two 
  lateen 
  sails, 
  the 
  mainsail, 
  as 
  is 
  common 
  on 
  Spanish 
  boats, 
  

   being 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  foresail. 
  The 
  two 
  men 
  who 
  constituted 
  the 
  

   crew 
  were 
  busy 
  making 
  a 
  gill-net 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  1 
  went 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  boat, 
  

   and 
  they 
  stated 
  that 
  they 
  fished 
  only 
  with 
  nets. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  boat's 
  hull 
  : 
  Length, 
  

   over 
  all, 
  24 
  feet 
  G 
  inches 
  ; 
  beam, 
  8 
  feet 
  ; 
  depth, 
  top 
  of 
  gunwale 
  or 
  rail 
  

   to 
  garboard 
  strake, 
  3 
  feet. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  fleet 
  of 
  smacks, 
  both 
  sloops 
  and 
  schooners, 
  sailing 
  from 
  

   Havana, 
  and 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  lay 
  in 
  port. 
  They 
  differ 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  in 
  

   size, 
  but 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  model 
  and 
  rig 
  resemble 
  the 
  smacks 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  

   or 
  New 
  England. 
  Indeed, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  mentioned 
  elsewhere, 
  many 
  of 
  

   these 
  vessels 
  were 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  sold 
  to 
  

   Cuban 
  parties. 
  

  

  2. 
  FROM 
  HAVANA 
  TO 
  COZUMEL. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  Havana 
  January 
  20, 
  the 
  ship 
  steered 
  westerly 
  for 
  the 
  island 
  

   of 
  Cozumel, 
  off 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Yucatan, 
  where 
  we 
  arrived 
  on 
  the 
  even- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  January 
  22, 
  and 
  anchored 
  off 
  the 
  northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  island.. 
  In 
  

   the 
  mean 
  time, 
  dredging 
  operations 
  had 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  off 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  Cuba, 
  near 
  the 
  Colorado 
  Reefs, 
  on 
  the 
  day 
  after 
  

   we 
  sailed 
  from 
  Havana, 
  and 
  the 
  tangle 
  and 
  trawl 
  were 
  also 
  used 
  on 
  or 
  

   near 
  Arrowsmith 
  Bank 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  on 
  which 
  we 
  

   reached 
  Cozumel. 
  

  

  