Spirit of the Sea

The cry of a seagull, a plume of spray, the bright pink of a plastic float, boxes of glittering fish on the quay, fishermen's sheds - all these stir in us memories of the sea. Marie-France Boyer takes us on a voyage to fishing communities on the coasts of the North Atlantic and the shores of the English Channel and the North Sea. She takes us to the heart of our memories, gathering traces of a seagoing world which is both familiar and romantic. Lines, nets, lobster pots, marker flags, buoys and anchors -from Boulogne to Biarritz, from Fecamp to Folkestone, from Maine to Norfolk, an ancient repertoire of images, full of richness and power, lingers on. The fisherman's way of life, always at the mercy of the violence of the elements, is disappearing. Fishing over the last fifty years has been completely transformed by industrialization, and small-scale coastal fishing is today in decline. Yet many of the old rituals remain - memorials for those lost at sea, carnivals and festivals. This book celebrates the harsh and singular world of fishermen, and reveals the poetry of its everyday functional objects. With 147 photographs, 131 in colour.