Caernarfonshire sail - Owen F. G Kilgour

A short, simple, illustrated story of sail from the earliest watercraft to the clipper ship, with particular reference to sail in old Caernarfonshire during 1750 to 1910, as contained in David Thomas martime classic Hen Longau Sir Gaernarfon, appendixes one and two.

The analysis of these lists of vessels built in Caernarfonshire provides a view of the state of shipping in the county spanning over 150 years and covers the following aspects of sailing vessels seldom seen today; the different sailing vessel types; their hull structure and dimensions; sail rigs and gear.

The book is written as a general introduction to the maritime heritage of Gwynedd covering sixteen chapters and sixty line diagrams, together with an equal number of plates, with a comprehensive glossary of maritime terms and a bibliography of maritime books mainly by Gwynedd authors.

An appeal is made for a sailing flagship for Wales, similar to other maritime countries worldwide; a carbon-free means of transport, and a sail adventure training ship for a generation who have never known the beauty and glory of square rigger sailng in the coastal waters of Wales and abroad. This was once a way of life for so many of our Caernarfonshire forebears, and could well be a pollution-free means of transport for the future.