By Mike Smylie

Tucked into a quiet corner of Pembrokeshire, Tenby was once the greatest fishing harbour in Wales and its Welsh name of Dinbych-y-pysgod (little fort of the fishes) gives a clue to the ancient provenance of this. Back in the 17th century Pembrokeshire was noted for its immense stocks of fish with, according to George Owen, its coast “enclosed with a hedge of herring”.
Oysters were also prolific in the beds off Caldey Island and off Stackpole Head to the west. Small shallow-keeled boats were developed for dredging these shellfish although they also were used off-season for a number of other activities – mostly fishing (long-lining, trawling, drifting for herring and mackerel and lobstering) but also servicing shipping in the bay and a touch of the smuggling. After Tenby became a somewhat ‘fair and fashionable’ place, they found a lucrative business in taking trippers out around the bay during the summer, and even over to Caldey to visit the monks.
Artist Charles Norris spent much of the years 1805-1858 in and around Tenby and his evidence shows that these luggers were initially some 20ft in length, clinker-built with two square sails and sporting a small wine-glass transom. As the lug superseded the old square sail, so did the construction method. Carvel building allowed a greater length, a wider transom, more buoyancy aft and a small cuddy in the forepeak, giving a smidgeon of shelter whilst fishing.
Plans of the clinker-built boat registered M170 (said to be Three Sisters/Seahorse built by James Newt in 1886 but disputed by some) show a solidly built vessel on a massive keel, heavy floors, upright stem, raked transom, with a very short cuddy, three rowing thwarts and one in the sternsheets, lug main, foresail on bowsprit and very small mizzen-sprit set on a bumpkin. The rudder was outboard of course, and some photographs of latter-day boats show the decking extending well over half of the boat and rigged with a single pole mast. Nevertheless these boats continued to be referred to as the luggers whilst those smaller ones – at under 20ft – became the punts!
In 1891 there were 49 luggers and seldom did the numbers exceed this. Thomas George was the last of the family of renowned local builders and he was succeeded by Patrick Wickland. Some had engines added and some became pleasure boats as the fortunes of Tenby fishermen faded. Many of these were those converted to gaff half-deckers. Into the 21st century only two originals are rumoured to exist (one being clouded in fog, the other at Pembroke Dock awaiting restoration and likely to be the one mentioned above). Furthermore students at the Mitec College in Milford Haven have one under construction although wrangles between various government funded authorities have resulted on the project being on hold for some time.