Lady Vera

This is a HDR image of several shrimp boats docked in Manchac, Louisiana. Feel free to email with question/comments. Thank you for looking.... more

by Scott Pellegrin

Title

Lady Vera

Artist

Scott Pellegrin

Medium

Photograph

Description

This is a HDR image of several shrimp boats docked in Manchac, Louisiana. Feel free to email with question/comments. Thank you for looking.

The earliest boats used for shrimping in Louisiana were built on the lines of traditional Mediterranean fishing vessels. Referred to as canots, these sailing boats were fitted with a centerboard, or hinged keel, and could operate in shallow waters. Boats commonly used today for shrimping the inland waters of the coast evolved from these early lugger-style boats. The term lugger comes from the boat's original sailing rig that consisted of a single large lugsail. The modern day lugger commonly seen along the bayous, lakes and bays of Louisiana is a flat-bottomed, shallow draft vessel, which varies in length from 20 to over 40 feet. The engine and wheelhouse, which replaced the centerboard casing of the earlier sailing vessel are set to the stern, with the fish hold located in the forward section of the boat. Questions remain about when and by whom this boat style was first introduced to Louisiana. But it is known that Dalmatian (Croatian) oystermen who settled in the freshwater marsh of southeastern Louisiana in the late 19th century popularized it and adapted it modern shrimping.

Uploaded

August 3rd, 2013