The Firilla: A Case-Study of a Maltese Traditional Boat

Stephanie Said

This thesis is a study of the Jábega boat, a traditional fishing vessel from Málaga. My intention is to give a general appreciation of this type of boat, by means of an exhaustive analysis of a particular craft, the Rosario y Ana. This boat, which is more than 70 years old, is a perfect example of what these fishing vessels were like, and it clearly embodies a form of cultural syncretism. In the Jábega boat, we can find oculi or eyes on the sides, typical Spanish flowers, a Christian Virgin or a snake head at the end of the espolón or beak. All this iconography may seem unrelated at first, however it will be of great help in detecting the origins of this kind of vessel. Thus, before going into all the different elements and features that define these boats I will present historical research, analyze its past and try to identify its most ancient ancestor, so as to understand their evolution. Secondly, a small chapter about the fishing technique they used to practice (Jábega) will be included. It would be unfair not to do so, since this fishing technique did not only give these vessels their name but also their form. Next, the structural analysis of the Jábega boat will begin. Most of this information will come from the knowledge of local people, and therefore, local vocabulary will be featured. Because these boats have so many unique elements, together with the fact that they are limited to a very close and specific community of Andalucía, some of this vocabulary is untranslatable. Most of the words do not appear in Spanish dictionaries. Thus, many terms will not be translated, instead, a small glossary and several drawings will be added to this project to facilitate the readers’ comprehension. Finally, and as I will later mention in my objectives, with this analysis I intend to uphold the value of this forgotten and nearly extinct maritime heritage, and show it to the rest of the world. For this reason, I will dedicate the conclusion of this project to convincing the reader that these boats should be protected, because surprisingly, they are not yet considered to be of cultural interest, and quite possibly, by the time they are bestowed their proper recognition, it will be too late. Who knows, perhaps this is the last opportunity to record their existence.

The stretches of sandy beaches along the Minho coast, interrupted by the Cávado, Neiva, Lima, Âncora and Minho rivers, dotted with rocky and pebbly areas in Areosa, Montedor, Gelfa and Moledo, comprise the remote end point of the north coast of Portugal.Today the region is led by the agricultural-fishing communities of farmer-fishermen: the farmers of seaweed that also collect the pilado, small crabs that, after drying in the sun, were also used as fertiliser for growing potatoes and corn, before the introduction of mechanisation in agriculture and industrial chemical fertilisers. Because of this, it is not possible to put the colonisation of the coastal area of this region into perspective without relating it to the appearance of the fishing ports, the majority of which have come down to the present, or of the distribution of techniques and instruments of skilled fishermen without relating them to the inherent process of dissemination. The dissemination of the cultural lines is inseparable from the material and written culture, from the imagination, from technology, from navigation and from the knowledge of the sea in general. The fishing and agricultural-fishing communities developed a different complexity from that of the rural communities of the interior, making the boat their most significant asset and ownership value. We compare the rural architecture of the region, designed since the end of the 18th century for cattle and corn and we consider the ox-cart and the corn crib (espigueiro) as the highest expression of a functional construction model that invariably characterises it. As the result of being a workboat, it is also a main figure in a model of material culture produced by the fishing universe. There is no uniformity here in the rural universe and in the same village we find boats with a flat bottom or with a keel, carvel or clinker built, ships with stem and sternposts or ships with the bow and the stern cut simply in panels. They are as truly traditional as the ox-cart or the centuries-old corn crib, but their variety and the existence of Atlantic and Mediterranean models in the same place can only be understood through the sharing of knowledge, through the adoption of the best that each model could offer, considering the practical uses of the boat, of the influences that allow incorporating in these communities the habits and customs of neighbouring or distant places. This point of view contradicts the "isolation" and "living outside the norm" that specialised studies often tend to identify in traditional fishing communities. Within the same area, the vitality of the traditional systems of apprenticeship and the passing on of knowledge and wisdom permits the adoption of the best technological progresses. Accordingly, this is in great part responsible for the introduction of improvements in the boats that decisively changed them, resulting in new methods of construction, new materials and new nautical models. The few boats that survived without adopting these improvements comprise the universe of traditional boats today. Almost all are unique examples that we are going to review. We found their shipyards, the last shipyards for construction of wooden ships.

In December 1990, on the beach of a small town on the northern coast of Barcelona (Cat-alonia), the town’s last professional fishing boat was burned. It was the last testimony of the town’s long history of fishing, a trade abandoned and replaced by tourism as the main source of employment and wealth along this coast. While the townspeople remained indif-ferent, only a local photographer, acting as a chronicler, photographed this bonfire. Thirty years later, on precisely the same beach, an association of volunteers to protect and pro-mote the local fishing heritage was born. Some of their activities are focused on the resto-ration of what they call “traditional boats”. But, what is a traditional boat? What ideas and representations are behind a traditional boat? In this paper I intend to reflect on the vision of the agents of the patrimonialization of traditional sailing about why some boats are ul-timately considered to be traditional boats. I rely on a survey distributed to the members of all the voluntary associations in Catalonia created in the last years to promote and con-serve the region’s maritime heritage to learn their ideas about what is a traditional boat. Based on these data, I will propose some reflections around the concepts of tradition, rep-etition and continuity

The Firilla: A Case-Study of a Maltese Traditional Boat M.A. THESIS STEPHANIE SAID – AUGUST 2014 Master’s Thesis written by Stephanie Said Under the supervision of Prof. Thijs Maarleveld Maritime Archaeology Programme, University of Southern Denmark Esbjerg, August 2014 Front Cover: Skeleton Firilla, found at the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa (Photo Said S., 2014) i Abstract The Maltese Islands possess a number of traditional wooden boats, each one unique and exclusive to the Islands. Many of these wooden boats are fast disappearing, whilst others have long faded from memory. One such type is the firilla/ferilla. Initially its purpose was to ferry passengers around the sheltered harbours, however it later functioned as a fishing boat. This boat type exhibits certain characteristics that cannot be found amongst other traditional wooden boats. What makes the firilla more significant than other traditional wooden boats is the fact that only a handful still survive. Luckily the bulk are presently forming part of the Maritime Museum collection. They are as valuable as all other traditional wooden boats, however limited to just four accessible examples places them in a crucial situation, requiring proper documentation, care and maintenance. This research will focus on the collection of firilli boats found at the Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa. The objectives are to document and record this boat type, by collecting knowledge in the form of oral tradition and literature, paintings and photographs, tools and materials, traditions and ideologies. By gathering this knowledge, we can save this boat type from being forgotten. The proposed methodology can be applied for future recording of still surviving traditional wooden boats. The ultimate goal is to make such information accessible to the public, in order to raise awareness of this ‘living’ tradition and thus protecting the still active wooden boats and preventing them from being lost from memory. A historical and environmental background is outlined at the beginning of this study, providing the setting in which the firilla boat developed. Following this, the documentation of the boats is provided, leading onto the comparison of each boat with their respective lines plans. In order to answer the questions proposed in this study, the common characteristics along with the prominent differences are highlighted. These include: What are the defining characteristics of a firilla? What changes have taken place during the lifetime of the firilla? And what variables played part in defining the shape of the firilla? Keywords: Maltese traditional boats, firilla, living tradition, passenger boats, fishing boats, boat documentation and recording, tangible and intangible heritage. ii Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Maritime Archaeology Programme at the University of Southern Denmark, with special thanks to my supervisor Thijs Maarleveld, for his corrections and encouraging remarks which helped me shape this thesis. I would also like to express my gratitude towards my course mates, whose evening dinners, insightful discussions and leisure activities made my stay in Denmark an unforgettable experience. Many thanks to the curators at the Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa, especially L. Gauci, who were always ready to help me with my requirements. I would also like to thank all those individuals who answered my requests for help either with interviews, data collection, analysis, e-mails and literature. I would also like to thank Ella Samut-Tagliaferro, for without her encouragement I would not have followed through with acquiring the necessary equipment. Thanks goes to Sıla Sokulu who was patient, supportive and provided me with invaluable feedback. Finally I would like to thank my parents and sister for supporting me throughout my studies. My mother for being encouraging, motivating and positive and my dad for financially backing me up throughout my educational years. iii Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. iii List of Graphs, Tables, Drawings and Figures ....................................................................................vii 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Aims ........................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1. Difficulties.................................................................................................................................. 4 2.2. Alternative Sources .................................................................................................................... 4 2.3. Terminology ............................................................................................................................... 5 3. Previous Research .............................................................................................................................. 7 3.1. Foreign Literature....................................................................................................................... 7 3.2. Local Literature ........................................................................................................................ 10 3.3. Theoretical Background ........................................................................................................... 13 4. Background to Traditional Maltese Boats ....................................................................................... 16 4.1. Environmental Background ..................................................................................................... 16 4.1.1. Climate, Land and Seascape .............................................................................................. 16 4.2. Historical Background ............................................................................................................. 21 5. Traditional Wooden Boats – function and shaping variables .......................................................... 28 5.1. Fishing Boats ............................................................................................................................ 28 5.1.2. The Fishing Seasons and Fishing Techniques ................................................................... 30 5.2. Natural and Manufactured Materials ....................................................................................... 33 5.2.1. Timber Supply ................................................................................................................... 33 5.2.2. Caulking ............................................................................................................................. 34 5.2.3. Metal Work ........................................................................................................................ 35 5.2.4. Paints .................................................................................................................................. 36 5.2.5. Colours, Distribution and Rituals ...................................................................................... 36 iv 5.3. Technology ............................................................................................................................... 40 5.4. Paintings and Photographs ....................................................................................................... 41 6. Boat Recording ................................................................................................................................ 47 6.1. Primary Data ............................................................................................................................ 47 6.2. Wood Identification ................................................................................................................. 48 6.3. Rowed Firilla ........................................................................................................................... 49 6.3.1. Characteristics .................................................................................................................... 50 6.3.2. Dimensions ........................................................................................................................ 51 6.3.3. Wood Used for Construction ............................................................................................. 51 6.3.4. Features .............................................................................................................................. 52 6.4. PTF87 Firilla ........................................................................................................................... 63 6.4.1. Characteristics .................................................................................................................... 66 6.4.2. Dimensions ........................................................................................................................ 66 6.4.3. Wood Used for Construction ............................................................................................. 67 6.4.4. Features .............................................................................................................................. 67 6.5. Regatta Firilla .......................................................................................................................... 80 6.5.1. Characteristics .................................................................................................................... 83 6.5.2. Dimensions ........................................................................................................................ 83 6.5.3. Wood Used for Construction ............................................................................................. 84 6.5.4. Features .............................................................................................................................. 84 7. Comparison and Results .................................................................................................................. 93 7.1. Common Characteristics .......................................................................................................... 93 7.2. Prominent Differences ............................................................................................................. 93 7.2.1. Lines Plans ......................................................................................................................... 94 7.2.2. Function, Environment and Resulting Changes................................................................. 95 8. Concluding Remarks ........................................................................................................................ 97 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 99 v Archival Documents...................................................................................................................... 101 Websites ........................................................................................................................................ 102 Appendices ......................................................................................................................................... 103 A. Glossary of Maltese Terminology ............................................................................................ 103 B. Timber Properties Used in Traditional Maltese Boat Construction ......................................... 108 Greenheart (Chlorocardium sp.) ................................................................................................ 108 Teak (Tectona sp.) ..................................................................................................................... 108 Beech (Fagus spp.) ..................................................................................................................... 109 Ash (Fraxinus spp.) .................................................................................................................... 109 Pine (Pinus spp.) ........................................................................................................................ 110 C. Archival Documents ................................................................................................................. 111 NAM Register of Small Boats 5.09.1916 - 3.06.1919 ............................................................... 111 NAM Gran Corte di la Valletta, Registro Vendite do Barche 1803-1810 ................................. 112 D. Record Description of Items at the Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa .......................................... 113 E. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture - Fishing Vessel Register ....................................... 119 F. Paintings, Postcards and Photographs....................................................................................... 120 G. Detailed Photographs from the Boat Documentation .............................................................. 133 H. Initial Recording Results .......................................................................................................... 143 I. Orca 3D Results ......................................................................................................................... 145 vi List of Graphs, Tables, Drawings and Figures Graph 1: Mean minimum and maximum air temperature - based on the 30-year climate period 19611990 (Galdies 2011:6).......................................................................................................................... 17 Table 1: Showing the number and type of registered boats in 1991 (Busuttil 1993: 115) .................. 27 Table 2: Wood used for each feature (personally communicated by the wood conservator, J. Aquilina: 30.01.2014) .......................................................................................................................... 52 Table 3: Wood used for each feature (personally communicated by the wood conservator, J. Aquilina: 30.01.2014) .......................................................................................................................... 67 Table 4: Wood used for each feature (personally communicated by the wood conservator, J. Aquilina: 30.01.14) .............................................................................................................................. 84 Table 5: Dimensions for each firilla .................................................................................................... 93 Drawing 1: Digital plan of the rowed firilla (Said S. 2014) ................................................................ 54 Drawing 2: Digital plan of the PTF87 firilla (Said S., 2014) ............................................................. 70 Drawing 3: Side elevation of the remaining stem, sternpost and keel (Said S., 2014) ........................ 83 Drawing 4: Digital plan of the regatta firilla (Said S., 2014) .............................................................. 86 Figure 1: Wind rose for the period 1997-2006 (Galdies 2011: 20) ..................................................... 17 Figure 2: Sub-basin scale and mesoscale circulation features in the eastern Mediterranean (Robinson et al. 2001: 16) ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 3: The four rock layers in the Dingli cliffs of south Malta (Pedley et al. 2002: 36) ................ 19 Figure 4: Variations in the bow (Pulè 2000: 29).................................................................................. 20 Figure 5: Map of the Maltese Islands .................................................................................................. 22 Figure 6: Map showing a detail of the Harbour Area with passage boat routes (Google Maps 30.05.14) .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Figure 7: Map of Malta showing the main fishing ports, along with other smaller fishing hubs (Google Maps 31.05.14) ...................................................................................................................... 25 Figure 8: Bateaux Maltais, 1882 (Photos Said S., 2014) ..................................................................... 28 Figure 9: L. F. Tortell: Mending fishing nets at Wied iz-Zurrieq, 1933 (Harker Collection) (Harker 2000: 156) ............................................................................................................................................ 32 Figure 10: A 19th century Ferilla with fishing traps (National Library, Malta: Muscat 1999: 82) ...... 32 vii Figure 11: Caulking cotton and mallet (Photo Said S., 2014) ............................................................. 35 Figure 12: Brass nails (Photo Said S., 2014) ....................................................................................... 35 Figure 13: Postcard: Oculi (Maurizio Urso; BDL Malta) .................................................................... 37 Figure 14: Floral and winged creature found carved on the sheer strake of the Regatta Firilla (Said S., 2014) .................................................................................................................................................... 38 Figure 15: Design on the side of a boat (Josian Bonello: Muscat 1999: 107) .................................... 38 Figure 16: Postcard: ’Luzzu’ Żishing Boat under construction M arr, żozo (Perfecta Advertising Ltd.) ...................................................................................................................................................... 39 Figure 17: Ex-Voto Painting, dedicated to St Joseph depicting a firilla in a gale (Photo Said S.,2014) .............................................................................................................................................................. 40 Figure 18: Detail from Senglea and French Creek painted by G. Schranz (1794-1882), Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta ................................................................................................................................ 42 Figure 19: Żisher’s Boat, 1900s (Bonello 2010: 171)......................................................................... 43 Figure 20: Gozo fishing boat c.1930 (M. Farrugia) (Bonello 2007: 213) ........................................... 44 Figure 21: Fishing Boats: Dating from the 1890s-1930s (Bonello 2008: 110) ................................... 44 Figure 22: C. R. Jones: A beached Luzzu, (a calotype negative), 1845-6 (Kraus Collection) (Harker 2000: 8) ................................................................................................................................................ 45 Figure 23: Hauling nets in Marsa Scirrocco (Marsaxlokk) Bay, 1930s (Maritime Museum No. 792) .............................................................................................................................................................. 46 Figure 24: Msida Bastion, Żloriana taken from Ta’ Xbiex, 1900 (Maritime Museum No. 102) ........ 46 Figure 25: Rowed Firilla in the stores at the Maritime Museum (Photo Said S., 2013) ..................... 49 Figure 26: Model of a Firilla, Reg. No. 123 (Photo Said S., 2014) ..................................................... 50 Figure 27: Side view of the rowed firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) .......................................................... 51 Figure 28: Interior of the rowed firilla ................................................................................................. 52 Figure 29: 3D representation of the Rowed Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) ...... 62 Figure 30: The PTF87 firilla in its current state within the stores at the Maritime Museum (Photo Said S., 2013) ....................................................................................................................................... 63 Figure 31: Registration number shown on the port side (Photo Said S., 2014) ................................... 64 Figure 32: Model of a Firilla complete with sails and oars, c. 1920 No. 82 (Photo Said S., 2014) .... 65 Figure 33: Side view of the PTF87 firilla (Photo Said S., 2013) ......................................................... 66 Figure 34: Interior of the PTF87 firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) ............................................................. 69 Figure 35: 3D representation of the PTF87 Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) ...... 79 Figure 36: The current state the regatta firilla within the stores at the Maritime Museum (Photo Said S., 2013) ............................................................................................................................................... 80 viii Figure 37: “Żorti San Mikiel”, another famous Ferilla from Senglea, with her crew: Salvu Formoza, Alexander Chircop, Pawlu Chircop and Karmenu Cachia after the race of 1922 (Serracino 1988) ... 82 Figure 38: Detail from above photograph (Serracino 1988) ................................................................ 82 Figure 39: Detail of the sheer strake of the Regatta Firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) .............................. 82 Figure 40: The hull of the regatta firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) ........................................................... 87 Figure 41: Detail of the decoration found on the tappiera (Photo Said S., 2014) ................................ 88 Figure 42: Detailed photographs of two of the inscribed latin numerals (Photo Said S., 2014) ......... 89 Figure 43: Two areas where caulking can be visible (Photo Said S., 2014)........................................ 91 Figure 44: Hypothetical 3D representation of the Regatta Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) ............................................................................................................................................... 92 Figure 45: Lines Plan of the Rowed Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014).................. 96 Figure 46: Lines Plan of the PTF87 Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) .................. 96 Figure 47: Line Plan of the Regatta Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) .................. 96 Figure 48: (f) Lush, wooden sculpture of a ‘Luzzu’ forming part of the exhibition Eccentricks, held at St James Cavalier 2014 (Photo Said S., 2014)................................................................................. 98 Figure 49: Film poster of Simshar, directed by R. Cremona ............................................................... 98 Figure 50: Maltese coin, minted in 1986 ............................................................................................. 98 Figure 51: Business logo ...................................................................................................................... 98 ix 1. Introduction Traditional Maltese wooden boats are a phenomenon of an enduring maritime culture. Their development and survival reflect the islands’ inevitable need for some form of water transport. The colourfully decorated boats became a symbol of local identity but also an icon of interest to visitors. Their presence is unfortunately diminishing rapidly and some types are being replaced by modern fiberglass replicas. The handful of wooden passage boats have today become a tourist attraction, ferrying passengers across the harbour, whilst souvenir shops sell postcards and small models depicting these once popular boats. Wooden fishing boats have become subject to the advancements in technology, and the profession of a full time fisherman is no longer favoured by the younger generation. Needs change, technologies fade and knowledge is forgotten. Such is the case with Maltese traditional boats and that is why their presence should not be neglected but incorporated as part of a national heritage. 1.2. Aims This thesis aims to collect knowledge related to the firilla boat, including oral information, drawings, literature and tangible material. The study will include the recording of three firilli, forming part of the Maritime Museum collection in Vittoriosa, under the care of Heritage Malta. The boat documentation will be carried out in order to try and understand the characteristic elements making up a firilla; what variables play part in shaping this boat; and what changes have been done throughout the boat’s development. The study is partially a maritime ethnographic study, as the above objectives will also be tackled by interviewing still active boat builders, fishermen, local experts and amateurs. The time frame being discussed covers the 18th and 19th centuries AD, as the bulk of knowledge dates to this time frame. The boat’s evolution and influences from neighbouring places will not form part of this research, as this entails a larger area of study and further investigation. 1 2. Methodology This thesis will focus on three firilli boats, all located within the Maritime Museum collection. The three boats will be recorded, described, analysed and compared with one another, with the aim of extracting any differences or similarities between the three. Each boat is a unique example of the local boat type called firilla. The first boat is a rowed firilla and was propelled by a set of oars. The second is the PTF87 firilla, which has been modernised to include a motor but was also propelled by sail and oars. The third boat, was one of the last firilli to take part in the September Regatta. Another fourth firilla consists of the skeleton, including the keel, post ends, framing system, and gunwale. The research will be conducted on the first three boats, as these are full representations of the firilla, unlike the skeleton firilla which will not be recorded or described in detail. However, this latter boat provides an excellent sample of the framing system used in the firilla boats, as it misses the hull planking. This will assist when describing features found in the other firilli boats which are hidden beneath the thick layers of paint or concealed beneath some other element. The skeleton firilla will therefore act as a reference boat when it comes to discussing constructional elements, type of wood used and also general characteristics of the boat. The initial task prior to recording was to clear all the material surrounding the boats, in order to make them more accessible. All three boats are stored within an allocated space, two of them are on ground level however the regatta firilla is stored on an upper shelf. This had to be brought down prior to cleaning and recording. The boats were then hand washed with salt water as recommended by museum personnel; apart from removing the years of accumulated dust and wall debris, initial observations of the boats and working space was done in order to organise the logistics of the recording process. These included where to position the equipment and what reference points would be ideal to encompass all viewpoints when recording. The next step was to start the recording process. The bulk of the recording was done digitally using a total station, an electronic instrument used in surveying, and a laptop. A plug-in called Termite was used to connect the total station to a 3D modelling software called Rhinoceros. This allowed the author to record in-situ and in real-time, therefore any errors could be corrected instantaneously. This recording method was chosen because the author had access to the required equipment and software programmes, and the process would be made faster and more accurate than having to record manually. This resulted in a 3D image of the boat, consisting of data in the form of points, lines and curves1. With this data a reconstruction of the lines plan of each boat could be manually created on Rhinoceros, 1 Refer to Appendix H 2 along with a 3D model of the boat simulating the real-life boat. The lines plans were also reconstructed using another plug-in called Orca3D, as a back up to the one created by the author2. The recording was done in three stages. The first stage consisted of recording the exterior parts of the boat, including the keel, post ends, hull and other elements found on the hull surface. The second stage was to record the interior, including the fore and aft decks, the thwarts and other supporting elements. In the final stage, decorative elements were documented and any data that needed recapturing was done. A plan of the framing system, drawn to a scale of 1:10 was recorded on paper and then digitised using a freeware vector programme called Inkscape. This was done for the rowed firilla and the PTF87 firilla. The digital recording of the framing systems for these two boats would have produced inaccurate results and therefore they were omitted. Apart from this, the fore and aft framing elements are covered over by a fixed deck, making it harder to place the equipment in a position that could gather the data. Unlike the other two firilli, the regatta firilla is in a very poor condition. Nearly all the parts are broken up lying flat on the floor, apart from the stern end. This made its recording a challenge, but the position of each frame could still be visible on the keel, making the process of identification easier. The initial task was to place all the loose parts in their correct position. Like that the author could get an idea of what was missing and how much of the boat was still present. In fact, a lot of the boat parts are still surviving and only small parts have gone missing. A 2D plan of the regatta firilla (not flattened) drawn to scale of 1:10, was done. This consisted of the stern end including the strakes and keel that are still attached to the sternpost, along with the framing system. A side elevation was also drawn to scale of 1:10, showing the stem and sternposts, along with the attached keel and scarf joints. The boat was then recorded digitally, including all the fixed parts and the loose strakes, focusing on the larger pieces that could provide a valid reconstruction of the boat. With just one third of the framing elements still intact the reconstruction was challenging, therefore another plan, this time of the flattened strakes was drawn, enabling the author to create a cardboard scale model (1:20) of the boat. This was then recorded digitally, overlapped with the previous digital recording and its lines plan created. The result is a tentative one and errors are to be taken into consideration. Subsequently, a description of all the elements making up the boat was written. There might be cases where certain information is lengthier or else missing since not all three boats are the same. 2 Refer to Appendix I 3 Photographs were then taken, of both the individual elements and overall images, including a top, side and front view. 2.1. Difficulties Being open boats and relatively small in length, the process of recording was not too lengthy, however the author was limited in the amount of data that could be recorded digitally. Certain features were hidden beneath other elements making it impossible to record with the total station. The elements found within tight spaces could not be reached with the total station, as these were out of the visual range of the laser pointer. For example, the fore and aft areas of the rowed and PTF87 firilla were impossible to reach, as they are covered over with a fixed deck creating a tight space barely accessible for a grown person to squeeze in. The frames run all the way to the gunwale, however only the floor frames can be visually seen as the rest is covered over by the waterway. The framing system was better off being recorded manually rather than digitally, as the latter method would not provide adequate results. Therefore, as mentioned previously a 2D representation was drawn on draft paper and digitised to create a plan with scale of 1:10. With regards to the regatta firilla, other issues arose. This is literally a wreck, consisting of loose strakes, an intact stern and many smaller pieces which were stored together. The initial task was to observe what pieces were intact and what was fragmentary, making it easier to identify what was lost in the smash-up. The pieces were then placed in their original position, like a puzzle and labelled according to the framing system. With the labelling all in order, the hull was recorded, keel and posts first, followed by the framing system, hull planking and any other surviving elements. The initial recording was done by means of drawings using a scale of 1:10. Subsequently, a digital recording was done. Although, the hull has lost much of its original shape, the 3D recording allowed for a rough representation of what the shape might have looked like. 2.2. Alternative Sources The above methodology has focused on the primary sources, being the boats themselves. Apart from these, other potential sources have been researched and documented. Another primary source is oral tradition which includes interviewing both locals who still live in villages where traditional boats were built, along with still active boat builders. The latter mostly consists of regatta club boat builders representing the clubs of Marsa, Senglea, Vittoriosa, Bir ebbu a, Kalkara, Cospicua and Marsamxett, 4 along with a handful of freelance boat builders and wooden boat repairers (Rabat (Gozo), Senglea and Kalkara). Muscat in The Dg ajsa and Other Traditional Maltese Boats, mentions that there were only six boat builders still active at the time and no more traditional boats were being built3. From the information gathered from interviews, the author was informed that the firilla type had long ceased from being built and only a few are still actually being used today. The author has only spotted five firilli, three in Marsaxlokk, Malta (Madre Katerina, MFB8086 and unknown), and possibly two in M arr, żozo (Betsajda MŻC5177 and Lucia MŻC6942). These have been modernised to include an engine along with an enclosed cabin. Apart from referring to the available literature, the photographic collection held at the Maritime Museum was also browsed through. A few images representing fishing boats were in fact identified as firilli. Another collection, this time at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, consisting of paintings was also examined. There were a handful of artists in the 18th and 19th century who depicted daily life scenarios along with seascapes. Some of these artists also focused their attention on local crafts, amongst whom were fishermen and their boats. These paintings, although only a representation of the artists brush are a good visualisation of times gone by. Archival documents found at the National Archives of Malta (Mdina and Rabat) have also revealed some interesting snippets of information. The Register of Small Boats along with the Registro Vendite di Barche were consulted, highlighting the popularity of traditional wooden boats. 2.3. Terminology Being aware of the vast terminology that one can apply within the discipline of Maritime Archaeology is important, however it is equally fundamental to know in which circumstances to apply it. As Steffy explains “we are studying a subject that represents thousands of years, millions of ships and boats, and probably millions of shipwrights who spoke hundreds of languages”4. In this thesis, the author has opted to use local Maltese terminology when describing elements making up the boats, tools used for boat building and also fishing techniques and equipment. The bulk of these Maltese terms have their English corresponding term, which will conform to the definitions provided by J. Richard Steffy (2012) in his illustrated glossary of ship and boat terms. When the English version is not available, a description of the element will be given. Also, a glossary of Maltese 3 1999: 82 4 2012: 6 Note: Measurements will be described in the metric system. Note: For the rowed firilla and the PTF87 firilla, only half the boats were recorded, as these are symmetrical 5 terms will be provided in the appendices (A). This glossary will provide an English translation of the Maltese term and its corresponding meaning. By using the local Maltese term, one avoids incorrectly naming elements, but also encourages the use of the local language. We are lucky that such terminology is still applied today by boat owners and boat builders. It was therefore not only practical but also confirmed to the notion of preserving knowledge, which this thesis hopes to achieve. 6 3. Previous Research Numerous studies have been carried out directed at recording traditional wooden vessels. Many of the studies were conducted in the early 1900s, however some were only published later on during the 20th century. In the following chapter, a selection of literature written by authors who have dedicated years of their lives documenting local traditional craft will be discussed. The works are divided between foreign and local literature. This division has been done due to the relatively recent interest in local Maltese boats. More recent studies have either focused on specific case studies or directed the attention towards the knowledge and art of boat building. The case studies are now ever increasing, however the author has highlighted those which have inspired this research. 3.1. Foreign Literature In 1979, Inshore Craft of Norway was published by editor A. E. Christensen. The study was carried out by B. Færøyvik in the early 1900s, with the aim of documenting the local craft along coastal and inland waterways of Norway. Living during a time when the engine was being introduced, Færøyvik noticed a decline of traditional boat building. This further encouraged him to start documenting traditional boats. He measured the boats, and took photographs of them. He also collected boats, tools and documented oral traditions. Travelling along the Norwegian coastline, he observed the types of boats present in each area. These were drawn to scale and described. Most of his work was conducted along the western coastline of Norway, however inland river craft were also documented. In the 1930s similar documentation was done in Denmark by C. Nielsen, in Sweden by O. Hasslöf and also in Britain by P.J. Oke5. It is also worth noting the documentation works conducted by Howard I. Chapelle on traditional American craft, whose books (Boatbuilding and American Small Sailing Craft) were a boost to the wooden boat revival in the late 1960s6. A major study was conducted in the United Kingdom by Eric McKee. Published in 1983, Working Boats of Britain, their shape and purpose tackles the small water craft found around the British Isles. Apart from describing the various boats found in different areas of Britain, the author also delves into the types of waters, landscape, climate and the inhabitants of the country. These are factors which all impact in one way or another the types of boats that were fashioned. McKee’s initial intentions were simply to find out what remained of these traditional types, however as the study was carried out, the outcome turned out to be more than just observation, but also to include a catalogue of the various shapes around the British shores. McKee wished to develop a systematic method of 5 6 Christensen 1979: 12 http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_10887; as seen on the 17.05.14 7 describing and classifying the shapes of boats more precisely. The chapter in his study (pp.69-195) dealing with Names, shapes and classes of British working boats, clearly defines the conventions he used for describing boatshape, along with his method of classifying the boats. These conventions used to describe boat shape (pp.78-79) are still applicable when tackling traditional wooden boats. In 1985 the Fourth International Symposium on Boat and Ship Archaeology was held in Porto, Portugal. The title of the symposium was Local Boats and as this implies a majority of the talks were dedicated to boat building traditions, case studies of documented and reconstructed vessels, along with other research conducted in different countries around the world. The editor, Filgueiras O. L., of this collection of papers also gave his contribution, dealing specifically with traditional Portuguese boats and their connection to settlement processes. In his final comments he remarks that “we are now in the field of “living” Archaeology”, a concept proposed by Scandinavia as that of Living Tradition which includes all matters concerning the survival of traditional ways of living7. This concept of a living tradition is to a certain extent applicable to the Maltese scenario, where the tradition of building wooden boats is still practiced amongst the Regatta clubs, however the last few remaining boat builders are slowly passing away, taking with them the knowledge and art of building wooden boats. We are currently experiencing a loss of tradition which has been practiced for centuries and this is why it is so crucial to act now, before all is gone. The below mentioned literature clearly state their aim, which is primarily to salvage knowledge related to wooden boat building. Two case studies dealing with specific boats include: - A Survey of Traditional Vessels of the Sultanate of Oman – The Omani Dhow Recording Project Field Research and - The Patia Fishing Boat of Orissia: A Case Study in Ethnoarchaeology. The former study was conducted in 1992 lead by T.A. Vosmer, R.E. Margariti and A.F. Tilley. The Sultanate of Oman has a long maritime history, and this tradition is still active via the construction and design of traditional vessels found along the Omani coast. The project had three aims: to collect data, to analyse the data and to formulate hypotheses and theories8. This was done by recording information on several levels: 1. macro characteristics including hull shape and general constructional features, 2. micro features including details of joinery and materials, and 3. material processing and handling and use of the vessels9. 7 p.382 p.1 9 Ibid 8 8 The boat types recorded in this study follow the already established classification, which is according to hull shape. Each boat is described in a systematic manner including name, location, dimensions and characteristics. A lines plan is provided for each type, including some detailed photographs. The terminology applied in the description is also listed in the appendix, as certain technical words might be applied differently. Hydrostatic analysis were included in the report along with the wood samples that were taken. This case study aims at documenting a still living tradition. The latter work conducted by L. Blue, E. Kentley, S. McGrail and U. Mishra in the North West Bay of Bengal was aimed at assessing the potential of coastal Orissa for archaeological and ethnographic studies of water transport. This fieldwork was carried out in 1996 under the auspices of the Society of South Asian Studies.10 The case study focused on one particular boat; the patia, a coastal fishing boat of northern Orissa with reverse-clinker planking. The authors start off by providing the reader with some environmental and historical background of the area. This is followed by delving into the technique of clinker and reverse-clinker. The documentation of the patia was done by means of measurements taken at a scale of 1:10 to show a plan, section and three cross-sections of the boat. Plans of details were also drawn to show specific constructional features. Additional to this, black and white photographs were taken of all aspects of the boat. The building sequence is also described, along with the decoration, rites and distribution of this type. The ultimate aim of this fieldschool was to create a template for future recording of surviving examples of boat types found along the coastal area of Orissa, as this area has potential for surviving ancient rafts and boats11. Published in 2008, Traditional Boats of Ireland: History, Folklore and Construction “is the result of a combined effort by Irish people who are passionate about the rich diversity of boat types throughout the country”12. Ireland’s traditional boat types are quickly disappearing and the need to raise awareness of this fast disappearing heritage is crucial. The project aimed at recording local craft; about 60 distinct boat types are fully illustrated, including lines plans, drawings and photographs. 3D scanning along with 3D modelling software was applied in order to record the boats. Apart from this, the history and oral traditions of boats and boatmen, including the cultural and environmental factors that influenced the construction and use of various boat types was examined13. A more recent study closer to home, is Il sapere del mare, atlante della cantieristica siciliana, published by the Regione Siciliana in 2010. As part of their adherence to the 2003 Convention for the 10 p.191 Ibid 12 http://www.tradboats.ie/index.php; as seen on the 13.05.14 13 http://www.copperreed.com/Userfiles/TradBoats_PR17June.pdf; as seen on the 13.05.14 11 9 Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Regione Siciliana carried out a meticulous study with the aims of preserving the basic elements of their identity, done by means of rediscovering their popular songs, legends, arts and crafts. For the Sicilians, the boat always represented an indispensable means for fishing, communication and commerce.14 The aim of this study was to document shipbuilding traditions, an ancient knowledge which is fast dying out and in need of preserving. Each chapter tackles a different aspect of traditional shipbuilding; starting from the ancient naval fleets to today’s still living traditions, including rites and symbols. A catalogue of boats, classified according to shape and function is provided in the chapter written by F. Castro15. Being the largest island in the Mediterranean, the shipbuilding centres were divided according to provinces. From the data collected, some shipbuilding yards have vanished, whilst other continue providing a service. Each province is catalogued, listing down the town, name of shipyard and owner of the shipyard. One last work which was of great help when it came to structuring the methodology used for the boat recording in this study, was the Training Manual for the UNESCO Foundation Course on the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific, published in 2012. Although this manual was directed towards countries that lack financial support or the adequate training for underwater excavations and surveys, the alternative methods that were suggested apply to any country conducting a study on local craft. Appendix A, has a step by step description of what a maritime ethnographic study should involve, and includes a sample form for ethnographic boat recording. It is clearly explained and an excellent way of ticking off steps in order not to forget any potential data. 3.2. Local Literature The available literature dealing with Maltese traditional boats is limited to three main authors, namely the publications of J. Muscat, C. Pulè and P.G. Camenzuli. Other authors, including J. Hornell and J. Serracino discuss topics related to fishing, boat oculi, and the September Regatta. Written in the Maltese language, Is-Seng a tal-Bini tad-Dg ajjes f’Malta u f’G awdex (The craft of boat building in Malta and Gozo) is an unpublished B.A. thesis written in 1968 as part of a degree in Maltese at the University of Malta. As the title implies, the author, P.G. Camenzuli, provides a unique insight into the craft of boat building and its long history on the Islands. He starts his thesis by stating the importance of the sea for the local Maltese population, and gives a brief history of the different occupations the Islands went under. His second chapter is dedicated to the classification of 14 15 p.7 pp.45-58 10 the boats themselves. He states that there are 28 types of boats in all, and these are classified into four categories, grouped according to similarities in the boat types. His first classification includes those boats that are referred to as dg ajsa tal-pass, or have long stem and sternposts (tal-Midalja, il-Kenura, il-Wejla, il-Firilla, il-Luzzu, il-Papu a, id-Dg ajsa tal-Latini). In the second classification he groups boats that have a feature called i - appa, or a flat stern, where the rudder was attached (id-Dingi, Frejgatina, il-Barkazza, l-Iskiff, il-Gigg, il-Bag al tal-Gigg, il-Kajjik). The third classification consists of boats with a round ended stern (il-Baqqa, il-Lugger), whilst the fourth classification includes boats such as il-Lan a, il-Cutter and l-‘Speedboat’. There is another class of boats which no longer function, including the Xprunara, ix-Xambekk, ix-Xambekkin, ix-Xini, il-Karrakka, il-Mog dija, il-Braken and i - attri.16 These different types are then further described, outlining their main characteristics. Other hand crafts related to boat building are also mentioned, including the caulker, the metal-smith and the painter. Camenzuli also provides us with a series of photographs showing the stages of construction of a local boat. Muscat and Pulè published their books in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Muscat’s book called The Dg ajsa and Other Traditional Maltese Boats, focuses on giving a general overview of the dg ajsa, including a tentative evolution, its construction sequence and then a chapter dedicated to the main types of local boats. He provides ample photographic evidence along with paintings, including some of his own drawings (none are to scale). Muscat also dedicates a chapter to the Navy and the dg ajsa and another on the work of a dg ajsa-man. His final chapter concludes with the September Regatta as this is still an annual Maltese tradition and Regatta boats are still being constructed by each respective Regatta Club. Muscat has published other shorter articles, however the information is recycled from the above mentioned book. Qxur, Bi iet, U Opri Tal-Ba ar (Skeletons, Pieces and Operas of the Sea), was written by Pulè, an engineering professor at the University of Malta. His father was a boat builder and he spent part of his education as an apprentice with the British Royal Navy. His book is written in Maltese, as he believes that such heritage should be documented in the local language. The work is a description of a living technology17. The author goes into a lot of detail, starting off with a general overview of timber conversion and the required tools. He then gives a brief introduction to the different boats and how they react to the seas found around the Maltese Islands. He provides an illustration with the different kinds of stem and sterns and the effects they undergo with different wave types. In the third section, a chapter is dedicated to each boat type; these are described and hand drawings illustrate each element 16 17 pp.8-10 p.x 11 of the boat. Some boats are described more extensively than others. Methods of steering, including oars and sails along with some fishing equipment are also mentioned. In his last chapter, some stories related to sea ventures are narrated. Pulè also provides us with a list of his primary sources, namely his family along with other fishermen, boat owners and boat builders. What is missing in the above three published works is an archaeological documentation of the boats themselves. The authors have gone into ample detail describing the general characteristic of each boat type, and have also carried out some ethnographic studies. Unfortunately, none of the boats were recorded in detail to produce accurate drawings, including photographs, a description of the main features, and the materials used. A number of publications dating to the early 20th century deal with fishing around the Maltese Islands. These authors (MacMillan and Castagna) provide a description and list down the species of fish found around local waters. In 1933 J. Hornell published his report on The Fishing Industry in Malta- with suggestions for its further development. His mission was to survey the current situation of coastal fisheries and provide recommendations for its improvement. Hornell lists down the different methods of fishing used by the local fishermen, and their corresponding catch. However, he does not go into the types of boats used as this was not part of the survey. Similarly, S. J. Randon (1995) in The Fishing Industry of Malta, provides a detailed account of fishing regulations that were enacted upon local fishermen. A similar theme is discussed in J. Chircop’s article published in 2010. Living on Fishing, Caught in the Market: The Maltese fishing communities, 1860s-1920, criticises the lack of attention given to the local fishing folk, along with their daily livelihood and culture. The time frame of his study focuses on the imperial British rule, whose capital was directed into the naval-military infrastructure and trade facilities located in the Grand Harbour area, whilst the indigenous production centres were ignored18. This scarcity of official records related to the local productive activities has led several authors to conclude that Maltese waters were not rich fishing grounds. Chircop discusses the impact left on the fishing sector during the period under the colonial state, which was dominated by the Pixkerija (central fish market)19. Apart from the above mentioned report, J. Hornell also published two articles, one on the Survivals of the Use of Oculi in Modern Boats (1923) and the other on rituals and ceremonies carried out in India and the Far East and in Arabia and the Mediterranean (The Prow of the Ship: Sanctuary of the Tutelary Deity 1943). In both articles he refers to the Maltese Islands and the application of oculi 18 19 p.21 p.22 12 to local fishing boats. His documentation sheds light on local superstitions, related to the application of the oculus along with the ritual of blessing the boat prior to launching her. One other work which is related to this thesis is the Victory Regatta, held annually on the 8 th of September. Serracino J. has published four small volumes called L-Istorja tat-Tiġrija Tal-Vitorja 1983-1988 (The Story of the Victoria Regatta Races), in which he gives a detailed account of the annual races, including the participants of each regatta club, the time each race took and the winners. This information has been greatly beneficially for the regatta firilla under study, as this information shed light on the first appearance of a firilla boat and its last date of entry amongst the races. 3.3. Theoretical Background Very often we look at boats or ships as objects on their own. However, these need to be studied in their broader context. As żreenhill comments “To appreciate a boat one must be aware of the factors that give rise to her building, the timber available, the general environment, the building traditions of the society which produced her and, above all, the purpose for which she was built”20. Following on the same lines of thought, Adams states that we should not simply look at “their wide-ranging functions and associated social implications” but should also view vessels “as a manifestation of the maritime needs and aspirations of society”21. He goes on to discuss the set of constraints that produce these vessels, including materials, environment, purpose, economics, tradition, technology and ideology22. Unlike Greenhill, Adams has incorporated the notion of ideology within his list of variables which “includes the ideas of those who need ships for various purposes, as well as the ideas of the builders”23. This idea is highlighted in L. Blue’s Maritime Ethnography: The Reality of Analogy, whereby “approaching the boat in its broadest context, communicating with the boat builders and users – asking them questions about their boats and their view of the world: by no longer approaching the object in isolation; then a far more complex, explicit picture will emerge”24. The only problem with this is when the owner or the boat builder of that specific boat is no longer with us today, and therefore accessing the living tradition, as O. Hasslöf called it (1972), is no longer possible. The notion of tradition implies a degree of continuity, and Hasslöf defines three components that make up the tradition – what is handed over; the handing over taking part between the giver and 20 1976: 26 2001: 300 22 2001: 301 23 2001: 304 24 p.334 21 13 receiver; and the means of communicating this transfer25. He expands the latter to include the various media one can transmit information – “such as the spoken and the written word, pictures, actions and behaviour, objects and equipment (artifacts), social groups and institutions”26. One can overcome the above mentioned problem by applying “ethnographic data to an interpretation of archaeological material”27. What makes a maritime ethnographic study? As L. Blue defines it, maritime ethnography “is the study of contemporary maritime cultures and their materials, through first hand observation”28. By compiling information from the current maritime cultures and their material culture, one can come up with explanations for past maritime cultures. However, żreenhill points out the fact that “There is a great deal to be learnt about the development of boats from detailed study of modern examples, providing that we do not assume that things were necessarily the same in the past as they are now, but use the study as a source of ideas and an indication of what is possible”29. The current research has been done largely through a maritime ethnographic approach. The fishing boats under study, called firilla, are a type which no longer are being built or used. When speaking to still active fishermen, they exclaim that this boat type ceased to exist a long time ago. The tradition of building this boat type is lost, however information could still be attained by interviewing and talking to the few remaining boat builders, along with the older generation that lived near or close by to the boat building hubs. This oral information was useful when studying the still intact firilli found within the collection at the Maritime Museum, as it helped the author be more aware of the complexity of the boats and have a better understanding of the elements forming the boats. Although the tradition of building firilli has ceased, one can also acquire information from the thriving tradition of the Regatta. Each Regatta Club owns its own collection of racing boats, built and taken care of by the boat builder and his assistant. These clubs still build traditional wooden racing boats which have to be inspected prior to competing in the annual Victory Regatta. This tradition is an old one, dating to the 17th century, however it only began to be held on the 8th September in the 19th century30. Although the firilli boats no longer take part in this race, one can still gain information on methods of construction, terminology used, the tools applied, along with seating positions and propulsion. 25 1972: 20 1972: 20 27 Blue 2000: 334 28 2000: 334 29 1976: 22 30 Serracino 1988: 1 26 14 Traditional fishing boats are also still active in the fishing villages, such as Marsaxlokk in the south of Malta. The kajjikk and luzzu are two local boats that are still very popular amongst local fishermen. Observing their daily routine and talking to the boat owners was another way of acquiring information about these boats, which might reflect upon older boat types. It is one aspect just observing and being on the receiving end, and another to experience the process of building a boat. This would fall within the discipline of experimental archaeology, whereby one experiments with the tools, experiences the malleability of wood, and tries to create a shape that floats and is stable. Having experienced this has allowed the author to come up with a more informed interpretation of the material culture, which in this case is the firilla boat. 15 4. Background to Traditional Maltese Boats The following chapter briefly describes the location, environment and historical background of the Maltese Islands. These topics present the context in which the boats being studied developed and eventually came outmoded. 4.1. Environmental Background The Maltese Islands fall under the following definition - a tract of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent31. The surrounding sea definitely had an impact on the human societies that lived on the islands, with unpredictable consequences32. The Mediterranean Sea has “facilitated the movement of people, ideas, ideologies, technologies and objects”, creating some of the world’s most diverse human cultures33. The Maltese Archipelago lie in the central Mediterranean Sea, between the island of Sicily to the north and the continent of Africa to the south. They are located in the Sicily Channel, connecting the Eastern and Western Mediterranean sea basins, and are some of the smallest islands in the Mediterranean, covering an area of about 316 km2 34. Any travelling person arriving or departing has to approach the islands either by sea or air. The archipelago consists of three main inhabited islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, and a number of small uninhabited islets. Its strategic position, along with its natural harbours has attracted a variety of occupiers who left behind some aspects of their culture, as can be seen from the rich material culture scattered all over the islands. 4.1.1. Climate, Land and Seascape The islands’ climate is strongly influenced by the sea and is dependent on the topography of the Mediterranean basin. The spring months tend to fluctuate in weather conditions, whilst during the summer months temperatures soar above average, with light winds from the northwest and northeast. Autumn is generally short, giving way to the winter season which is very unpredictable due to the active depressions35. The graph below gives a general idea of the change in temperatures the Maltese Islands experience throughout the year. These do not fall below 0 degrees Celsius and hardly ever soar higher than 40 degrees Celsius. Also, as can be seen from the below wind rose, the prevailing wind directions are North-westerly winds, followed by West winds. 31 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/island; as seen on the 26.05.14 Blake and Knapp 2005: 1 33 Ibid 34 Pedley et al. 2002: 13 35 Galdies 2011: 3 32 16 Graph 1: Mean minimum and maximum air temperature - based on the 30-year climate period 19611990 (Galdies 2011:6) Figure 1: Wind rose for the period 1997-2006 (Galdies 2011: 20) The seasonal weather along with the current prevailing winds, play a major role in fishermen’s daily lives. These factors determine both the safe season for fishing, along with safe harbour locations. The latter is clearly seen in figure 7, where a majority of the berthing areas are located on the east coast of Malta, avoiding direct winds. Although the Mediterranean Sea is a relatively closed sea, circulation is very active both at surface level and at deeper depths. The main exchanges of water, salt, heat and other properties occur 17 with the North Atlantic Ocean36. This exchange is done through the narrow and relatively shallow sea passage known as the Strait of Gibraltar. It is not the author’s intentions to go into such detail regarding the complex circulation system that unfolds in the Mediterranean basins. However, it is crucial to know that these currents, apart from affecting weather conditions also reflect upon the fish species that migrate around the Mediterranean waters, and also influence sea passage routes. The below figure gives an idea of the complex circulation that occurs in the Eastern Mediterranean basin. Figure 2: Sub-basin scale and mesoscale circulation features in the eastern Mediterranean (Robinson et al. 2001: 16) With regards to the geological composition of the Maltese Islands, these consist of sedimentary rocks made up of four distinct layers. The sequence, from top to bottom includes a layer of Upper Coralline Limestone, Blue Clay, Globigerina Limestone and Lower Coralline Limestone. The two exterior layers are hard rock, whilst the inner two are soft to hard rock types. This stratification is very clear when looking face-on at the cliffs found in the south of Malta (fig. 3). These sedimentary layers, along with the numerous faults have determined the topography of the islands. High cliffs are seen all along the south-western coast of the islands, dropping sharply into the sea. However, the north-eastern coastline, consists of bays and inlets where the land gradually tapers into the sea. These two contrasting 36 Robinson et al. 2001: 1 18 topographical features have permitted the shaping of different maritime landscapes. Promontories found along the south-western cliffs were ideal locations for lookout posts, whilst the contrasting north-eastern coastline was perfect for vessels looking for shelter in adverse weather. Figure 3: The four rock layers in the Dingli cliffs of south Malta (Pedley et al. 2002: 36) The geological composition directly affects the type of soil that develops on the surface and this in turn, along with climate, supports certain ecosystems. Woodland communities are one type of terrestrial ecosystems that is of interest to this research. The central Mediterranean forests are characterized by Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) and Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis) with an undergrowth of smaller trees, shrubs and climbers37. From studies carried out on the Maltese Islands, it is believed that such species were present on the islands, however these woodlands were cut down to use the wood and also to clear land for agriculture and buildings. Only a small percentage of this woodland species exist on the island. According to Schembri “These forest remnants take the form of small copses of Holm Oak where the total number of trees is less than thirty. Some of these trees are estimated to be between 500 and 900 years old”38. Although there was a lack of raw materials, which was essential for boat building, it did not hinder locals from building their own boats. Archival documents do reveal that timber was imported from European areas both during the time of the Order of St John and the British rule 39. Whether this timber was also available for local boat builders is uncertain. Unless one was wealthy enough to afford buying first class timber, it seems as though the locals were using scrap wood of old decommissioned 37 Schembri 1993: 33 1993: 33 39 Personally communicated by L. Gauci, curator of the Maritime Museum: 20.11.13 38 19 vessels, wood that was captured by Corsairs and auctioned wood40. An absence of the appropriate raw materials definitely had consequences on the boats being fashioned. In order to lower costs, thin timber was utilised, making the boats light and in turn facilitating the ease for beaching and launching41. Boat builders also took into consideration the type of waters their boat was going to manoeuvre in. Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea exhibits different waves. These tend to be relatively high, short waves as there is not enough distance for wind to accumulate creating longer waves42. The shape and design of the bow, amidships and stern determine the reaction of the boat on waves, whether on a calm day or on rough waters. Pulè describes three different bows typical in Maltese wooden boats and how these react in the local waters (fig. 4). Figure 4: Variations in the bow (Pulè 2000: 29) Pruwa sajjieda – fishing bow is the preferred bow used by those that work off the fore part of the boat. Often one person lies low on the gunwale so he can look into the water for fish, whilst another rows the boat. The bow is chosen to be able to hold the weight of a person but also to be stable when a wave hits the fore. The bow in this case is relatively round and the sides rise vertically, therefore when a wave hits this does not rise up but remains in the same position. Such a design is typical in the frejgatina. 40 Personally communicated by L. Gauci, curator of the Maritime Museum: 20.11.13 Muscat 1999: 14 42 Pulè 2000: 22 41 20 Pruwa ba ara – sea bow is used when the boat functions in open waters where the bow is the first part to enter the wave. The width of the frame is designed in a way that it widens as the bow enters the water. This shape enables the boat to rise above the wave without causing too much unease on the occupant. This shape also offers least resistance against the water, by slicing through the water. Pruwa stillata – slim bow starts narrow near the keel and widens up towards the centre, however it looks like a tear drop beneath the water level. This type of bow does not allow the boat to rise above the wave and is preferred simply because it looks better to the eye and also allows the water to be sprayed away from the boat.43 From the above descriptions an important factor affecting the choice of shape is the rate at which the volume of the bow changes as it enters the water. However, ultimately the function of the boat determines the choice of shape. Having said this, manoeuvring the boat in different weather conditions is a necessary skill and with years of experience one learns to understand the reactions of a boat in local waters. 4.2. Historical Background The Maltese Islands had their fair share of colonizers. The earliest date back to about 5200 BC, creating the so-called temple culture. These were later followed by Phoenician then Punic seafarers and eventually the islands fell under Roman rule.44 Byzantines and later Arabs also ruled over these Islands for over 200 years. Under the Kingdom of Sicily from about 1149 to 1530, Malta passed under a successive set of rulers, until in 1530 the Spanish king Charles V handed the Maltese Islands to the Knights of St John.45 The Knights made the islands their home until the end of the 18th century, after which the French invaded and occupied the island for 2 years. After a rebellion from the local Maltese population, assistance came from Britain and the French surrendered. From 1800-1964 Malta was part of the British Empire, acting as its military fortress46. Spanning all these centuries in such a short description does not do justice to the different protagonists that formed and shaped the history of the Maltese Islands. However, what is important to note is that all of the above mentioned colonizers required some form of sea craft in order for them to get across the waters and inhabit the islands. Information on the type of water craft available prior to the time of the Knights is limited, however documents do reveal extensive shipbuilding undertakings during the time of the Knights and the British. 43 Pulè 2000: 32-33 - Note: the information has been translated by the author from Maltese to English Trump 2002: 10-11 45 Dalli 2006: 8-9 46 Mallia-Milanese 1988 44 21 Figure 5: Map of the Maltese Islands47 Under the Order of the Knights, the island’s services included “repair and construction of galleys, building of fortifications, and the general engagement of Maltese on military or naval related activities”48. With the occupation of the British, Malta took the role of an island-fortress economy49, and work was concentrated on the maintenance of fortifications and the construction of barracks. At the beginning of the 19th century the population of the harbour area grew slowly50, increasing the number of suburbs which answered for the highly demanding dockyard and harbour activities, including porters, carriers, coal heavers and other commercial services51. 47 http://2.bp.blogspot.com/SEL65sstvb0/UPLQFXSUmcI/AAAAAAAABp4/N41k6EUO3zc/s1600/physicalmap-of-Malta.gif; as seen on the 30.05.14 48 Mallia-Milanese 1988: 156 49 Ibid 50 Mallia-Milanese 1988: 94 51 Mallia-Milanese 1988: 95 22 Figure 6: Map showing a detail of the Harbour Area with passage boat routes (Google Maps 30.05.14) A large number of British men-of-war called at Malta for bunkering and repairs at the Dockyard52, and between the 1890s and 1940s there was a rapid increase in the work force at the dockyards, making it one of the most important industrial developments during the British colony53. With such an active harbour, a method for transporting people to and from the ships was required (fig. 6). The dg ajsa became an efficient means of passenger transport, acting as a water-taxi which also operated from Valletta to the Three Cities and to Sliema54. It was also employed in transporting other goods, such as personal belongings around the Three Cities55. Consequently a large corpus of Police laws and regulations refer to the dg ajsa56. Under the Water Division, incidents related to 52 Mallia-Milanese 1988: 158 Mallia-Milanese 1988: 96 54 Mallia-Milanese 1988: 115 55 Muscat 1999: 45 56 Muscat 1999:19 53 23 passenger boats can be accessed in the Commissioner’s Occurrences Book. Three such instances dating to 1933 are the following: “Charged with having in the żrand Harbour manned a passage boat alone” (16.03.1933) “Charge with having at the Marsa uttered words which involate morality in public” (1.05.1933) “In the 4th instance….while at the Marina he accidentally slipped and fell into the water opposite the Power Station, Marina, Valletta the depth of the water in the locality is about one fathom” (5.08.1933).57 In all cases, the date, hour, person involved in the incident, including age and boat licence, along with a name of witness (es) is included in the description. These documents reveal information about daily life around the harbour area, with some incidents reporting the conduct of illegal fishing. Under żrand Master Vilhena (1724) and De Rohan (1784), “the rules and regulations pertaining to passage boats and boatmen, were intended to obviate any attempt at a mass escape by slaves in Malta”58. The 1817 Rules and Regulations were published for “the better control of the boatmen and the proprietors of boats let out for hire in Malta”59. These rules also stipulated fixed tariffs for transportation and determined which landing places could provide a service60. Boat licences were issued against payment and each boatman was registered by their name, their fathers name and place of residence. The Marine Police were in charge of keeping a record of all registered boats, as these were in charge of issuing the licences.61 In the documents registering sold boats, dating from 1803-1804, reference is made to barca di passo (passage boat) and barca di pescare (fishing boat). There are only a handful referring to the latter type, however the information includes length of boat in palmi, seller and buyer, including their provenance and the granted permission from the Presidente della Gran Corte62. In one instance reference is made to the firilla, “una barcha da pesca da palmi 28 detta volgarmente Ferillaħ”63. In another record, called Register of Small Boats, dating to 1916 reference is made to the different boats in use, with a predominance for the freigatina, however the firilla is mentioned in two instances64. Although fishing boats were popular amongst the local community these were not given enough attention by the governing authorities. Fishing in Malta was mainly for local consumption, even though NAM, Water Division, Commissioner’s Occurrences Book, 1933 Muscat 1999: 23 59 Muscat 1999: 26 60 Muscat 1999: 45 and 63 61 Muscat 1999: 24 62 NAM, Reg. Vendite di Barche, Vol. 1, 1803-1804 63 NAM, Reg. Vendite do Barche, Vol. 9: 5.05.1810 64 NAM RSB 1916-1919: 31 and 38: Refer to Appendix C 57 58 24 the amount caught was not sufficient for local demand65. Initially, legislations related to fishing were established in order to, either restrict fishermen from fishing in certain areas, such as Marsamxett, or to promote fishing away from local shores66. Figure 7: Map of Malta showing the main fishing ports, marked in black, along with other smaller fishing hubs, marked in green (Google Maps 31.05.14) It was only in 1920 that an actual Fisheries Department was founded, under the director G. Despott who was then the curator of the Natural History sector67. The newly published regulations set up by Despott were “aimed primarily at restricting the use of fishing implements in order to allow the propagation of immature fish”68. Scientific studies were carried out in order to identify the life cycle of local species. This information was presented to the fishermen as a means of educating them and help improve the issue related to the depletion of fish stocks. Berthing facilities were also upgraded, and the addition of jetties and slipways were constructed at three of the main fishing stations, namely Marsaxlokk, Wied i - urrieq and żħar Lapsi69. 65 Castagna 1888: 243 Muscat 1999: 80 67 Randon 1995: 2 68 Randon 1995: 3 69 Randon 1995: 5 66 25 At present the fisheries sector forms part of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, under the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change. The main duties of the department in 1995 included “information and technical advice, both to fishermen and the Department, the registration of fishermen and craft, the issue of licences to fish, sell, import or export fish, and the gathering of statistics”70. Malta has adopted the 25 nautical miles Exclusive Fishing Zone, and with the accession into the European Union in 2004 this zone also forms part of the Fisheries Management Zone. The key aim of this latter declaration is to “protect the fisheries resources of Malta’s sea area and the ecosystem on which they depend”71. Within this zone only vessels smaller than 12 meters are allowed to fish since these are considered “as boats which practise small scale coastal fishing and which are therefore least harmful to the ecological regime within the zone”72. The fishing community and the fleet are still relatively small. With a total of 400 registered boats73, the fishing industry does not contribute enough to sustain the growing Maltese population. The below table 1 taken from Busuttil74, shows the number and type of boats registered in 1991, both in Malta and Gozo. As one can notice the majority of the boats are motor propelled, totalling to 1322 registered boats. The only boats that can take fishing trips away from the island are the bottom trawlers, launches, and some of the bigger luzzus. The rest are only suitable for inshore activities75. Amongst this latter group are the firilli, which totalled to 26 boats in 1991. This is only 1.9% of the total fleet and a majority were registered to two districts: Marsaxlokk in the south and Msida/Pieta, ż ira/Sliema to the north east. In the vessel register of 2005 only 12 firilli boats were registered, from a total of 1314 registered vessels, whilst today (2014) only 3 firilli are registered76. The numbers of firilli boats are reducing rapidly and today barely any can be seen. 70 Randon 1995: 16 http://www.um.edu.mt/science/biology/staff/profpatrickschembri/empafish/malta_fisheries_mgt_zone; as seen on the 31.05.14 72 Ibid 73 Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture - Fishing Vessel Register, 2014 74 1993: 115 75 Busuttil 1993: 113 76 Refer to Appendix E 71 26 Table 1: Showing the number and type of registered boats in 1991 (Busuttil 1993: 115) The fishing industry in Malta is a traditional activity, dependant on seasonality, typical of fishing communities found in other Mediterranean countries. Wooden boats are still popular as seen in the picturesque fishing villages of Marsaxlokk, where a large percentage of the vessels are registered. However, fiberglass boats are replacing many of these typical fishing boats, as these are easier to maintain and more durable. Incentives to retain traditional wooden boats are absent. A recent project partially funded by the European Union (2007-2013 European Fisheries Fund) was issued in order to manage the fishing activities related to Blue Fin Tuna wild fish stocks, by reducing the number of BFT fishing vessels from the Malta Fishing Vessel Register. Eligibility for these funds depended on certain criteria. Two of the preferences refer to the scrapping of older vessels and vessels owned by older fishermen. However, it was advised for the “reassignment of traditional wooden hulled fishing boats (Luzzu, Kajjikk, or Firilla) painted in traditional livery given the value of these for the tourism industry”77. This shows that there is a certain appreciation towards this heritage, and the issue of decommissioning older vessels was properly evaluated and recommendations for preserving traditional wooden boats was proposed. 77 Fisheries Operational Programme 2007-2013, 2012: 6 27 5. Traditional Wooden Boats – function and shaping variables The relative variables shaping local wooden boats will be examined in the following pages, along with an introduction to the firilla. These include purpose, materials, technology, tradition and ideology, along with secondary sources of information. As previously mentioned, among the variety of local wooden boats, some were designed to function as fishing boats. Amongst these are the firilla, kajjikk, luzzu, fregatina, gig, dingi, wejla and the skiff. These boat types were registered under the Fisheries Department in 1920, operating as fishing boats in Malta and Gozo78. However, the principal fishing boats were the former four, the latter four had a variety of functions and fishing was just one of them. 5.1. Fishing Boats A print dating to 1882 titled Bateaux Maltais79, depicts the most prominent boats hailing from Malta to Tunis. The print was designed by Mr Hennique, who was lieutenant of a French ship-of-the-line. The print depicts five vessels, including the Speronara, the Lancha de la rade de Sfax, Farella, Canotta and Barque. The figures below represent the Farella, with its characteristic high stempost and short sternpost. Figure 8: Bateaux Maltais, 1882 (Photos Said S., 2014) 78 79 Muscat 1999: 83 Bateaux Maltais 1882, Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa No. 847 – Refer to Appendix D 28 From literary sources (Camenzuli and Muscat), the firilla is regarded as one of the earliest type of fishing boats, followed by the kajjikk and later the luzzu and fregatina80. Initially, the firilla was described as ‘a small, swift passenger boat rowed by one or two boatmen, plying between Birgu and Senglea’81. Later the firilla was applied as a fishing vessel, which became popular amongst local fishermen by the end of the 19th century82. The boat did not venture too far out from the coast, but did sail outside the safety of the Islands’ harbours and creeks. According to Camenzuli, the firilla looks very similar to the dg ajsa and the xprunara, the only difference is that the firilla had a so called spur on the bow83. This element does not feature in any of the firilla boats under study. What distinguishes a firilla from a dg ajsa is its tall stempost and a higher free board. The reason for the high stempost was that it functioned as a support and a mooring device. The boatman held onto the stem when he was about to moor the boat to shore. Any passengers coming onto the boat stepped over onto the front deck, holding onto the stempost and then moving to the centre. None of the passengers were allowed to board the boat from the port side as this might cause the boat to heel.84 The firilla was an open double ended boat, carvel built, with a straight keel and stemposts fitted at 90 degrees; a feature that was introduced by the turn of the 20th century85. This later feature seems to coincide with the boats’ change in function as a fishing vessel rather than a passenger boat. It was often steered by means of a rudder and a sprit-rig. However, within the limits of the harbour the boat was rowed, “usually manned by four men and a padrone”86. The length of a firilla is said to be between 4.70m and 8.90m87. According to Randon, in the past this boat was used as a “lamp boat for lamparafishing and for fishing inside bays and creeks”88. The firilla boat also took part in the annual Regatta races. During the early 19th century, the Regatta race was introduced by the locals in order to ‘compete for a prize as part of the festivities of Our Lady of Victory and commemorate the żreat Siege of 1565’89. Today this race is held twice a year, on the 31st March, celebrating Freedom Day and 8th of September dedicated to Our Lady of Victory. Initially the boats that took part in this race were traditional passenger boats, namely firilli 80 Muscat 1999: 85 Ibid 82 Muscat 1999: 86 83 1968: 11 84 Pulè 2000: 59 85 Muscat 1999: 86 86 Prins 1986: 197 87 Camenzuli 1968: 12 88 1995: 87 89 Muscat 1999: 168 81 29 and caique90. Races performed by female participants was not unheard of, however these did not last long. The role of women within the maritime sphere was not simply that of mending nets and repairing sails, they were also involved in the process of boat building and fishing (fig. 10).91 The Regatta boats were later on modified to perform faster in the races. Today the races are done according to three boat categories: a type A (dg ajsa fancy with four rowers), a type B (dg ajsa with four rowers) and a type C (dg ajsa with two rowers). 5.1.2. The Fishing Seasons and Fishing Techniques Żishing boats were “equipped with traditional fishing equipment, including a variety of traps (nasses), fishnets (xbieki), or long-lines (konzijiet)”92. The type of fish caught was determined by the fishing season, with the “most important catches being landed during summer up till November/early December with the lampuki season”93. The following list presents the main fishing seasons that were documented in 1888 by P.P. Castagna94. The English version of the species is as listed in Hornell’s report95. March to May – arznell (streaked smear) April to August – saurell and pixxispad (horse mackerel and swordfish) May to August – cavalli and cahli (spanish mackerel and black tail) August to December – lampuki (corephene) September to November – imsell (garfish) December to June – pistin (mackerel) All year round – vopi and munkara (bogue and streaked smear) Demands for fish supplies were also determined by the religious calendar. “Most people were very observant of their obligations to abstain from meat on Fridays and Wednesdays, opting instead to consume fish, as they also did on an annual cycle during Lent and other vigils”96. Each fish species was caught using specific fishing equipment. The gear used, along with the location where it was placed determined the quantity caught. Today’s technology allows one to mark out where shoals are located, however this was not the same some years ago. Very often the use of a 90 Muscat 1999:168 Personally communicated by Mr G. Camilleri, boatbuilder: 18.02.14 (a married couple from Raħal did – 50s and 60s) 92 Chircop 2010: 25 93 Ibid 94 p.323 95 1933: 49-50 96 Chircop 2010: 26 91 30 sounding line helped determine the presence of shoals by checking for the sea depth, although “fishermen preferred to rely on their own experience”97. Sizes of the fishing gear depend on the preferences of the boat owner and also the size of the vessel. There are several traps that were and are still used, including the parit (trammel net), the tartarun (seine net), g eżula (gill nets), the konz (hook and line devices), entrapping devices and the kannizzata. The following selection are just a few of the above mentioned techniques that might have been applied using the firilla. Tartarun – Seine Net This vertical netting is used to encircle a shoal of fish. There are three methods of using this type of net. The first consists of the shore-seine net which was commonly used in Marsaxlokk and along the coastline. However this method was banned from being used as it caused harm to the smaller fish in their immature stages98. The net consists of three vertical sections, two outer wings and a central small mesh with a cod-end where the fish get entrapped. The two wings are brought towards the shore, until the central mesh is close at hand. The main catch consisted of goby and shoals of sardines. The second method, called ring-seine net, works on the same principle as above, however the technique is used out at sea. In this case two boats are required in order to draw-in the side wings. The third method, the purse-seine net is used in conjunction with lights and in Maltese is called lampara fishing. The fish species caught by this technique include allis skad, horse mackerel, chub mackerel, and bogues99. The lit up lamps attract fish to the surface. Whilst some lamps are switched off, a third boat encircles the area collecting the net100. Konz - Hook and Line Devices These consist of the bottom long line and the surface long lines. These two methods are made up of a long line with a number of hooks attached to it. Bait is used in order to attract fish, including cuttlefish and squid101. The former line is used from November to March and the fish caught include sea scorpion, rays, two-banded bream, conger eel, striped wrasse, common sea bream, Spanish sea bream, and a few larger fish102. The latter fishing line is left floating on the surface and is used to catch migratory fish that venture to the surface. These include garfish, two-saddled bream, the coryphene 97 Randon 1995: 41 Randon 1995: 43 99 Randon 1995: 47 100 Randon 1995: 49 101 Randon 1995: 57 102 Ibid 98 31 (lampuka), and also tuna and swordfish103. The latter three fish species are very popular amongst locals, and generally the fish market becomes saturated, therefore these are exported fetching higher prices104. Xbieki tat-Tkarkir and Nassi - Dredges and Entrapping Devices There are a number of dredge devices along with basket traps. The former consist of bag nets which are dragged along the sea bed in order to catch prawns, shrimps and other species that live along the sea bottom, such as red bream, rays and dog fish105. On the other hand, basket traps allure the fish with bait, entrapping them within the device. This method is used for catching bogue, streaked sparus, octopus and tunny106. The reed baskets come in different shapes, each modified according to the species being caught. Figure 9: L. F. Tortell: Mending fishing nets at Wied iz-Zurrieq, 1933 (Harker Collection) (Harker 2000: 156) Figure 10: A 19th century Ferilla with fishing traps (National Library, Malta: Muscat 1999: 82) 103 Randon 1995: 59 Ibid 105 Randon 1995: 53 106 Randon 1995: 65 104 32 Kannizzata Writing in 1933, Hornell stated that this fishing method was the most important net used in Malta, “judged by results in weight of fish”107. This fishing technique is unique to the Maltese Islands and is used to catch the lampuki (coryphene) and fanfru (pilot fish). These two species have a habit of finding shelter under any floating object. Therefore, taking advantage of this unusual habit, fishermen lay floats ( ima), consisting of cork slabs and attach palm leaves to create more shelter and act as bait. The floats are connected together by rope and anchored to the bottom. They are also marked out with a flag or buoy. The fish are then encircled using a smaller version of the purse seine net.108 5.2. Natural and Manufactured Materials The skill of boat building does not only involve the boat builder himself/herself but also incorporates a variety of other craftsmanship. These include caulking, metal work and also painting. Initially a workshop would have different people occupied on certain tasks, today these skills are mostly all performed by the boat builder and his assistant. The annual maintenance of wooden boats is done at the beginning of the year, prior to the commencement of the fishing season. Lent coincides with the start of the fishing season, the time of year when fish is mostly consumed by Christian Catholics109. 5.2.1. Timber Supply Wood was a crucial raw material required for building vessels. The supply of timber was essential for “the survival of any maritime power however small”110, and this counted for both the Order’s fleet and the English Navy, whilst in Malta. Archival documents do reveal the type and quantity of timber that was imported to Malta during the above mentioned periods. Oak, elm, fir, spruce and pine were all made available for the construction of vessels111. Inventories listing the consumption of timber dating to the 19th century show that wood was brought from Italy and Albania112. Timber handling was strictly regulated during the Order’s time. Written permission had to be issued before the public sector could buy “timber, iron, tar, cordage, saltpetre, powder and other similar material from the Commendatori”113. Pilfering and smuggling were not uncommon; it seems as though it was “becoming 107 p.14 Randon 1995: 73 109 Camenzuli 1968: 37 110 Debono 2000: 47 111 Ibid 112 Abela 2007: 37 113 Debono 2000: 56 108 33 a habit for owners of boats and other small sea-craft in the harbour, including fishermen, to approach the galley arsenal”….in order to smuggle wood114. Restrictions were imposed against movements within the harbour, and fishing was therefore denied within these areas115. Such information reflects upon the conditions of local wood consumption. As mentioned in chapter 3, local boat builders who could not afford to buy wood, would try and gain the raw material from decommissioned vessels and auctioned wood. From the wood identification that was done on the boats under study, the following wood types were commonly used to construct wooden fishing boats: Greenheart (Chlorocardium sp.), Teak (Tectona sp.), Beech (Fagus spp.), Ash (Fraxinus spp.), and Pine (Pinus spp.).116 The availability of timber is no longer an issue today, since wood is ordered and imported like any other commodity. Prior to utilisation, the timber is dried. This process depends on the wood species, for example ta’ l-abjad (white deal) requires eight months to dry and is rotated daily to make sure dryness occurs all over117. Once the wood is dried to the required state, then the construction of a boat can start. 5.2.2. Caulking Once the boat is closed up with the strakes, the gaps between them are sealed off. This was done by a caulker (qalfat). Cotton (tajjar) was and still is used to close off these seams. The caulking material comes as a bundle of rope (fig. 11), which is twisted and slotted into the seams by means of a mallet and a chisel (mazz u skarpell). There are two types of chisels, one is applied specifically for widening the seams, whilst the other is used to caulk in the cotton. First the seams are widened, and then lead base paint (żebag ta - omb) is applied to the gap, so that the cotton being inserted is fitted in smoothly. Once the length of the seam is filled up with the cotton, white stock is applied over the seam, both inside and outside.118 114 Debono 2000: 58 Ibid 116 Refer to Appendix B 117 Personally communicated by Mr Camilleri, boatbuilder: 18.02.14 118 Personally communicated by Mr Camilleri, boatbuilder: 18.02.14 115 34 Figure 11: Caulking cotton and mallet (Photo Said S., 2014) 5.2.3. Metal Work A majority of the metal work found on traditional wooden boats consists of fastenings, loops, retainers and copper or brass strips. When funds were not an issue, metal carvings were also fitted onto the washboards, often depicting the head of a lion. The Maltese term ram is used for both copper and brass. Figure 12: Brass nails (Photo Said S., 2014) 35 5.2.4. Paints The vibrant colours applied to local boats are quite exceptional, however not unique to the Maltese Islands, as such lively decoration can be found on boats along the Mediterranean coastline. The most popular colours used are red, orange, yellow, white, blue, green and black. The hull of the boat had two colours. These two demarcated the waterline. Very often the lower half was painted in a maroon colour, whilst the upper half was a variant of blue. The wale was generally painted white, creating a contrast between the hull and the sheer strake. The sheer strake was painted according to the boat owners tastes or simply varnished and decorated with floral motifs. Similarly, the posts were either left as wood colour and varnished or painted the same colour as the gunwale. What identifies the boat’s locality is the colour given to the moustache (musta ) as will be described shortly. The number of coatings given to a hull are numerous. The first coating given is generally to protect the wood against woodworm, both on the inside and outside. The undercoat given is lead based, called żebag ta - omb and consisted of minium added to English chalk. The chalk is added so that the paint dries quickly. The tin of paint is inserted into a boiling pot of water prior to application (banjumaria), making the paint flow, however not too runny that it drips. About three coatings of undercoat are given before the actual top colour is applied. When varnish is applied this is mixed with linseed oil paint and is generally applied to the sheer strake or the end posts. Details, such as the licence number and other patterns are then added using slim paint brushes.119 5.2.5. Colours, Distribution and Rituals Colours were part and parcel of decorating traditional wooden boats. Different parts were assigned different colours, however the one element which had an identification function, and not simply an aesthetic function was the musta . This area found both on the fore and aft of the boat was painted in a specific colour which made it easier for other boat owners to identify each other at sea. A red musta would mean that the boat came from St Paul’s Bay. A lemon yellow musta indicates it came from Msida or St Julians, whilst an ochre yellow would identify the boat as pertaining to the south (Marsaxlokk and Marsascala area). Black seems to have been popular amongst the Gozitan boat owners120. However, this colour was used by Maltese boats as a sign of mourning121. This tradition of identifying one’s location by applying certain colours has been lost, since many fishermen travel around and move locality. 119 Personally communicated by Mr Camilleri, boatbuilder: 18.02.14 Camenzuli 1968: 36 121 Muscat 1999:81 120 36 Apart from colours, decorations were also applied upon the musta and the sheer strake. The licence number was painted on either posts as stipulated in the regulations. The oculus (eye) is a predominant form of decoration found mainly on fishing boats. From the research conducted by Hornell this signified more than just an evil-eye amulet, especially amongst the Gozitan fishermen122. Amongst the Chinese, “eyes are necessary to boats and ships to find their way safely over the sea”, similarly in żozo, the “older generation look upon their boats as animate” 123. The oculus is either painted or engraved onto the fore musta . The eyebrow is particularly pronounced, “its hairy nature represented by coarse oblique curved ridges”124. When Hornell was carrying out his research, the oculus consisted of yellow eyebrows, dark blue or black pupils with a white eyeball that was outline in dark blue. Sometimes the eyebrow was omitted altogether125. These days amongst the local luzzijiet, the eyebrow is painted black, with a white pupil and a black eyeball. The pupil is outlined with another colour, either blue, pink or green. Figure 13: Postcard: Oculi (Maurizio Urso; BDL Malta) The passage boats do not exhibit the oculus, instead other symbols are applied, such as the star, the bird, the hand sign showing the horns, and flags representing the Maltese red and white colours. However, all boats were given a name, either a feminine title or that of a saint. On some boats the sheer strake is simply varnished, showing the natural wood grain. In this case, engravings were done consisting of floral designs, feathered creatures and leaf motifs (fig. 14 and 15). 122 1923: 303 Ibid 124 Ibid 125 1923: 314 123 37 Figure 14: Floral and winged creature found carved on the sheer strake of the Regatta Firilla (Said S., 2014) Figure 15: Design on the side of a boat (Josian Bonello: Muscat 1999: 107) One particular ritual Hornell notes in his 1943 article, is the use of animal skin which is attached to the stempost prior to launching as a means of ensuring good fortune to the craft126. This custom was performed amongst Gozitan fishermen, but not Maltese fisher folk. A rabbit skin was lashed over the stempost of a newly built fishing boat before launching her127. Hornell notices that this custom of applying animal skin as part of the launching ceremony is “confined to regions where Moslem influence is or had been strong. This is particularly noticeable in the Mediterranean area; Malta, Sicily, parts of the Adriatic coasts and the southern shore of Spain and Portugal…all localities where the 126 127 1943: 126 1943: 127 38 people have been for some considerable period in their history in intimate cultural contact with the Arab world”128. Amongst Maltese boat owners, ceremonies revolve around the strong catholic faith of the locals. Blessing a boat prior to launching was an important event. A small Christian cross was attached to the stempost as soon as the keel and posts were laid down (fig. 16). When the launching day arrived, the parish priest along with other members would meet near the launching site. A prayer was read out loud and the boat blessed with holy water, prior to pushing it down the slipway129. Figure 16: Postcard: ’Luzzu’ Fishing Boat under construction Mġarr, Gozo (Perfecta Advertising Ltd.) Boats also featured in votive paintings. These were offered to a saint or divinity as a thanks for being saved from a near death incident at sea. One such votive painting can be seen at the Maritime Museum. This ex-voto is dedicated to St Joseph, as seen depicted on the top left corner of the painting. The scene shows a firilla in a gale (fig. 17), with sails unfurled, oars over board and four members of the crew at sea. This oil painting is signed with the initials C.T. and dated to 1899. Its provenance comes from the church of Qala in Gozo.130 128 1943: 127 Muscat 1999: 44 130 Refer to Appendix D 129 39 Figure 17: Ex-Voto Painting, depicting a firilla in a gale (Photo Said S., 2014) 5.3. Technology131 The following description will go through the main stages of a wooden boat construction. From literature (Muscat 1999) and interviews conducted with boat builders, this sequence is consistent for all traditional wooden boats built in Malta. Prior to the construction of a boat, the length and shape of the boat is decided upon. This determines the number and shape of the frames. The frames, keel and stems are cut to the required measurements; moulds were applied for creating the frames. Frames consisted of a floor frame and futtock and were often cut, rather than steamed132. The construction of a boat began with its keel. This was laid on a wooden beam called skall, in order to be levelled and raised above the ground. The stem and sternposts were fitted onto the keel, joined by means of a forefoot (zokk). This element was scarfed on both ends to fit with the keel on one end and post on the other end. Frames were temporarily fitted, and held by a stringer (inforra). These were aligned and nailed onto the keel. A wale ( inta) was fixed towards the upper end of the frames, below the stringer. The wale was curved in a manner that it flared upwards towards the ends, and was rounded downwards amidships (looking like the bow of an arrow). This element determined the width of the sheer strake which was fixed above the wale and onto the 131 132 Refer to Appendix F Personally communicated by J. Muscat and Mr Camilleri: 3.06.14/18.02.14 40 posts on either end. The sheer strake also had the scupper holes notched out on the lower half of the strake for water to flush out. Once the skeleton of the boat was in place, supports were fitted, including the benches, stanchions, the fore and aft decks, the waterway and the gunwale. The latter had the frames running through it as a means of support. The hull strakes were the last to be fitted. The garboard strake was the first in place, followed by the strake below the sheer and then closing the gap in between. Small diagonally shaped pieces of wood called fisqija were used to cut the shape of the strakes in order for them to fit as tightly as possible. The fisqija would mark out where the following strake would fit by tracing out the upper and lower ledge of the already fitted in strake. Very often the length of the hull would be too long for the available wood, and therefore a strake would be split, joined together by means of a butt joint. Each strake was not split at the same length, as this would create weak points on the hull, but split at different intervals. Stealers (lembut) were also applied towards the ends of the boat. The strakes were fitted onto the frames, and hammered from the outside to the inside. Repairs are often required when the wood either rots or breaks/splits. Frames were either fixed by slashing off the broken end, which were then replaced, or an additional frame is fixed near the broken one, creating a double frame. In Maltese this is called majjieri/stamnari miżewġien (wedded frames). Broken posts were replaced and fitted back using diagonal scarfs. Repairs were often done using olive wood, as this was strong, resistant to the marine environment and found naturally on the islands. Also, the tree grew in such a way that it provided natural curves matching elements found on a boat.133 5.4. Paintings and Photographs Images are an excellent source of information and the vast quantities of photographs and paintings dating to the 19th and 20th century are an excellent means of getting to know what was currently in fashion on the Islands. The themes explored during these two centuries were mainly the islands (landscapes and seascapes), the harbours, people and events. During the British occupation, numerous artists visited the islands, painting landscapes and portraits as was the fashion of the time134. The following are just a few of the artists that left an 133 Note: this description has been compiled from the interview conducted with Mr Camilleri (18.02.14) and the available literature (Muscat 1999 and Pulè 2000). 134 Bonello 1997: 45 41 impression of the Islands: J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851), E. Lear (1812-1888), J. T. Serres (1759-1825), T. B. Aylmer (1806-1856), and J.W. Carmichael (1800-1868)135. Although the themes that were being explored in Europe, such as Romanticism, Impressionism and Art Nouveau were barely explored locally, topographic art was widely exercised prior to the invention of the photographic camera136. The “most valid practitioners – and in a certain sense the pioneers – of topographic art were the Schranzes”, a family of artists of żerman/Spanish descent, who practiced this form of art from the 1920s to the 1990s137. The type of work created by this family of artists belongs to the “class of vedutisti – view makers who interpreted landscape painting as more or less a feat of draughtsmanship, consequently tied to neat and empirical observation of nature”138. An objective approach to painting provides a clearer interpretation of the material culture. So when looking at the traditional boats that are represented in these paintings, one can extract actual realities, rather than an impression of the artists creativity. Figure 18: Detail from Senglea and French Creek painted by G. Schranz (1794-1882), Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta139 135 Bonello 1997 Cutajar 1998: 7 137 Cutajar 1998: 7 138 Cutajar 1998: 8 139 Muscat 1999: 29 136 42 Unlike paintings, photographs represent the subject objectively. Photography was introduced to Malta by a French artist in 1840140. The art of photography flourished and numerous studios were opened around the Grand Harbour area. The following three photographs (fig. 19, 20 and 21) have been published in the collection of Nostalgias of Malta and Gozo by G. Bonello. They have been specifically selected as they represent the firilla. Identification of the boat was done by looking for the characteristically long stempost belonging to this boat. What caught the author’s attention, in both the paintings and photographs is the different shapes of the bow. Some have a fairly straight bow (plumb), whilst others have a curved bow (raked). This element is also present in the dg ajsa tal-pass. The change from one type to the other is seen between photos dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and those dating post 1930’s. These three photographs represent the firilla as a fishing boat, applying the tartarun fishing technique and entrapping basket nets. Figure 19: Fisher’s Boat, 1900s (Bonello 2010: 171) 140 Harker 2000: 1 43 Figure 20: Gozo fishing boat c.1930 (M. Farrugia) (Bonello 2007: 213) Figure 21: Fishing Boats: Dating from the 1890s-1930s (Bonello 2008: 110) 44 The photograph below is described as a beached luzzu, however its tall stempost and relatively short sternpost indicate that this is possibly a firilla or balumba141. Earlier on it was mentioned that the firilla had a spur on the bow, as exhibited on this boat. The boat clearly exhibits a raked bow, with a colourfully patterned sheer strake, the oculus on the musta and additional washboards. Figure 22: C. R. Jones: A beached Luzzu, (a calotype negative), 1845-6 (Kraus Collection) (Harker 2000: 8) The following two photographs come from the Maritme Museum collection, dating to the 20th century. The firilla boat is clearly identifiable in both photographs. In both cases, the firilla has a plumb bow and the spur is not present. Nets were hauled from the stern, as seen in the first photo, where the sheer is at its lowest. This arrangement would have been applied by the rowed firilla under study. 141 Personally communicated by Mr Camilleri, boatbuilder : 16.06.14 45 Figure 23: Hauling nets in Marsa Scirrocco (Marsaxlokk) Bay, 1930s (Maritime Museum No. 792) Figure 24: Msida Bastion, Floriana taken from Ta’ Xbiex, 1900 (Maritime Museum No. 102) 46 6. Boat Recording The Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa is home to a number of traditional boats that have been collected since its opening in 1988. Prior to this, Fort San Lucian, located in the south of Malta, was to become the premises of the Maritime Museum, however this fell through and instead it was located in Vittoriosa. The current building previously functioned as the bakery for the Royal Navy, providing the British with bread and biscuits. After World War II, it remained part of the naval establishment until the closure of the British base142. This historic building was furnished into a maritime museum, exhibiting Malta’s maritime history and heritage. The hall which served as the furnace now contains some of the museum’s boat collection. The hall is high enough to store the boats on two levels of shelving. The collection varies from passenger boats, fishing boats, racing boats and children’s boats, however all are built in wood. 6.1. Primary Data The following subsections will specifically describe and illustrate the three firilli boats under study. The author will be referring to these under the following names: - Rowed firilla, - PTF87 firilla, and - Regatta firilla. These three boats represent different variations of the firilla. The rowed firilla and the PTF87 functioned as fishing boats, whilst the regatta firilla was used for the annual boat racing competitions. Each of the three boats will be described in detail. This will include current preservation conditions, restoration works, dimensions, shape, constructional elements, propulsion, colours and wood types. Their biography will also be extracted where possible, although much of this information might not be available or has been lost from memory. The description of each boat will follow a systematic approach where each element is described with its respective dimensions. The sequence of elements will follow that of a boat being built using the skeleton-based technique, a method which according to Muscat143 was the preferred method of Maltese boatbuilders. Therefore, the keel and posts are first described, followed by the framing system and other central elements. Subsequently, the floor deck, external planking and steering are described, with a final note on the type and shape of fastenings used. The present colour scheme along with other 142 http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2008-06-06/news/new-discovery-sheds-more-light-on-navalbakery-208625/; as seen on the 1.02.14 143 1999 47 decorations will also be included in the description. Photographs will help illustrate features, along with pencil drawings where necessary. The framing elements will be represented as a 2D plan, drawn at a scale of 1:10. These will be numerically labelled starting from the bow and finishing at the stern. Any features such as the apron or engine boards will be visible on the 2D plans. 6.2. Wood Identification When discussing the issue of constructional wood, it is important to remember that the boats under study are all painted over with several layers of paint coatings. This makes it very difficult to try and identify what wood was used for each part of the boat. In many of the descriptions found within the literature this issue is not discussed at all, or mentioned only as a side note. Although the skeleton ferilla has all its wood exposed, having one sample limits the possibilities of finding a pattern in the type of wood used. Therefore samples were prepared for a wood conservator to examine. The samples basically consisted of the removal of paint from the boats. Small areas measuring 5 x 5 centimetres were selected from each element. The paint was scraped off in order to expose the wood. This process of paint removal also enabled the author to see the number of paint coatings applied. These might not have been applied all at one go, but over a number of years, indicating maintenance procedures. Some areas including the hull planking had several layers, varying in thickness and colour. The undercoat was present on all samples as this is a crucial protective layer applied to increase durability and limit the deteriorative factors that the wood has to endure. A visual observation of the samples resulted in the identification of the wood genus. The wood species could not be identified, as this required proper sampling examined under a microscopic lens. Such samples would have entailed the sawing off of wood from each element, which the author decided against. It was also not financially feasible to carry out such wood analysis. The observations did in fact result in a pattern. Although sources referred to the use of scrap wood or wood acquired from vessels that had been auctioned, boat builders seem to have had a preference for the use of ash wood and pine wood. Beech wood was only identified once, in the oars used by the rowed firilla. The skeleton firilla has all its framing elements, keel and posts made of ash wood, whilst other constructional features are made of pine wood. The different wood types applied in each element will be presented in a table format for each boat. 48 6.3. Rowed Firilla This boat is presently in store at the Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa. Its current state of preservation is relatively good, even though it has not received any maintenance since its addition to the museum’s collection. This latter issue is mainly due to lack of funding and the retirement of the shipwright in charge, which has left the boats without a carer. Being one of the last surviving fishing firilli, this is a unique boat that requires care and maintenance. Figure 25: Rowed Firilla in the stores at the Maritime Museum (Photo Said S., 2013) The only features that are missing from this boat are the registration number which was generally painted or embossed on the sheer strake or posts, the decorations on the musta or along the sheer strake, if it ever had any and the original colours which have been changed to those we see presently. Within the museum records (Reg. No. 335), this boat is described as follows: 144 - 17 palmi144 - Full size firilla purchased from a fisherman in Marsaxlokk. Palmo is equivalent to 0.2619 meters as seen in Muscat 1999: 84 (NLM LIB 223, s.v. Palmo) 49 The boat was purchased by the Maritime Museum in January 1992, for a small sum of money145. The fisherman was known by the nick-name of Ta’ afura146 who was about to retire due to old age. He was proud of his boat and did not want to abandon it. Having no relatives to pass it onto, the owner contacted the museum in order to sell it.147 Its origin and year of construction are unknown, however it might have been in use as early as the 1880’s148. Its provenance is Marsaxlokk harbour, located in the South of Malta and it functioned as a fishing boat around the Maltese coastline. There is no information as to whether it was a full time or part time boat; however, being a seasonal job, fishermen went out as often as possible to earn a living. A boat model dating to c.1850 representing a firilla is exhibited within the Maritime Museum149. This dugout wooden model, measuring 0.45 cm long shows similar characteristics to the rowed firilla. The stempost is exceptionally long with added washboards, a rudder and rounded post ends. Figure 26: Model of a Firilla, Reg. No. 123 (Photo Said S., 2014) 6.3.1. Characteristics The rowed firilla is a double ended open boat, it is carvel built, with a tall stempost and a much shorter sternpost. The boat was rowed, as there is no evidence for a rudder or sprit rig. The central crosssection is U-shape. The boat has a pretty wide hull, however this becomes V-shaped towards the bow and stern. The sheer line becomes higher towards the bow. The keel is straight and the posts are fitted at 90 degrees with the keel. 145 Personally communicated by Mr A.E. Rodriguez who was curator at the time of purchase: 12.08.13 Personally communicated by L. Gauci, curator of the Maritime Museum: 11.09.2013 147 Personally communicated by Mr A.E. Rodriguez: 12.08.13 148 Personally communicated by L. Gauci: 11.09.2013 149 Refer to Appendix D 146 50 Figure 27: Side view of the rowed firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) 6.3.2. Dimensions According to the description in the Museum’s records the boat is 17 palmi long, equivalent to 4.4523 meters long. The description does not specify whether this is the length overall, length between perpendiculars, length of keel or any other possible length dimension. From personal observations, this matches the length of keel, which consists of one piece of wood before being fixed to the stem and sternpost by means of hooked scarfs. The length between perpendiculars is 5.20 m, maximum breadth is 1.78 m and depth of 0.60 m. 6.3.3. Wood Used for Construction Unfortunately, there is no written information regarding the type of wood used to construct this boat. The below table 2 shows the observed results of the wood conservator. As can be noted, ash and pine were highly popular wood types, whilst greenheart, teak and beech were sparely applied to specific elements. 51 Boat Feature Wood Genus Common Name Keel Chlorocardium sp. Greenheart Zokk Fraxinus spp. Ash Post Ends Tectona sp. Teak Framing System Fraxinus spp. Ash Pinus spp. Pine Gunwale Fraxinus spp. Ash Sheer Strake Pinus spp. Pine Hull Strakes Pinus spp. Pine Thwarts Pinus spp. Pine Deck Planks Pinus spp. Pine Oars Fagus spp. Beech inta Table 2: Wood used for each feature (personally communicated by J. Aquilina, wood conservator: 30.01.2014) 6.3.4. Features Figure 28: Interior of the rowed firilla (Photo Said S., 2014). 52 Prim, Zokk u Rota - Keel, Forefoot, Stem and Sternpost The keel is made of at least three pieces of wood, excluding the stem and stern posts. It consists of one long straight piece of wood measuring 8 cm in height and 4 cm in width. This is connected to the posts by means of scarfs. Looking at the bow section, one can outline the scarf between the cracked paint150. The posts start off with a narrow moulded dimension, same as that of the keel, however they finish off in a flare with a larger moulded dimension. A copper firjola is still fixed to both the stem and sternposts. This acted as a protecting agent for when the boat was pulled up the slipway, but also to protect the wood in case it rams into something. This strip starts at either end of the keel and runs up to the gunwale. Another strip then continues up onto the posts. This latter feature is found on both ends of the narrow side of the posts. It is U shaped as though cupping the posts, but does not run all the way to the end of the posts. Observing this constructional feature on the skeleton firilla, the keel is connected to the stempost by means of two hooked scarfs, roughly 50 cm apart, which define the second piece forming part of the keel called forefoot (zokk). The first scarf connects the keel to the zokk, whilst the second scarf connects the zokk to the post (rota). On the stern end, the skeleton firilla looks very different from the rowed firilla. Unfortunately, no scarf is visible on the rowed firilla, but most probably scarf(s) connect the keel to the sternpost, with the intermediary forefoot. On either end of the boat, an apron (kontra rota) is visible, reaching up to frame 6 on the aft and frame 20 on the stern (drawing 1). The dimensions are 5.5 cm sided by 3.5 cm moulded. This keeps rising up along the stem and sternpost, up to the gunwale. The apron was inserted as a support to hold the posts to the keel. Being such long features these needed to be strengthened and held tight with the keel. Majjieri u Stamnari - Framing System There are 24 visible floor frames (majjieri). Dimensions for the sides of the frames vary from 2 cm 3.5 cm. The moulded dimensions vary too, from 3.5 cm - 7 cm. Frames 1 to 6 and 20 to 24 are referred to as żniegel (żengul singular) as these are found wedged onto the apron (half a lap joint). Also these frames are V-shaped not U-shaped, giving the hull a V-shape at both ends, whilst a U-shape amidships. Looking at the plan of the frames (drawing 1) there seems to be no particular pattern on the placing of the thicker or thinner frames. A majority of the frames are 3 cm sided and 4 cm moulded. The only frame measuring 3.5 cm sided is the twelfth frame, found at amidships. The narrower frames (measuring between 2 cm - 2.5 cm) are located in the fore of the boat consisting of frames 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10, except for frames 16 and 19. Frames 5 and 7 are the thinnest measuring 2 cm sided. 150 Refer to Appendix G 53 Drawing 1: Digital plan of the rowed firilla (Said S. 2014) 54 Frames 3, 6, 9, 12, 16 and 19 have additional wooden elements attached to them. These elements were added in order to increase the height of the frame and be able to support the floor deck. The length of these elements extend up to the two stringers found along the floor frames, whilst the sided dimensions either match that of the frame it is fixed to or made wider, as in the case of frames 9 and 16. These last two measure 4.5 cm sided. This pair of stringers do not act as supporting agents for the frames, but more of a marker and a retainer for the floor deck. The distance between each frame from front to front is less than one palm, ranging from 16 cm - 23 cm. The narrower gaps are located in between the central frames, however there is no particular pattern as to the rest of the distances. There are another 52 frame elements called futtocks (stamnari), 26 on the port side and 26 on the starboard side. Of these, 24 are found on either end of the floor frames, whilst the last two pairs are found on either end of the boat at the bow and stern. These last two pairs are called żniegel, along with frames 1, 2, 23 and 24, as they are sitting right above the apron. The sided dimensions vary from 2.5 cm - 3.5 cm, whilst the moulded dimensions vary from 3 cm 4.5 cm. What is interesting to note is that these elements run all the way up to the sheer line, running through the waterway and gunwale, and lying flush with the top of the latter element. A stringer runs along the futtocks from bow to stern, just below the waterway, keeping the features in place. Where the futtocks overlap with the floor frames three copper nails are hammered in, to fix the two together. As seen in the plan of this firilla, the framing system starts with a futtock then a frame at the bow. However this changes at frame 13, where you have the frame first then the futtock. This continues so until the stern. The issue still remains as to whether the frames have been cut/sawn/carved to a solid form or bent into form by steaming. When talking to the curator L. Gauci151, his sources directed at the latter method, the method of ‘steaming’ which seems to have been popular amongst boatbuilders. The below information has been personally communicated by L. Gauci, whose father was a boat builder. He use to bend the frames into shape by means of heating. A metal plank was heated from below by means of a burner and as this warmed up, the wooden elements were placed on top and bent into the right shape. The metal plank was concave in shape, aiding the 151 20.11.13 55 bending process of the wood. Once the elements were given the correct shape, these were fixed to the keel and held together by the stringer. Muscat152 however, describes the method of shaping frames by means of a bowsaw and spokeshave. So carving the elements was not an unknown technique. This issue does not seem to stem from the possibility that boatbuilders came from different areas, therefore using different techniques. The author was informed that a group of three boatbuilders working together, prevailing from different areas of the Island used one method, that of steaming153. When interviewing the boat builder working for the Marsa Regatta Club, referred to by his nickname ‘id-Dajdu’ (Mr G. Camilleri), he specifically pointed out that the frames were cut out based on moulds. However, steaming was used to bend the hull strakes, as these were harder to cut into the required shape. It seems that each boatbuilder must have had his own method of forming the hull elements and that each boat was a unique creation. Looking at the thin framing system that form the skeleton of the rowed firilla, steaming and bending is a more likely method to have been applied in creating the elements. The fact that these are made of ash further validates the above statement. However, that being said, the exposed wood shows that the wood grain does not follow the curvature of the bend found on the framing system154. The author cannot observe any tool marks as the sides are very smooth and also painted over. However, smoothening of the frames must not be omitted from the process, removing any tool marks that might have been present. The frames definitely follow the wood grain, as with the planking and smaller elements. Inforra, Ċinta u Bastun - Stringer, Wale and Moulding The stringer is what keeps the framing system in place. This measures 6 cm wide and is fitted towards the top end of the futtocks. The waterway is fixed on top of the stringer. A wale ( inta) (3 cm wide) was fitted on the exterior side of the frames and runs all along the hull from one end to the other. The inta is fitted below the level of the waterway, is painted in white and is also connected to the moulding (bastun). This bastun is short in length and only found on the fore and aft of the boat, defining the space called the musta . The moulding is 2 cm wide, and also painted in white. The fore musta is larger than that of the stern, as this was often either decorated with the oculus or some other symbol. 152 1999: 37-38 Personally communicated by L. Gauci, curator of the Maritime Museum: 20.11.13 154 Refer to Appendix G 153 56 Trinkarin u Tanburett – Waterway and Decks The waterway is a passage found on either side of the boat for water to drain out at the scuppers (burdnari). This passage joins the fore and aft decks, so any water runoff can be flushed out immediately. The fore deck also functioned as a means to get in and out of the boat 155, whilst the aft deck was used to create a closed space at the stern where equipment was held. The waterway is 27 cm wide and has a depth of circa 10 cm. It is made of two elements, one vertical (pastiera) and one horizontal (trinkarini). The former sits upon the benches and is supported by two stanchions, whilst its ends are joined to the fore and aft deck. The decks at either ends are supported on arching frames; three on the fore deck and two on the aft deck. Both decks are made up of five planks, each of different dimensions fitted together to create a surface. Tappiera u Burdnari - Sheer Strake, Scuppers and Details Above the wale, the sheer strake is fixed at either ends to the posts. Its width varies from 17 cm at the stem, to 12.5 cm amidships and 14 cm at the stern. This strake consists of two planks of wood, butting each other at the 3.50 m mark from the aft. It is attached to the frames by nails, hammered through the sheer plank and into the frames. A series of two nails are driven through the plank, one at the top and one at the bottom of the plank, and these are aligned with the scuppers (burdnari). The burdnari act as drain holes and are located on the bottom half of the sheer plank. These are designed like an ogee arch, typically found in arabesque art and architecture. There are 26 burdnari on each side, aligned with the 26 stamnari of the boat. A similar style of decoration is used to carve out two small windows (menqa/kaxxaforti) beneath the fore deck where one could store personal items156. One other feature located on both sides of the bow, fixed to the gunwale consists of a vertical knee attached to a so called makkarunetta Torka. This latter feature consists of a square prism (makkarunett) with a turban looking end (Tork). In other boat types, such as the Luzzu, washboards were fitted on the gunwales, and the makkarunetta functioned as a retainer. These would be adjusted to the boatman’s needs. In this case, this feature might have functioned as a mooring device. Bardnell - Gunwale The gunwale runs all along the sheer line from bow to stern and is fixed to both the stemposts and the sheer strake. It is split into three pieces and joined together by means of Z-scarfs. These scarfs are found between the 1.50 and 2.00 m mark and the 4.00 and 4.50 m mark. As mentioned previously the frames run through the gunwale, finishing flush with the surface. The 155 156 Pulè 2000: 59 Pulè 2000: 117 57 gunwale is made of two pieces of wood, one measuring 10 cm wide and the thinner one measuring 2 cm. This latter strip is also split into three parts, joined together by means of butt joints and possibly acting as a rubbing strake. The outer strip is nailed onto the gunwale and has the same thickness as the gunwale, that of 2.5 cm. Bankijiet u Brazzoli – Benches and Knees There are three crossbeams in the boat; the fore beam served as a thwart, the mid-ship beam functioned as a supporting agent, whilst the aft planks functioned as seating positions and to extend the back deck. The mid-ship beam runs through the lower end of the pastiera, resting above the stringer and is further supported by two hanging knees on either side. This was added to re-enforce the whole hull, it is concave in shape and made of one curved element. The fore thwart can be partially removed and is supported by hanging knees. The aft planks are lying on top of the pastiera and sit flush with the gunwale. Each of the above mentioned features have different dimensions. The mid-ship beam was also referred to as ‘l- anżira’, and as the name implied (meaning the pig) bulky equipment could be attached to this beam157. There are eight hanging knees (brazzol) in all, four on either side, found on frames 3, 7, 11 and 20. These act as support to the upper waterway and thwarts. Two stanchions are found on frame 17, opposite each other. These were also placed as supports. Paljol/Parjol u Skuża - Floor Deck and Stringer The floor deck consists of several planks of wood fitted together to create a standing area in the boat. The planks sit on top of the frames as mentioned above and are removable. There are fourteen pieces in all, two fitted at both ends and another twelve creating the main deck. A stringer (skuża) runs along these wooden planks, from frame 3 to 20 (bow to stern), keeping the floor planks in place. It is made of two pieces of wood, cut at frame 10 towards the aft. It is 4 cm - 4.5 cm wide, 2 cm thick and is nailed to both floor frames and the first futtocks with 4 cm nails. Fallakki – Strakes Five strakes form the hull of the boat, excluding the sheer strake and garboard strake (tavla). According to Pulè, the sheer strake was made of a different wood type from that of the hull strakes, slightly harder in type like beech158. However in this case, both the hull strakes and the sheer strake are made of pine. The garboard strake is the narrowest, measuring 10 cm in width amidships and 8 cm at either ends. 157 158 Pulè 2000: 117 2000: 102 58 For the first four strakes from the garboard, the author could not identify any joints or breaks in the planks. The fifth plank is split into two, at the 2.86 m mark from the fore, with a straight butt joint attaching the two planks together. Some stealers (lembut fl-g eluq) can be identified beneath the layers of paint, which were used to fill the gaps in between strakes. The thickness of the planks is 1.5 cm and the widths vary from 14 cm - 20 cm. Steering It is interesting to note that this boat does not have any rudder or any sailing equipment. It was manoeuvred by means of oars (moqdief). Literature describes the boat as being rowed by four men within the harbour area159 and once the nets were thrown over, it was steered by one person whilst the others helped hauling the nets (fig. 19, 21 and 23). The boat was rowed in a sitting and standing position, facing the aft. This rowing position can still be seen today in the regatta races and also on traditional boats that ferry people across the harbour on special occasions. From photographic evidence, one can see that there are generally three rowlocks, two opposite each other on the fore, whilst the third on the aft starboard side. The fourth is missing, as this is where the nets were often thrown over and hauled back up (fig. 23). The rowed firilla has four rowlocks (battusi) with removable thole pins (skalm), acting as the fulcrum for the oar, fixed into the gunwale. However, the fourth one on the port side to the stern, seems not to have functioned or was added at a later stage. This is further attested by the indent found on the three rowlocks where the oar use to rub against the wood. This indent is missing in the fourth rowlock. Unlike the two rowlocks on the fore of the boat, the two on the aft are not found in line with each other; the one on the port side is further towards the stern than the starboard one. This positioning matches up with the photographic evidence described above. A pair of oars (paletta/pala bil ġiljun), have been identified as the ones used by this firilla. Very likely a smaller extra pair were kept on board160, and in fact another smaller set of oars do belong to this firilla. These oars have a pointed end where the boatman held on to row, whilst the other end consists of a flat rectangular surface. The total length of the larger oars is 2.77 m. The flat end is 14 cm wide whilst the handle has a diameter of 3 cm. The smaller pair of oars measure 1.78 m in length, with a flat end measuring 10 cm and a handle of 3.5 cm in diameter. Oars were often made from dense, strong wood, which tended to have good elastic 159 160 Muscat 1999: 86 Personally communicated by L. Gauci, curator of the Maritime Museum: 20.11.13 59 properties in order to sustain the stresses it had to endure when in use161. As mentioned above (table 2), the oars of this firilla are made of beech wood, matching the above properties. Fastenings According to Pulè, the hull planks were fitted into place by hammering them with brass nails (an alloy of copper and zinc), whose head was hammered inwards to create a flat head. Prior to hammering, a hole was made with a needle looking nail in order to fit in the nails. The nails were driven through the hull planks and into the framing system.162 In the rowed firilla, it is difficult to assess if there are different materials being applied for fastenings, as most of them are covered over by paint. From the few that have been expose it looks as though there is a consistency in the material used for the nails, specifically brass nails. There does not seem to be any rust forming around or near any of the nails. However, a green verdigris colour is visible along the firjola found along the keel, so most likely this is copper. Three types of nails can be identified; brass nails with a flattened head or diamond shaped heads; riveted brass nails and screw nails (these latter are possibly stainless steel). The flattened brass nails seem to be the most popular type used. Roughly a maximum of twenty nails are used on each floor frame and a maximum of sixteen nails to attach the futtocks. The dimensions vary from 4 cm in length and 5 mm in diameter and 5 cm in length and 3 mm in diameter. This variation in the head diameter depends on how the nail was cut and made flush with the framing system. The nails seem to be an inch and a half apart, however sometimes two are found next to each other. The diamond headed brass nails are visible in the floor planks and to fix smaller elements, such as the rowlocks to the main structure. These measure 5 cm in length and have a head diameter of 7 mm. It is interesting to note that ends of the nails used for the floor deck, are bent into the wood, creating a hooked nail. Riveted nails, are the least popular, visible on some knees and along the apron. These have a head diameter of 1 cm. From the information provided by the boat builder, thicker nails were used on elements such as the apron and to fix the frame to the keel. This brass nail would be driven through and then hammered flush with the wood, creating a larger surface area, which might mislead one to think it was riveted. Screw nails seem to be applied in places of no structural importance, such as the menqa. These have a slotted head and measure 1 cm in diameter. 161 162 Personally communicated by J. Abela, keeper of models at the Maritime Museum: 20.11.13 2000: 103 60 Colours and Decoration Looking at the boat today one sees a different colour scheme from that originally applied. No fixed or carved decorations are found on this firilla, neither is there any indication that there were any hammered into the hull or musta area. The gunwale along with the post ends, have been given an orange/yellow ochre colour, but it seems as though these were originally green. The sheer strake along with the musta is baby blue, whilst the hull is given a darker blue colour on the top end, whilst a maroon colour on the lower half. This latter colour marks out the waterline, and was probably an anti-fouling paint. Originally the musta was an ochre yellow colour, corresponding to its provenance, that being Marsaxlokk. Some parts of the interior, such as the benches are also painted green, whilst the aft benches were painted baby blue. The waterway is painted green on the inside and orange/yellow ochre on the outside. The floor planks were originally painted green, however much of the paint has washed away. The framing system is multi-coloured, with the central part coloured orange, the fore and aft frames painted baby blue, whilst the sides have been coated with the orange/yellow ochre colour. Treatments, Changes and Restoration The rowed firilla has never seen any changes since it entered the museum collection163. There does not seem to be any repairs done on the boat either. The only changes that are visible are the colours painted on the boat and possibly the rowlock found on the aft of the port side. 163 Personally communicated by L. Gauci, curator of the Maritime Museum: 11.09.2013 61 Figure 29: 3D representation of the Rowed Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) 62 6.4. PTF87 Firilla The PTF87 firilla is currently stored in the same hall as the rowed firilla. On the whole this boat is relatively well preserved, retaining most of its original features. Just like the rowed firilla, this boat has not seen any maintenance since it joined the museum collection. This is unfortunate as some parts of the hull planking are splitting from the apron and the exposed wood of the stempost is splintered and worn down. Although a large part of the boat structure is intact, some of the necessary parts have gone missing. The engine along with the propeller are no longer there, neither is the mast and sails. The cover for the propeller shaft, along with the boards where the engine stood are still seen in place, along with the hose that was used to discharge cooling water. Some of the letters forming part of the registration number have fallen off (starboard side) and half the floor deck planks are missing. Luckily the original colours of the boat have survived. Figure 30: The PTF87 firilla in its current state within the stores at the Maritime Museum (Photo Said S., 2013) 63 For some reason, the Maritime Museum has no paper record of this boat. PTF87 refers to the registration number given to the boat when the owner applied with the Fisheries Department. PTF stands for part-time fisherman, whilst the number is simply there to identify the boat within the Fisheries Department records. Figure 31: Registration number shown on the port side (Photo Said S., 2014) This boat joined the Museum collection in 1995. It was brought over from Msida, a town found on the east coast of Malta, by museum personnel, prior to being scrapped164. Its date of construction is unknown and unfortunately the boat owner is also anonymous. It was used as a fishing vessel, propelled by oar and sail, and later on modified to introduce the engine. This introduction came at a cost, but meant that the fishermen could travel further out and catch larger quantities of fish with less fatigue. The introduction of the engine to Maltese boats started in the 1920s165, giving a terminus post quem date. However, according to the boat builder ‘idDajdu’, the first engine was introduced by his father in 1963. He was imprisoned for this addition as it meant that he was at an advantage over other fishermen166. It is more likely that the engine was introduced at the latter date, once it became more popular167. 164 Personally communicated by L. Gauci, curator of the Maritime Museum: 8.01.14 Muscat 1999: 84 166 Personally communicated by Mr G. Camilleri, boatbuilder: 18.02.14 167 Personal communication by Carmenu Camilleri, model maker: 27.04.14 165 64 Although one would think that once the engine was introduced, the sails were scrapped, this is misleading. Sails were still taken out on the boat in case the engine fails and the owners need to head back into safety168. The rudder must have been there from the initial plans of the boat, making steering with the sail possible. With the new engine in place, the hull of the boat must have remained more or less the same. The changes that were required were at the stern, for the propeller, the insertion of the propeller shaft and the two holes in the side of the hull (starboard side) for water intake and discharge. It is interesting to note that a small scale model of a 20th century firilla is exhibited within the museum and is an exact copy of the PTF87 firilla, excluding the engine. The model is furnished with a sprit sail and jib. It has four oars, a rudder and tiller, whilst miniature blocks hold the ropes taut. The model is painted with a red musta , a navy blue and white hull, a brown sheer strake and a green interior with yellow frames. This model is dedicated to ‘St Rita’ as written on the sheer strake. It is 38 cm long and dates to around the 1920s169. Figure 32: Model of a Firilla complete with sails and oars, c. 1920 No. 82 (Photo Said S., 2014) 168 169 Personally communicated by Mr G. Camilleri: 24.02.14 Refer to Appendix D 65 6.4.1. Characteristics The PTF87 firilla is a double ended open boat, with its stempost towering higher than the sternpost. It was carvel built using the skeleton-based method. It was fitted with a mast for a spritsail and jib, along with a rudder and oars. The boat is also furnished with an inboard combustion engine, running on fuel and cooled off with sea water. The boat has a straight keel with the posts fixed at 90 degrees to the keel. The propeller is fixed on the aft of the boat; an elliptical opening was cut in the sternpost and keel where the propeller could be retained. The rudder is fixed to the sternpost with metal pins, making it possible for the rudder to swivel 180 degrees. Above the gunwale, a washboard has been fixed (not removable), where the registration number is visible. The boat has a wide hull amidships, with a U-shaped crosssection. The fore and aft ends however are narrow, turning into a V-shape. The sheer line inclines upwards towards the bow, making this end higher than the stern. Figure 33: Side view of the PTF87 firilla (Photo Said S., 2013) 6.4.2. Dimensions Since the boat has no record, there are no inconsistencies for this firilla. The length overall is 4.80 m with a maximum breadth of 1.84 m (1.77 m at the gunwale) and a depth of 0.78 m. 66 6.4.3. Wood Used for Construction With no written documentation to refer to, samples for the wood conservator were prepared so as to identify the wood used for the PTF87 firilla. The below table shows that a preference for ash and pine was used, whilst teak was applied solely for the posts. Boat Feature Wood Genus Common Name Keel Fraxinus spp. Ash Zokk Fraxinus spp. Ash Post Ends Tectona sp. Teak Framing System Fraxinus spp. Ash Pinus spp. Pine Gunwale Pinus spp. Pine Washboards Pinus spp. Pine Hull Strakes Pinus spp. Pine Sheer Strake Pinus spp. Pine Thwart Pinus spp. Pine Deck Planks Fraxinus spp. Ash Rowlocks Pinus spp. Pine Oars Pinus spp. Pine Rudder Pinus spp. Pine inta Table 3: Wood used for each feature (personally communicated by J. Aquilina, wood conservator: 30.01.2014) 6.4.4. Features Prim, Zokk u Rota - Keel, Forefoot, Stem and Sternpost The keel consists of one long straight wooden timber running from stem to stern of the boat. It is 4 cm sided, whilst the moulded dimensions start at 8 cm at the fore and widen to 10 cm at the stern. A firjola runs beneath the keel, tapering in thickness from fore to aft; moulded dimensions are 2 cm - 5 cm respectively, whilst the sided dimensions match those of the keel. Both keel and firjola finish off abruptly at the stern. A thin wooden strip of wood called żarbuna is fixed to the firjola and attached to the sternpost (rota), in an L shape. This abrupt termination 67 is due to the propeller which is attached to the hull by means of a pipe that runs into the boat and connects to the engine. The visible end of the pipe is enclosed within wood which is fixed above the keel. This pipe is often made of stainless steel170. The sternpost runs from the żarbuna upwards in a 90 degree angle to the keel, and finishes off with a flare like the stempost. This latter feature is also fixed to the keel at 90 degrees. Although not visible on the PTF87, the keel is fixed to the posts by means of a forefoot (zokk), joined by means of two hooked scarfs. This feature is clearly visible on the skeleton firilla and is confirmed by the boat builder. Copper (verdigris is clearly present on this metal piece, however rust is also visible on the sides) is used for the strip, also called firjola that runs along the stempost. Brass nails are hammered through the firjola into the post. Although the firjola is broken off half way down the stempost, it covered the post and zokk and part of the keel. This was done to protect the slim edge when dragging the boat up and down the slipway, but also against any damage it might incur. On the fore and aft end of the boat, an apron (kontra rota) can be visible (drawing 2) on the inside of the posts. It is visible from the fore to frame 6, ending flush with the frame and starts again with frame 19 to the stern. This apron supports the posts to the keel. It is visible rising up on the stempost, however the stern part is not visible. It seems as though the boat has been fitted with a small transom on the inner side where the apron should be fixed to the sternpost. The fitted engine required a hole to fit the shaft that lead to the propeller. This hole was drilled through the stern end of the boat. Two lubricated bearings were placed at either end of the shaft in order to reduce friction and function properly. These can still be visible on the shaft171. The shaft did not run through the apron, but through another block of wood placed above the apron and measuring the same sided dimensions. This was fixed to the apron and the sternpost and also kept in place by the framing system. Nothing can be seen of the engine anymore, only the blocks of wood that held the engine in position and fixed from falling and move all over the boat. These blocks are referred to as soddod in Maltese, literally meaning bedding. The engine was cooled by water; water was pumped up into the inboard from the outside. This was then discharged back out from a hose. Both intake and discharge holes are still present, found on the starboard side, one through the garboard strake whilst the other through the fourth hull plank, beneath the sheer plank, respectively. The intake valve is found between frames 10 and 11, whilst the discharge hole is in line with the former and still has the hose in place. The valve is made of copper, whilst the 170 171 Personally communicated by Mr G. Camilleri, boatbuilder: 24.02.14 Refer to Appendix G 68 hose is made of hard rubber. The shaft was protect by a wooden box which extended from frame 14 to 20. This retainer slants with a height of 20 cm on the engine side, tapering down to 5 cm on the other end. It is lodged into the floor deck and has two copper strips fitted at either end as reinforcement. Figure 34: Interior of the PTF87 firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) Majjieri u Stamnari - Framing System The framing system in the PTF87 consists of 23 floor frames (majjieri) and 46 futtocks (stamnari), one on either end of the floor frame (drawing 2). As seen on the plan, the framing system starts with a futtock followed by a frame. However, this changes with frame 12, to frame followed by a futtock. This continues so till the stern. Dimensions for the sides of the floor frames do not vary much. A majority of them measure 2.5 cm sided, only four of the frames have other measurements: frame 2 is 3 cm sided, frame 4 is 2.8 cm sided, frame 15 is 2 cm sided and frame 20 is also 2 cm sided. The moulded dimensions for the floor frames ranges from 3 cm - 5 cm. The larger dimensions for the latter are found towards the fore and aft parts of the boat. These end frames are called żniegel, as they are found wedged onto the apron and have a V-shape form. These żniegel are found from frame 1 to 5 and 19 to 23. The length of each floor frame is not consistent, some are oddly shorter than others, such as frame 6 and 17. 69 Drawing 2: Digital plan of the PTF87 firilla (Said S., 2014) 70 The framing system consists of three elements, namely a floor frame with a futtock running up to the gunwale on either side. However, some are either double floor frames or have an extra short curved element attached to the futtock. Two of the floor frames, namely frame 3 and 19, have an additional piece of wood fixed above the frame in order to support the floor deck. These additional pieces match the same sided dimensions as the frame, however the moulded sides vary and their length either extends from stringer to stringer (frame 3) or are slightly shorter (frame 19). The futtocks attached to frames 15 and 21 to 23 along the port side, have an additional curved element fixed to the futtock right beneath the waterway. These elements are as wide as the corresponding frame, however only extend half way down the futtock. Floor frame 6 along the starboard side extends up to the waterway, creating a double frame on one side, whilst frame 2 has a double floor frame of equal length and width. Frames 8, 10 and 12 have a gap between the futtocks filled with a wooden rib, so it is like having two floor frames, very likely because they are supporting the engine and therefore need to be structurally sound. On either side of the engine boards on frames 10 and 12, vertical knees are fixed to the frames, supporting the boards. The engine boards run along from frame 8 to 14. These consist of two boards that are asymmetrical to the keel and are fixed to the floor frames. To the starboard side the intake and discharge valve are found between frames 10 and 12. The engine boards are 5 cm sided and measure 19 cm on the fore and 15 cm on the stern, making them slanting towards the stern. There is no particular symmetrical pattern in the way the floor frames have been placed, however they are fitted in a regular fashion. The distance from front to front of the frames is less than one palm, ranging from 13.5 cm - 23 cm. The average measurement is 18 cm. The smallest gap measures 13.5 cm and is found between frame 9 and 10. All the smaller gaps seem to be located on the fore part of the boat. The 46 stamnari run up all the way through the waterway and gunwale. They end flush with the top side of the gunwale; this can be visible as a square on the sheer line. A large part of these elements are symmetrical, however there are the odd two or three pairs that are completely asymmetrical, for example frames 9, 15, 18 and 19. The sided dimensions vary from 2 cm - 4 cm, whilst the moulded dimensions vary from 3 cm - 4 cm. There is no stringer keeping the frame elements in place, it seems as though the waterway and the gunwale are the only features retaining these elements fixed. Each floor frame is fixed onto the keel with a nail in the middle. This is further attached to the hull planking by means of brass nails, which are driven through the planks and into the framing system. The floor frames have about eight nails equally spaced, some of which are 71 hooked at the end. Where the floor frames overlap the futtocks, three nails are hammered through the moulded side of the futtock through the floor frame. The thin framing system might be indicative of the way these elements were shaped. The use of ash also points to the possible method of steaming for bending the wood. Tool marks cannot be spotted out as there is too much paint covering the wood, however this should not be omitted and neither the fact that the wood might have been sanded down to smoothen the edges. As with the case of the rowed firilla, the framing system for the PTF87 was cut based on moulds as there is no indication of steaming. Inforra, Ċinta u Bastun - Stringer, Wale and Moulding The stringer is missing in the PTF87. There are however small wooden elements that run beneath the waterway as though to support both the frames and the waterway172. These small blocks of wood are found beneath frames 12 to 14 and 19 to 23 on the starboard side and frames 11 to 14 on the port side. The waterway plank does not end flush with the hull planks but extends further out by about 2 cm, below which the wale ( inta) is fixed. The two features measure 3 cm moulded and run along the hull from fore to end. They are not made of one piece of wood but split at the 3.70 m mark. The two pieces are joined together by means of a butt joint. The wale is painted in white, whilst the protruding waterway plank is painted in red. At the fore end of the boat, these two are thicker. The sided dimension measures 2.5 cm, whilst the rest of this element measure 1.5 cm. The wale is then connected to the moulding (bastun), found at both the fore and aft of the boat. This bastun is a thin strip of wood measuring 2 cm moulded which defines the area called the musta . The fore area is larger than the aft area and holes where decorations were fixed can still be seen on the fore musta 173 . On the starboard side, a screw nail is still stuck into the wood, whilst an empty hole is visible right next to it, whilst on the port side one nail is still hammered in the musta . Trinkarin u Tanburett - Waterway and Decks The waterway is the passageway found on either side of the boat where water can drain out through the scuppers (burdnari). This passageway joins the fore and aft deck or tanburett. The waterway is widest amidships (30 cm) and narrower (20 cm) on the ends, with a maximum depth of 20 cm. The waterway has a vertical element called pastiera, creating an enclosed passageway, until it meets the two decks. This has been heightened (an additional 14.5 cm amidships) with a piece of plywood and runs from the fore deck till amidships. Along the 172 173 Refer to Appendix G Refer to Appendix G 72 pastiera, metal square prisms have been screwed onto the plank facing the inside of the boat. There are ten in all, five on both sides and are placed, two along the middle bench, another two along the fore bench and one near the fore deck. These measure 2 cm sided and 1.8 cm in length. They are hollow and screwed into the pastiera with four screw nails with a slotted head. Their function is unknown, however they probably functioned as supports to insert poles for a tent. The fore deck is relatively small, and contains two circular holes of diameter 4 cm. The port hole is furnished with a square block, with the hole running through, however the starboard hole seems to have this missing. These holes might have been used for belaying pins, although the makkarunett (described below) might also have functioned as a belaying pin. Beneath the fore deck, two closed spaces are visible. These are called menqa or kaxxaforti and functioned as a storage for personal use. Between the two small spaces another circular hole, diameter 9 cm, accommodated the mast for the sprit sail. From images and the small model of the firilla, the sprit was attached to the sail on one end, whilst the other end could be placed in three different positions according to the wind direction. These three positions can still be seen on the fore bench (measuring 4 cm in diameter), consisting of three circular depressions in the wood. This was also referred to as the bench of the sprit or il-bank tal-lasta. The aft deck is slightly larger and has a removable triangular board, called bokkaporta, in order to access beneath the deck. From literary descriptions this area was used to store fishing equipment, whilst the waterway held the fresh catch. This was an ideal place to keep the fish fresh, as water use to wash in and out of the scuppers.174 Both decks are supported upon wooden beams. There are three arches supporting the fore deck, each arch in line with the frames, whilst the aft deck is supported by two straight beams. Tappiera u Burdnari - Sheer Strake, Scuppers and Details The outer strake that encloses the waterway is called the tappiera. This plank of wood lies above the wale and is fixed to the posts. The sheer strake is split into two planks, joined together by means of a butt joint at the 70 cm mark from the bow. The plank is 15 cm wide and is also fixed to the futtock with brass nails. The sheer strake contains the scuppers (burdnari) from which water drains out, and are located on the bottom half of the sheer strake. There are 23 scuppers on either side of the boat, all aligned with the futtocks, however the last four (located at the stern of the boat) have been closed off, therefore only nineteen are still functional. The scuppers start with frame 3 at the fore deck and end with frame 19 at the 174 Pule 2000:117 73 aft deck (excluding the last four non-functioning scuppers). The burdnari are designed like an ogee arch, however some have lost the rounded shape and are seen as triangular openings. A similar style of decoration is used to carve out the menqa openings. One other scupper is found on the top part of the sheer strake, at the 1.80 m mark from the bow, on the starboard side, possibly indicating a reutilised strake. On the fore end of the sheer strake three small holes are visible in the middle of the plank, aligned with the sheer line. These are found on the starboard side, however are not visible on the port side. Most likely some form of decoration or image was attached here. Bardnell u Falka - Gunwale and Washboard The gunwale runs all along the top of the sheer strake, extending from the stempost to the sternpost. It follows the sheer line which bends upwards towards the stempost, therefore creating a high stem and a lower stern. It is made up of two strips of wood, with the outer one acting as a rubbing strake. The dimension of the bardnell are 3 cm moulded and 9 cm sided, 2 cm of which consist of the rubbing strake. The whole bardnell is not made up of one strip of wood but split into three parts. At the 1.34 m mark from the bow, the two pieces are joined by means of a butt joint, the second split at the 2.50 m mark consists of a diagonal joint, whilst the last butt joint is at the 4.28 m mark. The outer rubbing strake is fixed onto the bardnell using two different methods. On the port side this is attached using mortise and tenon joints. The tenon end can be seen flush on the side. There are five in all roughly placed at equal distances. However, on the starboard side screw nails and bolts fix this strake to the gunwale. Metal loops have been screwed into the interior side of the gunwale. There are 5 of these on the starboard side, whilst one on the port side. These might have been used as part of the rigging for the sprit sail. Above the gunwale, washboards have been added. These are referred to as falka in Maltese and can either be permanently fixed or removable. The latter is done in order to be able to haul up nets from the water more comfortably. In this boat the falka is fixed and cannot be removed. The total height of this is 21 cm, however the planks themselves measure 17 cm. It does not run all along the whole length of the gunwale but starts at frame 3 and continues to the sternpost. It is made up of five planks in all, two on both sides and a straight one at the stern. Each plank is encased within a wooden frame, except for the stern plank, as though to create a second gunwale. The planks are split at the 4.30 m mark and 4.70 m mark from the bow, and unlike the upper sheer strake, these planks are very straight and do not follow the curve of the sheer line. Above this a pair of rowlocks have been fixed. The rowlocks are 30 cm long, located at the 1.70 m mark from the bow and have the thole pins missing. 74 The registration number of the boat is nailed on the front part of the washboard. The plate is made of metal and fixed to the washboard with small iron nails. The plate on the port side has retained all its letters and numbers, however the plate on the starboard side is missing a letter and a number. The text is cut out of metal pieces and painted in white, which are mounted onto a red metal plate. The text reads PTF87 and had to be made visible on the boat in order to be identified. Towards the bow, the washboards finish off with a so called makkarunetta Torka. This feature consists of a vertical knee fixed to a square solid prism (makkarunett) upon which a turban looking sphere is fixed. This feature is used to hold the washboard in place, but could also function as a mooring device. Bankijiet u Brazzoli - Benches and Knees In Maltese, thwarts are referred to as bankijiet. The PTF87 has two of these, one has already been mentioned above, called il-bank tal-lasta, where the sprit was placed. This is found on the fore part of the boat, close to where the mast was fitted. It measures 12 cm sided and varies in the moulded dimensions as it forms an arch, and the ends rest against the pastiera. The second bench is roughly located amidships and is also arched resting upon a hanging knee on either side. Its dimensions are 9 cm sided and 2.5 cm moulded, with a length of 1.01 m. Two small features are found on either end of this bench, U-shaped and cubed. There are a total of twelve hanging knees, six on either side of the boat. These are located along frames 3, 7, 11, 12, 16 and 20. The knees found on frame 3 are supporting the fore deck, whilst the knees on frame 7 support the bank tal-lasta. Frames 11 and 12 support the middle bench, the waterway and also help support the hull amidships. This is where you find the engine valves on the starboard side. Frame 16 has knees as further support for the waterway whilst the knees along frame 20 are supporting the fore deck. Two horizontal knees are found on either end on the boat, supporting the gunwale where it joins together. The angle for these last two knees varies; the one at the fore is sharply bent, whilst the one at the aft is more U-shaped. Another two horizontal knees have been screwed in onto the aft deck where it meets the pastiera. Paljol/Parjol u Skuża - Floor Deck and Stringer The floor deck in the PTF87 consists of a series of planks which are fitted together to create a levelled deck on which to stand on. The central planks surrounding the engine blocks are missing, however the other planks are still intact. There are currently a total of nine planks, which rest upon the floor frames and are removable, making access to the hull bottom easy, in case bailing is required. The planks are roughly 2 cm thick and range in length from 0.66 m to 0.98 m. A stringer (skuża) runs along the length of the floor deck, from frame 4 to 20. The 75 starboard stinger is one strip of wood measuring 4 cm sided and 1.5 cm moulded. The port stringer is split at frame 12, fixed by means of a diagonal joint and measures the same as the starboard stringer. Each stringer is fixed to the framing system by means of either brass nails or screw nails. Fallakki - Strakes Three strakes form the hull of the boat, excluding the garboard strake and sheer strake. Each strake varies in dimensions and none are made of one plank of wood, but broken down into shorter lengths. The garboard strake which is attached to the keel has a maximum sided dimension of 23 cm. This is made of two planks, split at the 1.00 m mark and is joined together with a butt joint. The first strake above this is divided into three parts, split at the 1.50 m mark and the 2.50 m mark, from the bow. Butt joints are used to join the planks together. This plank is roughly 27 cm sided. The second strake is also dived in three, however the splits are found at 40 cm and 2.10m from the bow. The planks are roughly 27 cm sided and the planks are again joined using butt joints. The last strake found beneath the sheer strake is 22 cm sided and is divided into 4 parts, one of which seems to be a repair. This repair is hexagon in shape and is only found on the starboard side, towards the aft. It seems to be joined together with the other planks using diagonal joints. The thickness of the planks measured 1.5 cm and each plank was fixed onto the framing system using brass nails. Each plank is hammered at the ends through the framing system. Unfortunately, stealers are not visible. Steering It is quite amazing how the PTF87 contains all manners of steering. A rudder along with a tiller are still attached to the sternpost. A pair of oars also belong to this boat, and a pair of rowlocks are still fixed onto the washboard. The sailing equipment does not exist any longer, however we can still see where the mast was fixed and where the sprit rested. There is no evidence for a jib, however from pictorial and literary information this would have been present. It also featured an internal combustion engine that was cooled using sea water. The type of oars that belongs to the PTF87 are called pallelli bit-turban Tork in Maltese, as these have a unique handle. A leather strap is found around the edge which joins the actual paddle with the handle. The leather is wrapped round twice and fixed together using thin iron nails. The lengths of the two oars vary, one is slightly longer, measuring 2.78 m, whilst the other is 2.74 m long. The oars have a flat paddle, which now have rounded edges due to usage. This flat edge measures 10 cm wide, however these turn into cylindrical handles of diameter 3 cm. The longer oar is also bound with thin rope as though to reduce the wear and tear from 76 rubbing onto the rowlocks. It is interesting to note that there is no wear seen on the rowlocks. These look rather new as though they never saw any strain from the oars. The rudder is brightly painted following the colours given to the hull. It is fixed to the sternpost using metal pins. These are referred to as gog maskulu and gog femminil in Maltese. The rudder was swivelled using a tiller which was made up of two pieces. The first part slotted itself onto the top part of the rudder whilst the second part extended the handle. The part where the two pieces joined is covered over by a metal cylinder. The total length of the tiller measures 1.54 m whilst its diameter is 3 cm. The rudder itself measure 1.33 m in length and is widest at the bottom measure 30 cm. As previously mentioned the engine was fixed inside the boat, roughly amidships. This lay on two wooden blocks or soddod and would have two valves connected for intake and discharge of water. A shaft leads to the stern of the boat where the propeller was fixed. The type of engine used in unknown, however two names were mentioned: ‘galvin’ and ‘steward’ type175. Fastenings Different types of fastenings are used to hold different elements together. Although the paint coating hides a lot of these details, the author can definitely differentiate three types of fastening. Brass nails, riveted nails and screw nails. A large percentage of these are brass, however you can also find copper and stainless steel. The latter is generally present as screw nails with a slotted head, whilst the riveted nails are likely to be of brass. Brass nails are applied all over the boat, along the hull planking to fasten to the framing system, along the gunwale, along the wale, and other structural elements. Some of the additional pieces used in the framing system are riveted. However these might be mistaken for nails that have been driven through the hull planks into the frames and then flattened to create a stopper head. The horizontal knees near the two ends are indeed riveted, however screw nails are applied for the other two horizontal knees found at the aft. The metal fittings are also screwed on and long screws are found retaining the engine boards. It seems as though screw nails are the least type of fastenings used. The brass nails can either have a diamond shape, as seen in the floor planking, or round headed. They generally are 4 cm in length but other measurements are present, as seen in the hooked nails found along the framing system. Two visible nail heads measuring 1.5 cm in diameter are found in the keel between frames 8 and 9, and 16 and 17. A copper square plug is found between frames 15 and 16 measuring 7 x 7 cm. 175 Personally communicated by Mr G. Camilleri, boatbuilder: 18.02.14 77 Colours and Decoration The PTF87 firilla is decorated with a vibrant palette of colours. These seem to be the original colours that the boat was embellished with, as there is no indication of different underlying colours. The exterior hull is painted blue and maroon, the latter demarcating the waterline. The musta is a bright yellow, indicating its area of provenance, either that of Msida or St Julian’s area. In fact as mentioned earlier, it was brought over from Msida, so the colour does reflect the correct provenance. A muddy brown is used to paint the sheer strake, whilst the gunwale is painted yellow on the moulded part and green on the sided face, which extends up to either posts. The washboard is also painted blue, with a yellow border. The white text is mounted on a red plate, making them visible. The interior of the boat is painted green, yellow and a dull orange. The latter is used for the frames and hull planks found within the stringer area. The rest of the frames are painted yellow whilst the interior hull planks are green along with the benches, pastiera and decks. The floor planks are painted with a pastel pink colour on either side. The oars are painted blue along with the tiller, whilst the rudder is striped according to the colours of the hull. Treatments, Changes and Restoration No changes have been done to the boat during its storage in the Maritime Museum. However some changes were definitely done in its lifetime. The major introduction was that of the engine, and possibly the addition of the washboards to make the sides higher and reduce water intake. The rowlocks were therefore moved from the original gunwale to above the washboards. However these seem to have seen no strain as there is no depression where the oar would have rubbed. There seems to be a repair on the starboard hull as mentioned previously. Also on the interior side of the hull, some of the plank seams have been covered over with a white paint filler, or white lead paint. This might have been a later treatment in order to keep water from seeping in. As a matter of fact much of the caulking has disappeared as water seeps out from between the planks. This was noted whilst washing the boat from the inside. 78 Figure 35: 3D representation of the PTF87 Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) 79 6.5. Regatta Firilla The regatta firilla is stored in the same hall as the above two boats. However, unlike the other two firilli, this boat is kept elevated on one of the shelves. Unfortunately the boat is in a very poor state of preservation and is a complete wreck. This boat was brought to the museum in its current state and was never restored to its former racing glory. Figure 36: The current state the regatta firilla within the stores at the Maritime Museum (Photo Said S., 2013) Luckily a large bulk of this boat still exists, however only a few parts are still in their original position. The stern end of the boat is the most well preserved part, along with the keel and to some extent the stempost. The sternpost is still fixed to the keel along with some of the strakes and framing system. The port strakes starting at the stern end are still in place up to the nineteenth frame (framing system starts at the bow with the first frame and finishes at the stern with the twenty-eight frame), whilst the starboard strakes are only fixed till the twenty-sixth frame. Both garboard strakes are intact up till the tenth frame, however the framing system on the starboard side is more fragmented than on the port side. The stempost is no longer attached to the keel and only has the fore parts of the starboard strakes fixed on, up till the third frame. The rest of the hull planks are found loose, however each piece has been positioned to their corresponding place. Only a few fragmentary pieces are missing from the hull planking. Much of the framing system is broken and found loose, especially the fore part and starboard. None 80 of the framing elements have survived up to the gunwale, except for frames 25 and 28 on the port side, but are all broken at the fourth strake. The sheer strake has also survived, but in pieces along with the gunwale, waterway and fore deck. The boat has no floor decks or stringer and its oars, rowlocks and benches have not been identified. This boat was named Victoria X, supposedly after the festivities of Our Lady of Victory, which is held annually on the 8th of September. Although the regatta firilla has been assigned a museum number (MM 0047), its’ fascinating biography has not been recorded down. The regatta firilla was originally from Senglea, and took part in the annual regatta race, competing for the Senglea Regatta club. The red and yellow colours, which are still visible on the regatta firilla represent the club’s colours. After it stopped competing, it was placed in the outdoor courtyard at Fort San Lucian in Marsaxlokk, along with a couple of other traditional boats. As previously mentioned these premises were to be converted into a maritime museum. The boat seems to have spent several summers and winters there, causing the wood to crack, dry out and become very fragile. During the winter of 1989, specifically between the 2nd and 3rd of December, when the Malta Summit was being held between U.S. President George H. W. Bush and U.S.S.R. leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a storm picked up. The strong winds coming from the North East (grigal - grigalata) managed to lift the boats lying out in the courtyard and smash them against the tower, reducing them to bits. The regatta firilla, which was already in a fragile state had little chances of surviving this storm176. From the above information we can definitely say that the regatta firilla ceased to take part in the annual races prior to 1989. In fact from newspaper records the last two participating firilli hailed from Senglea and last took part in the 1957 race177. It has been confirmed that this regatta firilla was the last one to take part in the annual regatta178, and is possibly identified with the firilla named Forti St Mikiel as seen in the work of Serracino179 (fig. 37). This photograph depicts the boat along with its crew of four men after the race of 1922. The name Vitoria X, can be seen on the sheer strake of the boat, along with the floral decorations and the winged creature found on the fore part of the sheer strake. These match those found on the broken regatta firilla. 176 Personally communicated by Mr A.E. Rodriquez, who was the curator of the museum at the time of acquisition: 12.08.13 177 Serracino Vol.2: 90 178 Muscat 1999: 169 179 1988 Vol.4 81 Figure 37: “Forti San Mikiel”, another famous Ferilla from Senglea, with her crew: Salvu Formoza, Alexander Chircop, Pawlu Chircop and Karmenu Cachia after the race of 1922 (Serracino 1988) Figure 38: Detail from above photograph (Serracino 1988) Figure 39: Detail of the sheer strake of the Regatta Firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) 82 6.5.1. Characteristics Like all regatta boats, this firilla is a double ended open boat, with a tall stempost and a shorter sternpost. It was carvel built using the skeleton-based method. The boat was propelled by four rowers, as this is the method used for steering the boats during the races. This racing firilla displays V-shaped framing elements towards the two ends, however at its widest, it has a Ushaped cross-section. Although the sheer line inclines upwards towards the bow area, this is not a steep incline but relatively low and does not rise abruptly. The keel is straight and has no rake. 6.5.2. Dimensions The current state of the boat can only provide hypothetical overall dimensions. However, from the broken pieces an estimate can be provided. The length of the keel is 5.50 m, from scarf to scarf. To this, one has to add the length of the forefoot, to get an overall length. According to Muscat ‘the fancy firilla or the specially light boat, which was introduced in 1925 had a length of 6.13 m, beam 1.74 m and depth of 0.56 m’180. It is possible that this firilla matches the dimensions given by Muscat, however although he states the length of keel, he does not specify whether the forefoot is included or not. Drawing 3: Side elevation of the remaining stem, keel, forefoot and sternpost (Said S., 2014) 180 1999: 170 83 6.5.3. Wood Used for Construction Although no information can be found with regards to the wood used in the regatta firilla, the wood conservator has managed to identify the wood genus for certain features of the boat. The below table shows that a preference for ash and pine are again the predominant materials, with greenheart and teak applied to specific elements. Boat Feature Wood Genus Common Name Keel Chlorocardium sp. Greenheart Zokk Fraxinus spp. Ash Post Ends Tectona sp. Teak Framing System Fraxinus spp. Ash Pinus spp. Pine Gunwale Fraxinus spp. Ash Sheer Strake Tectona sp. Teak Hull Strakes Pinus spp. Pine inta Table 4: Wood used for each feature (personally communicated by J. Aquilina, wood conservator: 30.01.14) 6.5.4. Features Prim, Zokk u Rota – Keel, Forefoot, Stem and Sternpost A large section of the keel is still intact. In fact the stern end of the keel is still fixed to the sternpost by means of a forefoot (zokk). This latter element (drawing 3), consists of a curved element with two scarfs on either end. A hooked scarf joins the post (rota) to the zokk, whilst a flat scarf joins the zokk to the keel. The keel measures 7 cm in height and 3 cm in width. The sternpost continues rising up and finishes off in a flare, measuring 19 cm wide, 2.5 cm thick and 1.14 m long. The stempost measures 19 cm at its widest, 2.5 cm thick and is 2.16 m long. Two hooked scarfs are visible on the fore end of the keel and the lower end of the post, where the zokk was fitted. On the stempost a firjola, or brass strip is still fixed to the post end. This extends up to the gunwale and is fixed on with brass nails. The function of this strip was mainly a protective one; against any collisions to the fore end and when having to drag the boat up the slipway. Most likely another firjola was attached to the sternpost, however this has not survived. 84 Another feature which is fixed onto the keel is the apron (kontra rota). This is found running from the bow to the fifth frame and from the twenty-second frame to the stern. It is 4.5 cm thick and has a height of 4 cm. The apron held the first few and last few framing elements which are called żniegel, as these sat in the apron. A grove was cut into the apron and the frame elements would sit within it. This apron extended upwards along the posts, ending flush with the gunwale and acted as a supporting agent for the posts and the keel. Majjieri u Stamnari – Framing System Much of the framing system is fragmentary, however a general idea of their dimensions and total number was compiled (drawing 4). There are a total of 28 floor frames (majjieri) and a total of 56 futtocks (stamnari). The stamnari are found one on either end of the majjiera, making a set. The framing elements from 1 to 13 are no longer in place, but consist of loose parts. The remaining framing elements from 14 to 28 are not full elements but partially broken, however are still fixed onto the keel. The port elements have been preserved in better conditions than the starboard elements. The sided dimensions for the floor frames range from 2 cm - 3 cm, whilst the moulded dimensions range from 2.5 cm - 4 cm. A majority of the floor frames measure 2.1 cm sided and 3 cm moulded. The futtocks all measure 2 cm sided, whilst their moulded dimensions range from 2.5 cm - 3.5 cm. Frame 19 is the widest frame, measuring 3 cm sided. The other wide frames, measuring 2.5 cm are mostly found on the fore end of the boat (2, 8, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 20). The thinner frames measuring 2 cm sided are found spread all over (1, 3, 4, 6, 14, 17, 21, 22, 23 and 25). The distance between each frame from fore to fore is less than one palm, ranging from 15.3 cm - 23.5 cm. The widest gap is found between frame 20 and 21, whilst the narrowest gap is found between frame 14 and 15. The larger gaps are found towards the stern end of the boat, whilst the gaps towards the fore end range between 20 cm - 20.5 cm. Like the other two boats, the framing system follows a pattern. It starts with a futtock followed by a frame and at frame 14 changes to a frame followed by a futtock. Unfortunately the better preserved framing elements are all broken at the fourth strake. Only two futtocks keep running up to the height of the gunwale. These include frame 25 and 28 (starboard side). All the futtocks ran up to and through the gunwale finishing off flush with the top end of the gunwale. 85 Drawing 4: Digital plan of the regatta firilla (Said S., 2014) 86 Inforra, Ċinta u Bastun – Stringer, Wale and Moulding From the fragmentary remains of the boat, a stringer and a wale were definitely present in this firilla. The wale measures 2 cm moulded and 3 cm sided. It ran from fore to aft, and nailed onto the frames from the outside. Above it sat the waterway plank, whilst the wale itself is in line with the fourth strake. The stringer looks like a second gunwale, since the framing elements run through it. This measures 5.5 cm sided and 2 cm moulded. Moulding (bastun) was also present on either end of the boat. This was 1.2 cm moulded and ran from the sternpost to the twenty-sixth frame and from the stempost to the fourth frame. The bastun enclosed the lower area called the musta . The fore musta is larger in area than the aft one and was probably decorated with some form of design or symbol. The regatta boats often had their decoration in the form of painted images or designs rather than the oculus. The latter was more prominent on fishing vessels. Figure 40: The hull of the regatta firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) Trinkarin u Tanburett – Waterway and Decks The waterway plank rested upon the stringer and wale and has the framing elements running through it. Its maximum width is 25 cm and is about 1 cm thick. Another plank of wood was fixed at 90 degrees to the waterway called the pastiera, creating an L-shaped element. The pastiera measures 16 cm wide 87 and 2 cm thick. The waterway made sure that any water that got inside the boat was flushed out through the scuppers that were carved in the sheer strake. With regards to the decks, there is only one deck that has survived and is still partially intact181. This is the fore deck which consists of five planks that rest on two arched pieces of wood. The aft deck has not survived, however it was present. Tappiera u Burdnari – Sheer Strake, Scuppers and Details The sheer strake or tappiera is the most decorated part of this firilla. This runs from fore to aft and is fixed at either end to the posts. It is 12.5 cm wide, very thin and made of teak. Twenty-six scuppers (burdnari) are found all along the tappiera. These are aligned with the frames, starting at frame 2 and finishing at frame 27. The first and last three are small carved arches whilst the other twenty are carved in the shape of an ogee arch. The tappiera is also decorated with a diamond leaf pattern (there are three on either tappiera), a foliage design on either of the stern end and a phoenix looking bird on the fore end. These are all chiselled in the wood. The tappiera is fixed onto the framing elements by means of two brass nails, one found on the top half whilst the other nail on the lower half. The port tappiera is still attached to the gunwale, however the starboard tappiera is broken into four segments. Figure 41: Detail of the decoration found on the tappiera (Photo Said S., 2014) 181 Refer to Appendix G 88 Bankijiet u Brazzoli – Benches and Knees No benches were recovered from the parts. There are a total of six knees present. One is still fixed onto the thirteenth port futtock. In other regatta boats, knees often supported the benches and the decks. The knees are paired, so in this case we have three pairs, possibly supporting the fore deck and two benches. If four persons were rowing this firilla, two would be seated whilst the other two would be standing. The latter pair would be placed at the aft, whilst the seated pair would row backwards and placed on the fore. Having one knee on the thirteenth frame makes the above suggestion plausible. Bardnell – Gunwale The gunwale is the topmost element, running from fore to aft and joined together by means of a horizontal knee on either post. It is made of two pieces, the gunwale and an exterior rubbing strake. The latter is 3 cm thick and 2.5 cm sided. The gunwale is 6.5 cm sided and 3 cm thick. As previously mentioned the framing system runs through the gunwale and ends flush with its top. The bardnell is split into three parts, joined together by means of a flat scarf. The joints are found at frames 7 and 23. It is interesting to note that Latin numerals mark certain slots though which the framing elements run through. These numerals are engraved on the inner side of the gunwale. The port gunwale survives as a whole, unlike the starboard side and therefore preserves all the numerals. They mark rectangular slots, unlike the rest which are square slots and run from number nine to sixteen (IX – XVI). These are in line with frames 5, 9, 12, 15, 19, 22, 24 and 26. On the starboard side the existing numerals are five to eight (V-VIII) and match up with frames 17, 19, 23, 26. These also mark rectangular slots. Figure 42: Detailed photographs of two of the inscribed latin numerals (Photo Said S., 2014) 89 Fallakki – Strakes As mentioned in the beginning only small parts of the hull are missing (drawing 4). The port side has the garboard strake still fixed to the keel up to the ninth frame. The second strake is fixed up to the twelfth frame and the last two strakes are attached up to the eighteenth frame. The rest is broken into five parts. The starboard side also has the garboard strake fixed onto the keel up to the frame 19. The stern end also has three strakes fixed to the sternpost, but only reach up to the frame 26. Similarly the stempost has three strakes attached on the starboard side up to the third frame. The rest is broken up in ten parts. There are six strakes in all, the first being the garboard strake, whilst the sixth is the sheer strake (described above). The garboard strake measures 28 cm at its widest and 20 cm at the narrower ends. Four strakes make up the hull. Their width ranges from 10 cm - 15 cm, whilst the thickness varies from 1 cm - 1.2 cm. The strakes are nailed onto the framing elements by means of brass nails. Two holes of diameter 2 cm are found, one on the port garboard strake towards the aft, and the other on the second starboard strake towards the fore. These two holes probably functioned as drain holes. Steering Unfortunately no steering equipment has survived along with this firilla. Today’s regatta boats are manned by four rowers. Two standing on the aft end, whilst two sit on the fore end with their backs towards the aft. They are light boats and sit very shallow in the water. The regatta firilla was definitely rowed, as there is no evidence for a rudder or mast, nor engine. The oars might have been re-utilised by another boat and that is why they no longer are found with this firilla. Fastenings and Caulking The fastenings in this regatta firilla consist of brass nails, with small round heads. These are applied to fasten the hull planking to the framing system and to the end posts. Three nails are used to fasten the floor frame to the futtock, where they overlap. They are also used to fix the rubbing strake to the gunwale and the mouldings to the hull planks. Where the framing elements are attached to the keel, thicker and longer brass nails were applied. These nails were driven through the middle of the floor frame and into the keel. The only riveted nails that are present are in the apron, which was attached to the keel. Caulking is also present, visible along the edges of some of the strakes, in between the strakes and posts and also between the apron and keel. The caulking consists of twisted white cotton which was wedged in between seams. Tufts of hemp is also present as seen applied between the apron and keel. 90 Figure 43: Two areas where caulking is visible (Photo Said S., 2014) Colours and Decoration The regatta firilla was painted using the colours that represent the Senglea Regatta Club. These consist of red and yellow. In fact a large percentage of the paint layer is still visible. Stripes of red and yellow are seen on the first two to three hull planks, whilst the garboard strake is painted in white. This last colour denoted the waterline. A green paint layer is visible beneath these colours, which might have acted as an undercoating. The interior of the boat was also painted in white, with a grey undercoat. The gunwale was given a pale yellow, peach colour, whilst the sheer strake was also painted in white. None of the other elements exhibit any traces of colour, however these were probably varnished retaining the wood colour. 91 Treatments, Changes and Restoration There have been no attempts made to restore this firilla since its addition to the museum collection. From the fragmentary bits, repairs are not easy to spot, nor any changes that might have been done whilst the boat was being used. Figure 44: Hypothetical 3D representation of the Regatta Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) 92 7. Comparison and Results Each of the above three boats exhibit a number of common characteristics, yet each one is a variation of the firilla boat. The thoroughly documented rowed firilla, PTF87 firilla and regatta firilla, provide a clear outline of what constitutes a firilla. This chapter will discuss the common characteristics defining a firilla, along with the prominent differences exhibited in each boat. These latter qualities reflect the influencing variables, namely materials, environment, function, tradition, technology and ideology. 7.1. Common Characteristics All three firilli exhibit a high stempost and a relatively much shorter sternpost. This feature distinguishes the firilla from other types of boats. The firilli are all open, double ended boats, with a fore and aft deck, a waterway and benches. All three boats exhibit a U-shaped mid-cross section and a V-shaped fore and aft cross section. They all follow the same construction sequence, starting with the keel, end posts and apron, followed by the framing system, hull supports and ending with the strakes. Each boat is different in size as seen in table 5. However, the measurements for the framing elements all range from 2 cm - 5 cm, and the distance between frames never exceeds one palm, ranging from 13 cm - 23 cm. Features that are particular to the boats are mainly the propelling method. The PTF87 firilla is exceptional, as both traditional means of propulsion, including oars and a rudder, and modern methods, namely the engine, are used. The other two boats applied oars for propulsion. 7.2. Prominent Differences As seen below (table 5), each boat has different overall dimensions. Rowed Firilla PTF87 Firilla Regatta Firilla Skeleton Firilla Length Overall 5.20 m 4.80 m 6.13 m 4.66 m Maximum Beam 1.78 m 1.77 m 1.74 m 1.72 m Depth 0.60 m 0.78 m 0.56 m 0.58 m Table 5: Dimensions for each firilla182 182 Note: the regatta firilla dimensions are rough estimates, whilst the skeleton firilla are presented for reference reasons. 93 The length to beam ratios for the three studied boats vary from 2.72 to 3.5, the smaller value belonging to the PTF87, whilst the higher ratio is that of the regatta firilla. Similarly, the beam to depth ratios vary from 2.3 to 3.11, with the smaller ratio belonging the PTF87 and the higher one belonging to the regatta firilla.183 These ratios indicate that all three boats have a relatively normal length to beam ratio, however the resulting beam to depth ratio shows that the PTF87 firilla is beamier than the other two boats. A beamy boat is less likely to heel and capsize, making it a more stable boat. The PTF87 firilla also holds the smallest displacement184, being the shortest boat in length and exhibiting beamy characteristics. However, this displacement does not take into consideration the weight of the engine, which would have increased displacement. The addition of the washboards would have compensated for this higher displacement, and reduce the risk of water intake; a factor that would have increased once the engine was added. The rowed firilla and regatta firilla are shallow boats, indicating that they functioned in relatively sheltered waters. The racing firilla was built to participate in the annual regatta race, which was its sole function. The relatively thin strakes applied on its hull and the slim framing system are qualities found in racing boats. Unlike the strakes applied in the two fishing boats, which measure between 2 cm - 2.5 cm, the racing firilla has strakes measuring from 1 cm - 1.2 cm, creating an extremely light hull. The fishing firilli were not primarily built for speed and lightness, but for strength and endurance. 7.2.1. Lines Plans Looking at the lines plan of each boat, the beamy PTF87 firilla is immediately identified from the other two firilli. This can be clearly noted in the half-breadth plan (fig. 46). The rowed firilla and regatta firilla exhibit a relatively normal hull shape, with the maximum beam being amidships for the former (fig. 45), but slightly aft of the amidships for the latter (fig. 47). The regatta firilla displays a sharp bow, intended to cut through the water rather than ride the waves. Its more faired lines with a streamlined bow are characteristics of a racing boat. From the half-breadth plan, one can note that the PTF87 firilla and the rowed firilla have a relatively rounded bow, intended to ride the waves and not sink through them. The high sheer strake towards the fore end of both the rowed and PTF87 firilli is indicated in the body plan. This extreme rise is not exhibited in the regatta firilla. This feature can also be observed in the sheer plans of the three boats. 183 184 Note: ratio descriptions are based on those provided by McKee 1983: 78-79 Refer to Appendix I 94 As shown in the body plan, the rowed firilla has a more prominent U-shape, with straight sides, unlike the other two boats whose sides tend to flare slightly outwards. This flare is more prominent in the PTF87 firilla than the regatta firilla. 7.2.2. Function, Environment and Resulting Changes Two obvious differences between the three boats are their function and propulsion. Two are fishing boats (rowed firilla and PTF87 firilla), whilst the third was applied as a racing boat (regatta firilla). These two factors, function and propulsion, do not indicate much with regards to age of the boats, however they do provide us with a rough time frame for their usage. From newspaper records we can obtain an end date for the regatta firilla, that being 1957185. On the other hand engines were introduced in the 1920s186, however they only became popular post WWII (1945)187. Most likely, the engine within the PTF87 firilla was introduced round about that time. Their shape, namely the plumb post ends indicate that these were possibly early 20th century constructions. As mentioned earlier, it seems as though prior to the 20th century, both posts were raked, giving the boats a rounded appearance. This is attested in both photographs and paintings. It can also be seen in two wooden boat models, namely the ceremonial barge of Grand Master Adrien de Wignacourt, dating to the 17th century and the ceremonial barge of the general of the galleys, dating to the 18th century (both exhibited in the Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa)188. Apart from this, a spur also featured on the fore end of the sheer strake. This element was applied to cargo carrying boats, such as the sepronara. The design of the boats, with raked ends might have been influenced from previously existing boats, such as those introduced by the Knights of St John. Having to work within sheltered waters, speed was not a crucial factor, however once the boats began fishing further out at sea, speed was required both as a safety feature to reach the destination faster, and also on the return journey. The author believes that the change to plumb ends was a consequence of the above. The firilla initially was applied as a carrying boat working within the sheltered harbours, and was only later turned into a fishing boat, travelling outside the protected areas. This change in function required certain adaptations for the boat to be more sea worthy. From the above observations, the author believes that these three boats are all early 20th century examples, however this notion is based on the boat models, photographs and paintings. 185 Serracino 1988 Vol. 4 Muscat 1999: 84 187 Personally communicated by Carmelo Camilleri, model builder: 27.04.14 188 Refer to Appendix D 186 95 Figure 45: Lines Plan of the Rowed Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) Figure 46: Lines Plan of the PTF87 Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) Figure 47: Line Plan of the Regatta Firilla, produced on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) 96 8. Concluding Remarks The study has shown that each of the above firilli has slight variations in shape, making each one distinctive from the other. However, they all have the same basic characteristics and are therefore grouped together under the typology of firilla. The shape of each boat was defined by the environment, namely sheltered to non-sheltered waters, function and the choices of the boat owner. The latter fluctuated, conditioned by preferences and choice of size, which very often depended on whether one could afford the materials and payment of labour. As mentioned in the introduction, the knowledge needed for building wooden boats is fast disappearing. Much has already been lost, seeing that none of the wooden fishing boats or passenger boats are being built. The skilled labour required by this craft is no longer being passed on to the younger generations, as these opt for a less arduous profession. At the same time, the few skilled boatbuilders that remain, are either too proud to pass on this knowledge or are employed as boat builders with the Regatta Clubs. This means that boat building is currently restricted to the building of racing boats alone. Never-the-less, the colourful traditional boats are still very eye catching, both to locals and foreigners. They have become a symbol associated with the Maltese maritime culture, and often seen depicted in paintings, sculptures and used as film logos or within movies. They are also common amongst business firms who use the boats as part of their company logo. Figures 48 to 51 clearly illustrate how valuable this maritime heritage is to Maltese contemporary society, and how they are incorporated as promotional icons in a variety of social events. In Malta, there is a notably vast amount of artefacts related to the maritime culture, along with oral information and memories. These are an excellent source of information, however most information remains undocumented, unpublished and neglected. An event organised by the Maritime Museum, leading up to the Valletta European Capital of Cultural 2018189, was held in June 2014 in order to start documenting stories and artefacts related to the sea, and the turnout to this event was fantastic. The result of this event proves that present day Maltese society is interested in their maritime heritage. Raising awareness through workshops, lectures and other social events, one can collect more of this knowledge, both in its tangible and intangible form. The documentation and publication of this maritime culture will not only result in its preservation, but can also be applied as an excellent educational tool, not only for professionals but also amongst locals, with the hope of renewing life into the tradition of wooden boat building. 189 http://www.valletta2018.org/about/v18-news-overview/v18-news/Qatt-Ma-Ninsa; as seen on 8.07.14 97 Figure 48: (f) Lush, wooden sculpture of a ‘Luzzu’ forming part of the exhibition Eccentricks, held at St James Cavalier 2014 (Photo Said S., 2014) Figure 49: Film poster of Simshar, directed by R. Cremona190 Figure 50: Maltese coin, minted in 1986191 Figure 51: Business logo192 190 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202266923566899andset=a.1502158946334.2066652.10050 05529andtype=1andtheater; as seen on 8.07.14 191 http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces17907.html; as seen on 8.07.14 192 http://www.medbank.com.mt/MaltaPublic/Web_Channel/Public_Site/Personal/Home.aspx; as seen on 10.07.14 98 Bibliography Abela J., 2007. The Maltese Merchant Fleet of the 19th Century, Malta Sacred Island, Malta. Adam J., 2001. Ships and boats as archaeological source material, World Archaeology, 32(3): 292310. Aquilina J., 1987. Maltese – English Dictionary, Midsea Books Ltd, Valletta, Malta. Blake E. and Knapp A. B. (ed.), 2005. The Archaeology of Mediterranean Prehistory, Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Blue L., 2000. Maritime Ethnography: The Reality of Analogy, in Beltrame C. (ed.), Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium on Boat and Ship Archaeology, Oxbow Books, Venice. Blue L., Kentley E., McGrail S. and Mishra U., 1997. The Patia Fishing Boat of Orissa: A Case Study in Ethnoarchaeology, South Asian Studies, 13(1): 189-207. Bonello G., 1997. Early 19th Century British Painters in Malta, Treasures of Malta, 1(3): 42-49 - 2006. Nostalgias of Malta, Images by Geo Furst from the 1930s, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Valletta, Malta. - 2007. Nostalgias of Gozo, Images from the 1880s to the 1930s, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Valletta, Malta. - 2008. Nostalgias of Malta, Images by S.L. Cassar from the 1890s to the 1930s, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Valletta, Malta. - 2010. Nostalgias of Malta, Images by Modiano from the 1900s, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Valletta, Malta. - 2011. Nostalgias of Malta, Images by Alfred Vella Gera from 1920 to 1964, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Valletta, Malta. Camenzuli P. G., 1968. Is-Seng a Tal-Bini Tad-Dg ajjed F’Malta u F’G awdex, B.A. Thesis Malti, University of Malta. Castagna P.P., 1888. Lis Storia Ta Malta Bil Gzejer Tahha, pp.323-332, Midsea Books Ltd, Valletta, Malta. Chircop J., 2010. Living on Fishing, Caught in the Market: The Maltese fishing communities, 1860s1920, Journal of Maltese History, 2(1): 21-32. Christensen A. E., 1979. Inshore Craft of Norway, Conway Maritime Press, Greenwich. Cutajar D., 1998. The Schranz Artist: Antonio and Giovanni, Treasures of Malta, 4(3): 7-11. Dalli C., 2006. Malta The Medieval Millennium, Midsea Books Ltd, Firenze, Italy. Debono J., 2000. Trade and Port Activity in Malta 1750-1800, P.E.G. Ltd, Malta. 99 Filgueiras O.L. (ed.), 1988. Fourth International Symposium on Boat and Ship Archaeology, Porto 1985, BAR International Series, Great Britain. Greenhill B., 1976. Archaeology of the Boat, A new introductory study, Adam and Charles Black Ltd, London. Harker M., 2000. Photographers of Malta 1840-1990, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, Valletta, Malta. Hasslöf O. and Christensen Jr. A. E. (eds.), 1972. Ships and Shipyards, Sailors and Fishermen: Introduction to Maritime Ethnology, Copenhagen University Press, Copenhagen. Hasslöf O., 1972. Main Principles in the Technology of ship-building, in Ships and Shipyards, Sailors and Fishermen: Introduction to Maritime Ethnology, Copenhagen University Press, Copenhagen. - 1977. Ethnography and Living Tradition, in McGrail S. (ed.), Sources and Techniques in Boat Archaeology: Papers Based on those presented to a Symposium Greenwich in September 1976, Together with Edited Discussion, British Archaeological Reports Ltd, Greenwich. Hoadley R. B., 2000. Understanding Wood: A Craftsman’s Guide to Wood Technology, The Taunton Press, Newtown. Hornell J., 1923. Survivals of the Use of Oculi in Modern Boats, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 53(July-Dec.): 289-321. - 1933. The Fishing Industry in Malta, with suggestions for its further development, Government Printing Office, Malta. - 1943. The Prow of the Ship: Sanctuary of the Tutelary Deity, Man: A Record of Anthropological Science, 43(Nov.-Dec.): 121-128. Mac Cárthaigh C., 2008. Traditional Boat of Ireland: History, Folklore and Construction, The Collins Press, Cork. Ma cmillan A. (ed.), 1915. Malta and Gibraltar. Illustrated, Historical and Descriptive, Commercial and Industrial Facts, Figures and Resources, pp.243-245, London. Mallia-Milanese V., 1988. The British Colonial Experience 1800-1964: The Impact on Maltese Society, Mireva Publications, Msida, Malta. Manders M. R. and Underwood C. J. (eds.), 2012. Training Manual for the UNESCO Foundation Course on the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO Bangkok, Thailand. McKee E., 1983. Working Boats of Britain their shape and purpose, Conway Maritime Press Ltd, Great Britain. Muscat J., 1991. The Dgħajsa –In Memoriam, The Mariner’s Mirror, 77(4): 389-405. - 1997. The Dgħajsa and the Luzzu, Treasures of Malta, 3(3): 37-41. - 1999. The Dg ajsa and Other Traditional Maltese Boats, Patrimonju Publishing Ltd, Malta. 100 - 2002/2003. Traditional Boats of Malta, The Journal of the Archaeological Society, Malta 6: 2640 Pedley M., Clarke M. H., Galea P., 2002. Limestone Isles in a Crystal Sea; The Geology of the Maltese Islands, Publishers Enterprises Group Ltd, San Gwann, Malta. Prins A.H.J., 1989. In Peril on the Sea: Marine Votive Paintings in the Maltese Islands, Said International Ltd. Pulè C., 2000. Qxur, Bi iet, U Opri Tal-Ba ar, Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza, Malta. Randon S. F., 1995. The Fishing Industry in Malta: Past, Present, Future, Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza, Pieta, Malta. Robinson A. R., Leslie W. G., Theocharis A., Lascaratos A., 2001. Mediterranean Sea Circulation, Ocean Currents, RWOS 0376: 1-19 Serracino J., 1938-1988. L-Istorja Tat-Tiġrija Tal-Vitorja 1900-1988, Printwell Ltd, Malta. Steffy J. R., 2012. Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks, 4th ed., Texas AandM University Press. Trump D. H., 2002. Malta Prehistory and Temples, Midsea Books Ltd, Siena, Italy. Tusa V. P. Li Vigni (ed.), 2010. Il sapere del mare, atlante della cantieristica siciliana, Officine Grafiche Riunite, Palermo. Vosmer T. A., Margariti R. E., Tilley A. F., 1992. A Survey of Traditional Vessels of the Sultanate of Oman: The Omani Dhow Recording Project Field Research, Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Maritime Museum, Report No. 69. Archival Documents NAM - National Archives of Malta NAM Register of Small Boats, dating from 5.09.1916 - 3.06.1919 NAM Gran Corte di la Valletta Registro Vendite do Barche, dating from 1803-1810 101 Websites 2008. Malta Fisheries Mgt Zone, University of Malta http://www.um.edu.mt/science/biology/staff/profpatrickschembri/empafish/malta_fisheries_mgt_zon e as seen on the 31.05.14 2009. Fisheries Operational Programme Malta 2007-2013, European Fisheries Fund, European Commission, http://vafd.gov.mt/eff?l=1 as seen on the 1.06.14 2013. Mission Statement, Fish and Farming Regulations, Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change http://vafd.gov.mt/mission-statement as seen on the 30.05.14 2014. Island, An Encyclopædia Britannica Company, Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/island as seen on the 27.05.14 Busuttil C., 1993. The Fishing Industry, CIHEAM, B (7): 113-120, Montpellier http://om.ciheam.org/article.php?IDPDF=93400013 as seen on the 30.05.14 Galdies C., 2011. The Climate of Malta: statistics, trends and analysis 1951-2010, National Statistics Office, Valletta, Malta http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3141 as seen on the 27.05.14 MacKenzie M., 2005. Sea Talk Nautical Dictionary, http://www.seatalk.info/ as seen on the 1.09.13 Schembri P.J., 1993. Physical Geography and Ecology of the Maltese Islands: A Brief Overview, CIHEAM, B (7): 27-39, Montpellier http://om.ciheam.org/article.php?IDPDF=93400018 as seen on the 27.05.14 Spectre P. H., 2012. The Legacy of Howard Chapelle: The study of the maritime past, the preservation of the maritime present, Smithsonian Institution Archives, September/October 1988 http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_sic_10887 as seen ont he 17.05.14 102 Appendices A. Glossary of Maltese Terminology193 Ta’ l-abjad Bokkaporta Abjad 1. (injam) ta’ l- ~, white deal (g amara Hatch found on the aft deck. ta’ l- ~, furniture made of white deal) (Aquilina Brazzol/i 1987: 63). Knee timber/s. Ta’ l-a mar Burdnar/i Aħmar 5. In the expression (injam) ta’ l- ~, red- Scupper/s. wood, deal; bieb ta’ l- ~, a red-wood door (Aquilina 1987: 492). appa Transom. Banjumaria Method of heating liquids, by placing the can inta Rubbing strake. with liquid within a pot of boiling water. Bank il-lasta Darsa Bench for the spritsail. Scarf. Bardnell Dg ajsa Gunwale. Generic nomenclature for a boat. Barklor Dg ajsa tal-Pass Boatman. Passenger boat used mainly in the harbour area. Bastun Moulding. Fagu Battusa/i Beech wood. Rowlock/s. Fallakka/i Bejta Strake/s. The opening at the stern of a boat where the Falka propeller is attached to its shaft. Moveable wooden washboards held in place Blataforma between the makkaronetti. Lofting Board. 193 Note: Definitions have been applied from Muscat 1999: 175-180, unless otherwise stated 103 an ira Firilla/Ferilla Fyryllæ = battello, schifo, schifetto, The central strong timber on the fore tamburett palischelmo, barchetta (Vassall 1796: FY, 200) when a traditional boat was rigged with a mast. Firill/a [De Solandis. Damma. 166v]/[id. 162v] Ferilla, n.f. (pl. ~i) A short, low fishing boat Inforra with sails or oars used for fishing close to the The upper stringer or rising on a dgħajsa which shore for parit and tartarun (q.v.), now supports the benches and the trinkarini. becoming obsolete (Aquilina 1987: 342). Firjola Kajjikk A thin strip of wood (false keel) fixed beneath Kajjikk [Sol 280v], n.m. (pl. ~i) Caique, a sort the keel of a dgħajsa to take the wear and tear of light boat; Levantine sailing ship; ketch, when beaching. This can also be made of brass pinnace (Aquilina 1987: 605). or copper (Kuriġġia). Kontra Rota Fisqija Apron. A narrow, white deal, thin plank applied Kuri temporarily beneath the lista. The brass or copper strips fitted on stems and Fraxxnu round the gripe as a protection for the wood Ash wood. when a boat is beached and drawn on the parati. ia Fregatina Fregat/ina, n.f. (pl. ~ini) A type of small boat La (with or without sail) such as can be used in Tiller. boat-racing; skiff; [id. P.53] ~ żg ira, dinghy; Laqg a [id. Ibid.] ~ Ingliża tal-qlug , centre-boat This is the slightly raised upper part of the (Aquilina 1987: 361). gunwale near the stems of a dg ajsa. Lembut Galvu Stealer. Mould or template of each frame to be Lista employed in boatbuilding. A thin narrow strip of wood, applied ż eluq temporarily to the exterior sides of futtocks to The planking on the sides of a dg ajsa. obtain the sheer of a dg ajsa. iljun The handle or loom of an oar. Gog maskulu/gog femminil Male or female pin. 104 Luzzu Parati Luzz/u [Cr I. p. 52]/[ESI] Lozzu, n.m. (pl. Beaching wooden blocks put under the keel of ~ijiet) 1. [Cr I. p. 52] Two bows boat (M. a dg ajsa when it is pulled ashore. fishing boat) (Aquilina 1987: 764). Patron Master or owner of a boat. Majjiera/i Paxxma/Tavla tal-Paxxma The flat frame on Maltese boats. This was fitted Garboard strake. with two stamnari at both ends and the three Pastiera formed one frame. The upright side of the water way (tappiera) in Makkarunetta a dg ajsa. Moveable upright, grooved, strong timber or Poppa poppet, fitted on the gunwale and holding a Stern or aft part of a vessel. falka in place. Prim Menqa/Kaxxaforti Keel. Area found in the fore deck where personal Pruwa belongings could be stored. Fore part of a vessel. Moqdief Puntali Oars. The posts or pillars fitted between the skużi and Musta underneath the trinkarini of a dg ajsa. Moustache; is the triangular painted area at the bows and at the stern of a 19th century dg ajsa. Qoxra A local expression referring to warships or Oculus other large ships. The human eye painted or carved and normally Qtugh ta’ l-Ilma found on the fore musta . Water level of a boat Opra A masterpiece, referring to a successfully Radan a completed traditional Maltese boat. Copper washer. Ram Paletta/Pala bil iljun Generic name given to all brass or copper Oar. fittings on a dg ajsa. Parjol Rosette Floor boards. The carved round, rose shaped decorations found on the sheer strake of some boats. 105 Rota Stem or sternposts. arbuna The L-shaped part of the propeller area where the stempost fits with the keel. Skall engul The levelled timber fitted into stone blocks for Plural żniegel; V shaped frame fitted on the the building of a dgħajsa. The keel was fixed to kontra rota. the skall whilst construction. Zokk Skalm The gripe or forefoot joining the fore and aft Oar peg/Thole pin. stem with the keel. Sku a/i Stringer nailed on each frame at the joint where the stamnari are nailed to the majjieri. Soddod Engine boards. Soprasola Wale or rubbing strake applied to the gunwale to safeguard the timber. Stamnara Futtock. Tamburett The triangular deck level at the bows and at the stern. Tappiera Sheer strake; decorated with carvings or painted designs and clear varnish. Tavla Garboard strake. Tmun Rudder. Trinkarin Horizontal plank that makes the bottom of the waterway. 106 A labelled drawing of a Maltese traditional boat, with its corresponding Maltese terminology (Scan Mr G. Camilleri, 2014) 107 B. Timber Properties Used in Traditional Maltese Boat Construction Greenheart (Chlorocardium sp.) When owners could afford it, keels were often made out of greenheart. This is an imported wood species, generally found growing in the north-eastern part of South America. The heartwood tends to be a pale olive green colour with darker streaks, whilst the sapwood is yellowish green. It is resistant to rot and durable to marine environments. It is commonly used for boatbuilding, docks, decking, fishing rods and other turned wood items. This wood type is extremely hard to fashion and it is therefore limited to the keel, as seen in the studied boats. Greenheart Sample194 Teak (Tectona sp.) Teak wood was expensive and therefore used sparingly, however it was and still is a favourite wood type when building wooden boats (personally communicated by Mr Camilleri: 18.02.14). This was applied on the post ends and the sheer strake. Teak is imported as it is native to southern Asia, however it is grown in plantations elsewhere. The heartwood is of a golden/medium brown colour which tends to darken with age. It is durable and resistant to termites, however it is affected by marine borers and powder post beetles. Shipbuilding and boatbuilding do make use of this wood type195. Teak Sample 194 195 http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/greenheart/ as seen on the 9.06.14 http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/teak/ as seen on the 9.06.14 108 Beech (Fagus spp.) Beech was only observed on the oars belonging to the rowed firilla. From the description provided by Steffy, European Beech is “straight-grained and very strong, hard and dense”196. American Beech is “hard and heavy, with the heartwood being of a light to medium brown or reddish brown colour”197. The presence of rays are a characteristic of this wood type198. Beech is susceptible to insect attack and “is considered non-durable or perishable”199. Exposed beech wood on the oars belonging to the rowed firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) Ash (Fraxinus spp.) Several species of ash exist, each one being native to a particular area or region. European and American White Ash are two common types, used extensively for floorings, boxes and crates, and other hand tools. Ash was used for the framing system, the gunwale, deck planks and the element connecting the keel to the post ends. The heartwood is a light brown colour, but can also be greyish brown. Unfortunately this wood type is not resistant to insect attack.200 196 1994: 256 Hoadley 2000: 63 198 Hoadley 2000: 63 199 http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/european-beech/ as seen on the 9.06.14 200 http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/european-ash/ as seen on the 9.06.14 197 109 Pine (Pinus spp.) Similarly, pine comes as a variety of species. It was a very popular wood type as can be seen by its application on the boats being studied. The hull strakes, sheer plank, deck planks, gunwale and washboards, the benches along with the rudder and oars were all made of pine. Boat builders distinguish between red and white deal201, mostly likely referring to Scots Pine and Norway spruce respectively. Both are native to Europe, however whilst the former is straw in colour with a pale reddish brown heartwood, the Norway spruce is pale yellow/brown in colour202. Pinus spp. is a moderately hard and heavy wood203 and is relatively durable. It is easy to work with and widely available204. Red deal (ta’ l-a mar) found used for the hull planking (Photo Said S., 2014) 201 Aquilina 1987: 63 and 492 http://www.wood-database.com/wood-identification/ as seen on the 9.06.14 203 Hoadley 2000: 56 204 http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/scots-pine/ as seen on the 9.06.14 202 110 C. Archival Documents NAM Register of Small Boats 5.09.1916 - 3.06.1919 1916 Jan. 20, M680 Emmanuel Darmanin (Tal-Baslia), Transferred to Pietro and GiBatta Darmanin Sold to Carmelo Baldacchino, age 46 (L Grgenter), all hailing from Cospicua. Built in 1897, Palmi 20 ½ x 6, Firilla, registered to be used in the Harbour Bays (p.31). 1961/1906? Feb. 2, M703 1925 March 13 5043 1925 March 20 5066 1929 June 25 317 Portelli Brothers (Tal Kattieb), from Żloriana sold to Concetto Lia, age 46 (Ta’ Lureta), from Hamrun sold to Salvatore Inguanes, age 40 (Ta’ Bakki), from Qormi transferred to żuiseppo Camilleri, age 36 (Tal Falacci), from Cospicua Built in 1901, Palmi 25, Firilla, registered to be used in the Grand Harbour (p.38). Boats were licenced to be used in the following areas: Grand Harbour, Harbour and Bays, Marsamxett and St Julians. Boatmen resided in the following areas: Cospicua, Floriana, Hamrun, Kalkara, Marsa, Menka, Msida, Pieta’, Senglea, Sliema, St Julians, Valletta, Vittoriosa The following is a list of boats and their corresponding numbers registered between 1916 and 1919: Boat (2) Motor Boat (Built 1913, fit for 5 people, owner Caique (4) from Sliema) (Folio 24) (1) Dinghy (1) Pleasure Boat (3) Freigatina (41) Rowing Boat (1) Firilla (2) Sailing Boat (12) Gig (19) Skiff (6) Gondola (Built 1889, Palmi 20’ x 9) (Żolio 15) (1) Guzzo (18) 111 NAM Gran Corte di la Valletta, Registro Vendite do Barche 1803-1810 Primo Registro (1803 – 1804) Concediamo a Mro Matteo Piscopo della Senglea la licenzia di poter vendere a Giovanni Abela del Zejtun una brca da pescare di palmi ventiuno circa con suoi gornimenti necessarij, ed al Notaro di Stipolare l’opportuno contratto = oggi li 28 Luglio 1803 = Il Presidente della Gr. Corte Concediamo a Carlo Falzon dalla Vittoriosa la licenzia di poter vendere Grazzia Carabolese Maglie do Giuseppe dalla Vittoriosa una barcah di passo di palmi 23, ed al Notaro di Stipolare l’opportuno contratto = oggi li 3 Maggio 1804 = Il Presidente della Gr. Corte Concediamo a Vincenzo Prtani Siciliano la licenzia di poter vendere a Carmelo Grech Maltese una barcha di pesca di palmi 28 nomine Il Craceferno ….oggi li 8 Żebbraio 1804 Secondo Registro (12 September 1804 – 20 July1806) Concediamo a Giulio Zarb di Burmola la licenzia di poter vendere a Giovanni Zarb di Burmola una caicotto o via ozzo con suoi ardegni, ed al Notaro di Stipolare l’opportuno contratto = oggi li 27 September 1805 = Il Presidente della Gr. Corte G. Borg Olivier Concediamo a Baldassare Lambrogio di Burmola la licenzia di poter vendere a Giuseppe Mamo di Burmola un caicotto di palmi undici con suoi ardegni, ed al Notaro di Stipolare l’opportuno contratto = oggi li 16 Maggio 1805 = Il Presidente della Gr. Corte G. Borg Olivier Una cajcotto di palmi quendici = 15 Luglio 1806 Ottavo Registro (13 January – 11 April 1810) Concediamo a Michele Bonello la licenzia di poter vendere a Giuseppe Darmanin entrambi Maltesi un caicco detto volgarmente ozzo segunto num. 482 con tutti i suoi ardegni, ed al Notaro di Stipolare l’opportuno contratto = oggi li 17 Marzo 1810 = Il Presidente della żr. Corte G. Borg Olivier Nono Registro (13 April – 17 July 1810) Concediamo a Vincenzo Zahra la licenzia di poter vendere a Giovanni Camilleri entrambi Maltesi una barca da pesca da palmi 28 detta volgarmente Ferilla con tutti I suoi ardegni segunto num. 452, ed al Notaro di Stipolare l’opportuno contratto = oggi li 5 Maggio 1810 = Il Presidente della Gr. Corte G. Borg Olivier 112 D. Record Description of Items at the Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa Special Item: Model of a Firilla complete with sails and oars (c.1920) Note: Model of a firilla “St Rita” Ż57 complete with sails and four oars. Painted dark blue and white water level (38 cm) Department: Maritime Museum Registration Number: 82 MM/4 (MOD) 6607/8 Registration Date: 24.06.1991 Authority: E. Espinosa Rodriguez Item: Build up model of a firilla ‘S. Rita’ (Ż57) rigged with sprit sail and jib Author: Anon c. 1920 Subject: Maltese Traditional Seacraft Medium: Wood Dimensions: 38 cm in length Provenance: Transferred from the Inquisitors’ Palace, Vittoriosa Restored: 1990 by J. Muscat Image: 113 Special Item: Model of a Firilla No. 123 (c.1850) Note: Model of a firilla No. 123 (c.1850). Dugout without frames wood 45 cm. Transferred from the Gozo Folklore Museum 1990. This model is erroneously described as a ‘gondola’ in the Museum Annual Report 1917-18-19 p.xv. I was presented by Mr Raffaele Cremona. According to a brass plaque on the original base it was made and presented by Raffaele Cremona to the scale 1:10. Old inventory no. 378. Department: Maritime Museum Registration Number: 85 MM/13 6625-6 Registration Date: 24.06.1991 Authority: E. Espinosa Rodriguez Item: Model of a Firilla Author: Anon Subject: Maltese Traditional Seacraft Medium: Wood Dimensions: 45 cm in length Provenance: Transferred from the Gozo Folklore Museum, February 1990 Restored: 1990 by J. Muscat Image: 114 Special Item: Ex-Voto Painting to St. Joseph, A Firilla in a Gale Note: Ex-voto painting dedicated to St Joseph of a Firilla in a gale. C.T. dated 8.02.99. Oil on canvas posted onto board. From the church of Qala. Transferred to the Maritime Museum from the Gozo Folklore Museum in May 1990. Department: Maritime Museum Registration Number: 93 Inventory Number: MM/5 (P) 6609-10 Registration Date: 24.06.1991 Authority: E. Espinosa Rodriguez Item: A Firilla in a Gale Author: Signed C.T. Dated 8.02.99 Subject: Marine Votive Painting Medium: Oil on canvas pasted onto board Dimensions: 58x76 cm (without frame), 73x90 cm (with frame) Provenance: From Qala (Gozo) Parish Church, Transferred from the Gozo Folklore Museum, May 1990 Image: 115 Special Item: Grand Master Adrien de Wignacourt’s Ceremonial Barge Note: Ceremonial Barge of Grand Master Adrien de Wignacourt received on loan from Dr A. C. Zammit, 3rd November 1989 Department: Maritime Museum Registration Number: 86 Inventory Number: MM/573 8758-9 Registration Date: 17.12.1993 Authority: E. Espinosa Rodriguez Item: Ceremonial Barge of Grand Master Adrien de Wignacourt Author: Maltese late 17th century Subject: Model Medium: Wood Dimensions: 80 cm Provenance: On loan from Dr A. C. Zammit: January 1990 Image: (Photo Said S., 2014) 116 Subject: Ceremonial Barge of the żeneral of the żalley’s Department: Maritime Museum Registration Number: 719 Inventory Number: MM/624 8859-60 Registration Date: 06.05.1994 Authority: E. Espinosa Rodriguez Item: Ceremonial Barge of the General of the żalley’s Subject: Model Medium: Wood Provenance: Transferred from the Fine Arts Museum, January 1990 Remarks: Originally this unique built up model of the gilded felucca of the general of the Galley Squadron was fitted with clay models of the rowers and three high ranking officers of the Order, which were damaged beyond repair. Restoration works were kept to a minimum. Image: (Photo Said S., 2014) 117 Subject: 1882, Żramed print of Maltese Boats ‘Bateaux Maltais’ by Lt. Hennique Department: Maritime Museum Registration Number: 847 Inventory Number: MM771 9153-4 Registration Date: 30.11.1995 Authority: E. Espinosa Rodriguez Item: Żramed print ‘Bateaux Maltais’ dated 1882 Author: Lt. Hennique 1882 Subject: Maltese Boats Medium: Coloured Print Provenance: Purchased from Melitensia Art Gallery: October 1995 Image: (Photo Said S., 2014) 118 E. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture - Fishing Vessel Register Registered Vessels in 2005, taken from the Fisheries Operational Programme 2009 Registered Vessels in 2014, provided by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture – Fishing Vessel Register 2014 119 F. Paintings, Postcards and Photographs Detail from the painting The Trabbacolo ‘I Due Cugini’ 1833 (Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa) (Photo Said S., 2014) A delightful 19th century painting by Brockdorff (National Library, Malta: Muscat 1999: 66) 120 Detail of Dg ajsamen at work by the Schranz brothers (19th century) (Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta: Muscat 1999: 67) A fishing boat – a postcard from a painting by E. Caruana Dingli, 1909, published by J. Critien (G. Bonello Collection: Muscat 1999: 88) 121 Drawing the net, from a postcard sold by J. Critien, 34 Strada Reale (G. Bonello Collection: Muscat 1999: 89) Postcard: Kalkara Creek – 1930 (Bieb Bieb) 122 A photograph taken at the turn of the century showing a fully loaded Dg ajsa with Vittoriosa in the background (Maritime Museum Vittoriosa: Muscat 1999: 28) St Julian’s Bay (WP): Dating to the 1930s (Bonello 2006: 166) 123 Mending fishing nets in Marsalforn, Gozo (WP): Dating to the 1930s (Bonello 2006: 205) Fishermen mending nets (Bonello 2011: 147) 124 Fishing traps at Marsalforn, Gozo (Photo Said S., 2014) Fishermen mending nets, Marsalforn, Gozo (Photo Said S., 2014) 125 Boats in Mġarr Harbour, Gozo c.1900 (Bonello 2007: 222) One of the identified firilli at Marsaxlokk, loaded with nets (Photo Said S., 2014) 126 A Fregatina under construction by Carmel Darmanin (Muscat 1999: 39) Works being carried out on a new boat, laying the frame on the keel (Camenzuli 1968: 83) 127 A dg ajsa under construction in the workshop of Tony Cassar, it-Tunanu (Muscat 1999: 38) 128 A boat builder’s workbench and tools (Photo Gauci L.) Annual maintenance of a wooden boat - stripping off the paint (Photo Said S., 2014) 129 ”Dieka”, Ferilla from Cospicua, winner of the 1912 rowing race with her crew: Toni lGranviljun, ikku l-Lixka, Toni x-Xamakka and Kieli l-Piżżu (Serracino 1988) “Karmena”, Ferilla from Marsamxett with her crew along with a number of participants, winner of the 1923 race (Serracino 1988) 130 Photograph split into two: the top part shows the last phase of a race between the Ferilla of Senglea and Marsamxett of 1923; the bottom half shows the crew of the Ferilla “Karmena” of Marsamxett, proud of their victory (Serracino 1988) Regatta race with two rowers, with Senglea in the background (Photo Said S., 2014) 131 Bormla - winners of the race with four rowers (Photo Said S., 2014) 132 G. Detailed Photographs from the Boat Documentation Plan View of rowed firilla (Bow and Stern, respectively) (Photo Govorcin S., 2014) 133 Front View of the rowed firilla (Photo Govorcin S., 2014) Side View of the rowed firilla (Photo Govorcin S., 2014) 134 Interior of the rowed firilla looking towards the aft end (Photo Said S., 2014) Detail view of the curved futtock found in the rowed firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) 135 Thole pin along with the rowlock found on the rowed firilla on the starboard side, note the indent where the oar would have rested (Photo Said S., 2014) Bow area of the rowed firilla with a visible crack representing the scarf joint of the keel to the zokk (Photo Said S., 2014) 136 Plan View of PTF87 firilla (Bow and Stern, respectively) (Photo Govorcin S., 2014) 137 Front view of the PTF87 firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) View of stern end of the PTF87 firilla, showing the bearings (Photo Said S., 2014) 138 View of the fore part in the PTF87 firilla, exhibiting the white paint filler found between planks (Photo Said S., 2014) View of the stern end, with the propeller area of the PTF87 firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) 139 Port side, showing the hanging knees and wooden supporting elements found between frames 11 and 14 (Photo Said S., 2014) Visible holes on the starboard musta and sheer strake (Photo Said S., 2014) 140 Recording of the regatta firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) 141 Stempost and attached strakes of the regatta firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) Fore deck of the regatta firilla (Photo Said S., 2014) 142 H. Initial Recording Results Initial recording of the rowed firilla, recorded on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) Initial recording of the PTF87 firilla, recorded on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) 143 Initial recording of the regatta firilla, recorded on Rhinoceros 4.0 (Said S., 2014) 144 I. Orca 3D Results Lines Drawing for the Rowed firilla, created in Orca 3D (Said S., 2014) 145 146 147 148 149 Lines drawing for the PTF87 firilla, created in Orca 3D (Said S., 2014) 150 151 152 153 154 Lines drawing for the regatta firilla, created in Orca 3D (Said S., 2014) 155 156 157 158 159

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The Firilla: A Case-Study of a Maltese Traditional Boat

The Firilla: A Case-Study of a Maltese Traditional Boat

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