THE
DUCRAER
BOAT |
Small and sturdy, the Ducraer is a fishing boat developed off the eastern coast of Southern Sarvonia, probably in the fishing village of Nepris, at the Adanian Seacoast. This boat is very useful in rough surf and has numerous different features that make it a very able fishing boat. It is equipped with a mast and oars, and is usually used by two people.
Description. The Ducraer is usually eight peds in length with a beam of almost two and a half peds. The hull is square at the back while tapering to a point at the bow. Its bow is abruptly raised with broad flaring topsides, which makes it easy to launch directly into the surf. The hull forward is about chest high while the hull aft is about mid thigh in height. The higher sides help keep the water out while giving a fisherman a safer work area. It also enhances rough water capabilities, making sure that the boat cannot be filled with water in the event that a large wave was to crash around it. With a wide-open hull the movement is unrestricted for easy gear handling and versatility.
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Along the inner bottom of the Ducraer are strakes two fingers widths wide every
half span for stiffness and
protection. This gives the Ducraer hull tremendous load carrying ability while
the flat bottom assures a stable boat when loaded. A flat bottom also has the
advantage since it can be used in very shallow
water, as the draft isn’t as large because the bottom doesn’t extend
downwards. In the middle of the boat is a bench that provides the fishermen a
place to sit when they are rowing the craft. There are also two oarlocks one on
each side to keep the oars in place. The ores are about one and a half
peds long, and both oars
and oarlocks can be removed and stored on the side under the bench.
About two peds from the
bench is another piece of wood extending the length of the ship. In the center
of the board is a hole. This hole is actually the stand for the mast, which is
also stowed underneath the bench when not in use. When needed in open sea, the
mast, complete with a triangular sail, can be pulled up and placed in the hole.
It is then fastened with several strong metal clamps for stability.
At the inside base of the bow is a box that takes up two-thirds of the area
across and is about elbow to fingertips wide and deep. It has a split cover so
only one side can be opened when needed. This is because one side is usually
for the fishermen's tools for repair, spare line, hooks or whatever is
necessary. The other is usually for bait, depending on what is the days-desired
catch. This box is attached to the boat by metal clamps as well. Both sides
cannot open unless a small latch is moved to the side. This is a very important
feature as it guarantees that the box is not lost in rough
water, and it makes sure the contents don’t
spill out all over the ship.
Usage.
The rough surf in the Adanian Sea makes the broad topsides and large hull of
the Ducraer ideal. Using a larger boat in this region was almost impossible due
to the reefs, high winds, rough sea, and
cliffs. This smaller boat is more maneuverable and much more popular. Although
it is small, it is worth the price for the average fisherman living in
Nepris or along the coast in that area and
is common as a boat within
Avennorian families. The Ducraer is big enough to allow the fisherman to
catch and carry large fish back to shore, such as the
evoor.
Avennorians, when they first
settled the coastline of what is now Nepris,
expected to find pearls and other riches
because of the ones they found in other parts of the Adanian Sea. Unfortunately
they were disappointed and found much less than they originally expected. The
good thing was that although pearl hunting
was not helped much by the Ducraer, fishing of all types was made possible and
many villages on this south eastern side were eventually helped because they
were able to actually fish.
History/Origin.
The Ducraer definitely originated in the area that we call
Nepris today, but when that area was
originally settled, it wasn’t called Nepris.
Though the area was settled as early as 510 b.S., the name
Nepris wasn’t officially heard until about
320 a.S. On the other hand, trading with the
Thergerim was recorded a soon as
Avennorian settlers appeared in the region; about 510 b.S., and so a sturdy
boat that could make ventures into those rough costal
waters and allow fishing was needed very
early on. Therefore, the Ducraer was probably first created around 500 b.S.
The story below is one that is most likely true, though the village and shore
that is mentioned in it is not necessarily
Nepris. In fact, it probably could have been any of the small villages
located on this shore, and was almost definitely invented far before the time
when the village near Mossy Rocks Cove
was called Nepris.
When the Avennorians first
settled in this area, they struggled to fish and even venture out to sea at all
because of the rough, windy conditions that
they found there. But one day, something extraordinary washed up on shore. A
boat, about eight peds long
was found on a beach, though it was badly mangled. The boat had a hull that,
when compared to a rowboat, far outstripped the rowboat in height. A man named
Ducras, a fisherman who had lived in a small village all his life, tried to
build one. Painstakingly he measured the strakes, hull, keel and other parts of
the boat and though it took him a year to figure out how to build it, he did
eventually, it is said, construct the very first
Avennorian Ducraer. The design
was new and interesting, and so had many parts that were difficult to build,
especially as the boat was already torn and beaten at many points.
Ducras eventually traveled north to Marduran.
His fame soon grew up and down the coast, and he quickly gained money. After
earning enough for supplies and workers, he eventually opened up a large
shipyard that built Ducraers for many
Avennorian fishermen. His
business had continued even after he died, and has been successful for many
years. Unfortunately during the large Storm of Three Nights in 1025 a.S., the
building was battered badly. It was rebuilt however, and is still running
fairly successfully.
To this day, no one really knows where the boat washed up from, though no one,
especially those living in Nepris and other
points in that region, have any wish to take the time to find the person who
could steal the credit of creating the first (or second) Ducraer. The boat is
now used throughout the Sarvonian coast,
though fisherman in Nepris can create
Ducraers that are considered to be slightly superior in make compared to others
used elsewhere. This leads most people to think that
Nepris was the true original, but no one is
sure.
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