A CORACLE IS A SMALL ROUND BOAT

CORACLE

A modern Welsh coracle

A coracle is a small round boat with a wooden frame and skins as a waterproof hull, typically built to contain one person, that is difficult to steer, but light enough for one man to carry on his back and launch, unaided.

The structure is made of a framework of split and interwoven willow rods, tied with willow bark. The outer layer was originally an animal skin such as horse or bullock hide (corium), with a thin layer of tar to waterproof it. Today, this is replaced by tarred calico, canvas, or fibreglass. The Vietnamese/Asian version of the coracle is made of interwoven bamboo and waterproofed by using resin and coconut oil. Oval in shape and very similar to half a walnut shell, the coracle has a keel-less flat bottom to evenly spread the load across the structure and to reduce the required depth of water – often to only a few inches. This structure helps to make the boat more maneuverable and less likely to snag when used on narrow and/or shallow slow-running waterways.

Each coracle is tailored to the local river conditions. In general there is one design per river, but this is not always the case. The Teifi coracle, for instance, is flat-bottomed, as it is designed to negotiate shallow rapids, common on the river in the summer, while the Carmarthen coracle is rounder and deeper, because it is used in tidal waters on the Tywi, where there are no rapids. Teifi coracles are made from locally harvested wood – willow for the laths (body of the boat), hazel for the weave (Y bleth in Welsh – the bit round the top) – while Tywi coracles have been made from sawn ash for a long time. The working boats tend to be made from fibreglass these days. Teifi coracles use no nails, relying on the interweaving of the laths for structural coherence, whilst the Carmarthen ones use copper nails and no interweaving.

They are an effective fishing vessel because, when powered by a skilled person, they hardly disturb the water or the fish, and they can be easily manoeuvred with one arm, while the other arm tends to the net; two coracles to a net. The coracle is propelled by means of a broad-bladed paddle, which traditionally varies in design between different rivers. It is used in a sculling action, the blade describing a figure-of-eight pattern in the water. The paddle is used towards the front of the coracle, pulling the boat forward, with the paddler facing in the direction of travel.

The Welsh Coracle is intended to be carried on the back; Welsh saying is Llwyth dyn ei gorwgl (load of a man is his coracle).

Treasure Island, map of Skeleton island

Abraham Gray - Ships carpenter

Ben Gunn - Marooned pirate

Billy Bones - Former mate of Captain Flint

Black Dog - Pirate

Blind Pew - Pirate

Captain Alexander Smollett - Hispaniola captain

Captain Joseph Flint - Deceased pirate, owner of buried treasure chest and map

Dick Johnson - Is a young pirate with a Bible

Doctor David Livesey - Medical man and magistrate

George Merry - A mutinous pirate

Hispaniola - The sailing ship hired for the adventure

Jim Hawkins - Cabin boy

Job Anderson - Ship's boatswain

John Hunter - Squire Trelawney's manservant

Israel Hands - Ship's coxwain, mate of Captain Flint

Long John Silver

Richard Joyce - Valet to Squire Trelawney

Squire John Trelawney

Tom Morgan - Pirate friend of Captain Flint

Tom Redruth - Gamekeeper

Treasure Island was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, becoming an instant hit, popular with children and adults, the subject of many films and graphic novels.

STUDIO/AGENTS: A draft script for Kulo-Luna is available on request. Cleopatra The Mummy is currently under development

TREASURE ISLAND - THE ADVENTURES OF JOHN STORM & THE ELIZABETH SWANN

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