Racing for their Lives

"Racing for their Lives:  Gloucester Fishermen in the Last Days of Sail"

Fishermen had long raced each other on the run home from the Banks. They occasionally participated in community-sponsored races. But the International Fishermen's Races of the 1920s and 1930s were something else again. They allowed the fishermen, and Gloucester, the opportunity to showcase their culture and skill to an international audience at a time when new technologies were marginalizing the fishing sail fleet. Mike Santos provides insight into what those races meant to the men who participated in them and their community.

About Michael Wayne Santos

Mike Santos is currently Professor of History at the University of Lynchburg, Director of the Archeology Minor, Director for the Center for Culture and History of Central Virginia, and past visiting researcher at Mystic Seaport for a monograph on the history of the New England Fisheries. Mike spent his formative years listening to his granddad's sea stories which led to his interest in the Gloucester fishing fleet and his dedication to telling the story of the men involved. He is the author of "Caught in Irons: North Atlantic Fishermen in the Last Days of Sail" and "Clouds of White Sail: Fishermen, Racing, and the End of an Era."