0:03:03 > 0:03:06Anyone who has ever been to the seaside knows that the seas
0:03:06 > 0:03:09around Britain are perfectly safe from sharks.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12But a group of enthusiastic fishermen have made a really
0:03:12 > 0:03:15prodigious effort and found that there are sharks off Cornwall.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17They are about 20 miles out into the Channel,
0:03:17 > 0:03:18and they are not man-eaters.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23So off you go to Cornwall and hire a boat for £8 a day and another
0:03:23 > 0:03:26£3 for tackle, and what do you get for all this effort and expense?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31This savoury looking mess called rubbydubbing,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34consisting of pilchards, heads and offal.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37You put it over the side in a net and particles of oil
0:03:37 > 0:03:38and fish drift away from the boat.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Sharks have a very keen sense of smell,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44not that they need it for rubbydubbing.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46The first of the novices tries her hand.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The object of the harness is to take a lot of the weight
0:03:48 > 0:03:51off the angler's arms and to stop any tendency to be pulled overboard.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53She receives last-minute instructions,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55how to adjust the clutch on the reel.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And there's her first shark, a fearsome monster, all of 60lbs.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17The fishermen say there is no cruelty whatever
0:04:17 > 0:04:18in the angling of sharks.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21They are just hooked, then gaffed, and then bashed on the head
0:04:21 > 0:04:25with a bit of lead piping and shoved below decks. No trouble at all.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46The last sight of England, of home comforts
0:04:46 > 0:04:48and amusements for three long weeks.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51That's what this regular sight means to the 5,000 men who
0:04:51 > 0:04:54bring in Britain's deep-sea fish supplies as they head north.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00The trip up is no idle period -
0:05:00 > 0:05:03every inch of net has to be gone over and checked.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Far from home, home standards must still be kept up
0:05:08 > 0:05:12and the roast beef of old England is often a feature of the mess room
0:05:12 > 0:05:13in the mist of northern seas.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Serving food in a force eight gale would be quite a test
0:05:20 > 0:05:22of the most highly skilled waiter.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Soon the ship will be on the fringe of the best fishing,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33off the coast of Iceland, where the newly enforced six-mile limit
0:05:33 > 0:05:36means a very narrow margin of permitted fishing waters.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00This British gun boat is on constant patrol
0:06:00 > 0:06:05at the fishing limits in case of trouble with Icelandic authorities.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The skipper has given the signal to haul in.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10The mate undoes the knot fastening the cod end.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14And out they tumble, alive alive-o!
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Another catch safely on deck.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21In a good year, a deck hand working flat out may earn £1,000,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24a third hand £1,500-1,700.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The payment is on results. The men sign on for each voyage.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31It is a chancy job, and certainly a real hard grind.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34As soon as they are inboard, the fish are gutted and washed,
0:06:34 > 0:06:35before being stored in ice.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Now the fishing is finished,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and it is just a question of cleaning up the mess.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47There is more than one kind of mess to be cleared up.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Since leaving port, nobody has bothered much about shaving.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53But as land and home draws near, off comes the whiskers
0:06:53 > 0:06:54and the grime of work.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57All that remains for the seafarer
0:06:57 > 0:06:59is to tie up in time for the early morning market.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Then the dry-land workers take over.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Every year, millions of shellfish are taken out of the sea,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35but there are still as many good ones in it as ever came out of it.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38And the aristocrat of them all is the oyster.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41He sleeps in his bed all the summer
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and then in September he wakes to civic honours in Essex,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47when the River Colm Oyster Fishery is opened ceremonially by
0:07:47 > 0:07:51the mayor of Colchester, following a tradition that goes back 700 years.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59A century ago, oysters were everybody's food.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02500 million were sold in England every year.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Today, Britain produces not more than 8 to 10 million annually.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08And, depending where you eat them,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10they can cost up to two shillings each.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13MUSIC: "Molly Malone"
0:08:39 > 0:08:41"Cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh"
0:08:41 > 0:08:43was one of the old cries of London.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47At Lee-on-Sea in Essex, thousands of shellfish are brought in
0:08:47 > 0:08:50very much alive every day, weather permitting.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58And they've sheds on the spot to cook them in.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02The hot water opens the cockle shells automatically.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Then they shake them and obligingly the cockles shed their coats.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Out of the window go the shells.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21There is nothing, say some people, like a pint of nice fresh cockles -
0:09:21 > 0:09:23unless of course it is a jar.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27This factory near London bottles
0:09:27 > 0:09:30more than 300 tonnes of shellfish every year.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Shellfish stalls are fewer in big cities today,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39but you'll still find them on Derby Day at Epsom.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Not everybody likes shellfish,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45but nearly 25,000 tonnes are eaten in Britain each year.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Boats, boats and more pleasure boats -
0:10:47 > 0:10:50that's the scene around Britain's coastline today.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52With overcrowded roads and beaches,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55everyone, it seems, wants to get afloat during the summer.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Nearly a million people on these islands are now bitten with
0:10:58 > 0:10:59the boating bug,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02a sport or pastime that is growing more rapidly in Britain
0:11:02 > 0:11:04than any other.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Boating or yachting is not only for millionaires nowadays.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Boats can cost £40,000 or more,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14but they can also be bought for as little as £400-500.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17About the same price as a small family saloon car.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20For many people, a boat is a weekend cottage,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23with the added attraction of being able to move it.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Cooking space in the galley with gas stove and sink
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and good accommodation have become more and more important
0:11:29 > 0:11:32over the last few years, as this sport has changed
0:11:32 > 0:11:35from essentially a man's game to a family pastime.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40This increased production of boats has been mainly due to the use of
0:11:40 > 0:11:43new boat-building techniques,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45particularly glass-fibre construction,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47over the last ten years.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Boats which would take three months to build by traditional methods
0:11:50 > 0:11:53are now being turned out in two weeks.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56A glass-fibre hull and deck bonded together to form one unit
0:11:56 > 0:12:00means no leaks and little maintenance for the owner.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03At the last International Boat Show in London,
0:12:03 > 0:12:0755% of the boats exhibited were made of glass-fibre.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The Boat Show is the biggest boat show in the world -
0:12:37 > 0:12:41bigger, let's whisper it, than New York's.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45The centrepiece of the show is a 2.5 million gallon swimming pool,
0:12:45 > 0:12:46converted into a harbour,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49with cottages and village built around it.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54313,000 people went to the latest Boat Show,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57compared with 120,000 11 years before.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58At the pre-race briefing
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Sir Max Aitken, founder of the event,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02wishes everyone good luck.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Everything is set for the big race.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08The crowds are out to see the start.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11A rolling stock with a pack of high-speed craft coming up to
0:14:11 > 0:14:14the Royal Yacht Squadron line at a controlled speed of 20 knots.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19And now thousands of horsepower are slammed into full speed ahead.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Number 111, the Gardner brothers' 36ft Surfury, is away first.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Streaking past spectator craft off Cowes,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35the aluminium-built Flying Fish, no 275, is fourth.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38With Lady Aitken well placed at ninth.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43Lady Aitken, mother of two children, took up offshore power boat racing
0:14:43 > 0:14:46in 1963 to finish fifth in the Cowes to Torquay race.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Today, nothing will keep her away from the sport.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55From the crowded clifftops near Torquay, thousands of spectators
0:14:55 > 0:14:59waited to see who'd survive this gruelling 198-mile dash.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02It was Ghostrider all right,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06crossing the finishing line with an average speed of 41 miles per hour.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09So Ghostrider, first in the Miami to Nassau race,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and now first in the Cowes to Torquay, gets the two blue ribbons
0:15:13 > 0:15:15of offshore powerboat racing for her owner Hugh Doyle.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17CANNONS EXPLODE
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Co-driver Bob Sherbet had smashed his ankles
0:15:22 > 0:15:24when caught off-balance in rough water off Portland.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27For nearly two hours he had lain painfully in the bottom
0:15:27 > 0:15:30of the boat, refusing to let Jim Win retire and get him to hospital.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34But they had won, 42 minutes ahead of the next boat,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Britain's Spirit of Ecstasy.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Out of 40 starters, 18 finished.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44And that's powerboat racing for you - the agony and the ecstasy!
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Sir Francis Chichester's solo round-the-world voyage
0:16:33 > 0:16:37in Gypsy Moth IV, with one stop in Australia,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41had set yachtsmen wondering whether the trip could be made nonstop.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Then Sir Alex Rose, a greengrocer sailor from South Sea,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47completed the same voyage, also with one stop -
0:16:47 > 0:16:51but in a smaller 20-year-old yacht designed for family cruising.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55This varied collection of sailing boats had one thing in common -
0:16:55 > 0:16:57they were all fitted with self-steering gear.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00For it's this device, developed by lone yachtsman
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Colonel Blondie Hasler,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06that has made solo long-distance sailing so popular in recent years.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And has made it possible for men to attempt the Everest of the sea -
0:17:10 > 0:17:12the nonstop round-the-world trip.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24"Sailing around the world - this idea first occurred to me
0:17:24 > 0:17:28"as a naval cadet at about the age of 15."
0:17:37 > 0:17:38Ten men leaving separately
0:17:38 > 0:17:43were competing for a Golden Globe for the first boat home
0:17:43 > 0:17:45and £5,000 for the fastest man round.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48Galway Blazer II, 42ft long
0:17:48 > 0:17:52with Chinese junk sails on unstayed masts,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54proved on trials to be a flyer.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Speeds up to 10 knots were recorded, and she handled like a dinghy.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01The biggest danger to the lone yachtsman at sea
0:18:01 > 0:18:04is the risk of being run down by a ship.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06For a man cannot stay on watch indefinitely,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09he must sleep sometime.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11So he keeps well clear of the shipping lanes
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and the automatic steering gear keeps his small boat on course.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26A naval launch took Galway Blazer II
0:18:26 > 0:18:28to the starting line off the breakwater.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Once clear of the coast, Bill King would head south
0:18:32 > 0:18:35for about 6,000 miles to round the Cape of Good Hope,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38eastwards across the southern Indian Ocean and southern Pacific,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40to the notorious Cape Horn,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43then the long haul home up the Atlantic.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46The exploits of Britain's sailors added glory
0:18:46 > 0:18:49to the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Bill King and the other lone sailors
0:18:51 > 0:18:54are doing no less for the second Elizabethan age.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Bigger and faster ships, which have doubled the world's
0:19:47 > 0:19:50seaborne trade over the last 12 years,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54are too often on a collision course, say the experts.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Especially in the approaches to the English Channel.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02Every day, 750 pass through the five-mile-wide shipping channel
0:20:02 > 0:20:05of the Straits of Dover, making this the busiest
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and the most dangerous sea lane in the world.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11There are 25 collisions a year - five times as many as 12 years ago.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Now a new two-lane traffic system is being tried out
0:20:15 > 0:20:18at sea for the first time.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Northbound ships are advised to take a new channel near the French coast,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25southbound ships take the old channel along the English coast.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27One-way traffic, in other words.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55This is the river, the river of endlessly flowing history,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59the river without which there would be no London.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02The river of breathless beauty and teeming commerce,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04both changing and changeless.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Kings have sailed on it, feudal overlords have
0:21:10 > 0:21:14joisted on its frozen surface and millions of people have loved it.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17But how is Britain's most famous waterway
0:21:17 > 0:21:20measuring up to the demands of today?
0:21:20 > 0:21:22One of the problems is lost traffic,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26in a port which handles one third of Britain's imports and exports.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Despite setbacks, the signs point to a new surge in foreign trade.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Can the river, with its present port set-up, handle it?
0:21:34 > 0:21:36We have moved into the heyday of the supertanker,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38the mighty bulk cargo-carrier.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40The new and bigger ships need deeper water
0:21:40 > 0:21:43and the last word in discharging gear.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46It all adds up to a radical reassessment of port facilities.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Into the docks with their big ships
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and a big deal in cars going out to the world.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Next door, Sunday's joint is coming in.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Out of the pool with its barges and lighters.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09The biggest lighterage company on the river owns 600 of these craft.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05It's the narrowboats and their people who still cradle
0:23:05 > 0:23:07the old traditions of the canals.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Generation after generation has been born and raised within
0:23:10 > 0:23:15the few square feet which are at once their living and their home.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19But the canal folk are proud of their traditional brasswork,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21their paintings and their china -
0:23:21 > 0:23:25and such a tradition of work and craftsmanship dies hard.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32But although the canals are tideless,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35time has turned against them.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Neglect and deliberate financial sabotage
0:23:37 > 0:23:41by the old railway companies have taken heavy toll
0:23:41 > 0:23:45of what was once a brilliantly engineered communication system.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Yet our overcrowded roads offer only small savings in time
0:23:54 > 0:23:57and are frequently more expensive per tonne-mile
0:23:57 > 0:24:01for certain types of bulk cargo than the deserted canals.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05And this same overcrowding has encouraged a new race of
0:24:05 > 0:24:09canal people to take to the waterways purely for the joy of it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Some keep their cruising craft on a pleasant reach,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16a few prefer complete freedom of choice.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25The modern outboard engine has undeniable advantages over
0:24:25 > 0:24:29the horse, but naturally in any well-conducted crew,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31it's still women and children first.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43The enjoyment of the canals is not confined to the private boat owner.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47When John Nash designed London's Regents Canal in 1810,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50he prophesised an annual quarter-million-tonne traffic.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53His figures were soon to prove conservative.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Today, the Regent's Canal is a splendid way to go to the zoo.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30The River Erwell at Manchester,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33a sorry comment on the state of some of Britain's rivers.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35But the Agecroft Rowing Club
0:25:35 > 0:25:38have been rowing on the Erwell for 100 years.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42They say the river is far cleaner now than it was 50 years ago.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45There was a time when it was so thick with debris
0:25:45 > 0:25:47that rowing was almost abandoned.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Today, about 100,000 amateur oarsmen row on rivers, lakes,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54reservoirs, gravel pits, the open sea -
0:25:54 > 0:25:57anywhere these is enough water to float a boat.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Even a little boat. Nor is rowing a sport just for men.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04One of the best known women's clubs
0:26:04 > 0:26:06is the Stuart Ladies at Clapton in London.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09They have won many races -
0:26:09 > 0:26:10no mean feat, since their members
0:26:10 > 0:26:12will keep getting married and leaving.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17Nottingham and Union Rowing Club have won a great number of trophies.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19But they have never won at Henley Royal Regatta -
0:26:19 > 0:26:21the ambition of every oarsman.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Another crew entered for the Wyfold at Henley
0:26:27 > 0:26:30is from the Argosies - the National Rowing Club of Dockers -
0:26:30 > 0:26:33from ports all over Britain.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Until a few years ago, these men would not have been eligible
0:26:36 > 0:26:38to compete in amateur regattas.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40An old ruling was that no mechanic,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42artisan or labourer could be an amateur.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45But now the definition of an amateur in rowing
0:26:45 > 0:26:47is in line with that of other sports.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51By the beginning of July, the pleasant little riverside town
0:26:51 > 0:26:54of Henley is bursting at the seams.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58However attractive the distractions,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00the serious business of the day is watching the rowing.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05In their first race, the Argosies' four meet Crowland,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07an artisans club from the River Lee.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14The race for the most coveted rowing trophy in the world,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18The Grand Challenge Cup, is always the high spot of the day.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22The Russians are rowing against Britain's premier club, Leander.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24The Russians move ahead soon after the start
0:27:24 > 0:27:28and in spite of a strong challenge by Leander, win by a length.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30CROWD CHEERS
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Months of training and effort have gone into less than seven minutes.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The climax of the day's racing is over.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49When there is no more racing to be seen, the crowds throng
0:27:49 > 0:27:54the river and the fairground until long into the warm summer night.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57It's a scene which has become part of contemporary English history.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd