0:00:07 > 0:00:10England's stunning South West coast.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- # In Brixham I was born - Bring 'em down!
0:00:14 > 0:00:17# But Exmouth is me home from home... #
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Boatmen know this shore better than most, and we're here to join them.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22# We're never a day behind the tide
0:00:22 > 0:00:25# Around Cape Horn we'll go... #
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Bring 'em down!
0:00:26 > 0:00:30We're embarking on a voyage of discovery in boats -
0:00:30 > 0:00:32both big and small!
0:00:32 > 0:00:37I'm not the only one of the Coast crew who's taken to the water.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Mark's on a mission to see how the need for speed
0:00:43 > 0:00:47created life-saving craft for the Second World War.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Miranda's on the waves...
0:00:52 > 0:00:56and under them, searching out seals.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59And I hit the high seas - head on!
0:00:59 > 0:01:00Bring 'em down!
0:01:00 > 0:01:04- # This is now your home, my boy - Bring 'em down! #
0:01:04 > 0:01:06This is Coast.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Our journey takes us along Devon's coast and into Cornwall,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38out to the Isles of Scilly,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41then back to the mainland to drop anchor near Bideford.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44But we begin at Brixham.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51This small harbour has a big story to tell.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56It's the birthplace of this beautiful class of sailing craft,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58the famous Brixham Trawler.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I'm on board one of the last that's left afloat.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07But this quayside - and many others around Britain -
0:02:07 > 0:02:11used to bustle with Brixham Trawlers.
0:02:11 > 0:02:18How did this port come to pioneer a trawling revolution that spread around our shores?
0:02:19 > 0:02:21The old fish market is quiet today,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25but 100 years ago, this place was swimming in fish.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I'm meeting up with veteran Brixham fisherman, Bill Wakeham.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33What would the atmosphere have been like where we're standing?
0:02:33 > 0:02:35It would be like a main street of London,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37people would be going back and forth all day,
0:02:37 > 0:02:42coming down picking up fish, there'd be boats taking stores on board to go away,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45there'd be filleters, packers, people with horse and carts,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49small lorries coming in and out all the time.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51- What are these fish on the ground? - That'd be skate.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54So these were trawled and brought into the market to be sold?
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Yeah. But then in the 1860s,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00they brought the railway into Brixham, and all of a sudden...
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Manchester, Birmingham, London was open then overnight.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- The railway changed everything? - Everything.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11The boats doubled in number in a matter of ten years.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16Harbour towns like Brixham began to boom when the railways arrived.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Before then, there was little point catching more fish than the locals could eat.
0:03:20 > 0:03:26But rapid transport by train meant fish could now be sold fresh in the big cities.
0:03:28 > 0:03:34Brixham seized the initiative, taking the ancient art of trawling to a new level.
0:03:35 > 0:03:41Large, fast sailing craft capable of dragging big, heavy nets were commissioned.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Their purpose?
0:03:42 > 0:03:46To catch more fish than ever before.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Only when you get close you realise how big these sailing trawlers are.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Yeah, some size, aren't they? Everything's solidly built with it.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01The Keewaydin is one of the few Brixham Trawlers still sailing.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07100 years ago, they went out in waters teeming with fish.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Trawlers like this one landing up to a ton a day.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13But could they manage that now?
0:04:13 > 0:04:19We're on a mission to see what impact these boats have had on the seas they once sailed.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Ruth Thurstan, from the University of York,
0:04:23 > 0:04:28has analysed records of UK catches going back to 1889.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35So we can see the effect of the trawling revolution started by these boats.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Throughout the late 19th century, fish landings were increasing -
0:04:40 > 0:04:43this was because vessels were getting bigger and more seaworthy
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and could go further out to sea to fish.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51And then, once you get to really the 1970s, you get this big drop.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54It just goes over the edge of a cliff, doesn't it?
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Yes. You can see from that point, it keeps dropping.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00However, fishing vessels have been getting more sophisticated,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05and their ability to catch fish has been increasing and increasing over this entire period of time.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- So you'd think landings would continue to go up and up. - Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And of course, they haven't, because the stocks couldn't take that pressure.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19The impact of beam trawling on fish like cod and plaice has been immense.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23The research indicates that nine out of ten
0:05:23 > 0:05:27of these bottom-feeding fish have been scooped from our seas.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Fishing has always been tough,
0:05:31 > 0:05:36but with dwindling fish stocks, today's fishermen have to work even harder.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42Research into the history of catches reached a staggering conclusion.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Fishing vessels today are having to work 17 times as hard
0:05:46 > 0:05:49in order to catch the same amount of fish that they were catching in 1889.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54- 17 times harder to get the same number of fish?- Yes.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We're chasing some of the last fish in the sea.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04Decent catches are only possible because of the technology in today's trawlers.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Fishermen work more effectively than their grandfathers,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12but some fish stocks are much lower.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17Nine out of ten cod, plaice and haddock have been taken in just over a century.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23The Brixham Trawlers began a boom that fed the appetite of Britain.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Now these boats have gone...
0:06:24 > 0:06:26and so has their catch.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42The south coast of Devon.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52It's not all golden sands and cream teas.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55The locals originally earned their living from the sea,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59with fishing, boat-building and the occasional bit of smuggling.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04There are plenty of pleasure craft on this coast,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07but others take to sea in deadly earnest.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Like here, at Plymouth.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14The port is home to the largest naval base in western Europe.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19The Royal Navy may boast the biggest ships here,
0:07:19 > 0:07:25but for years, this was home to small, life-saving boats of the Royal Air Force.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29During the Second World War,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31the vessels of the Air/Sea Rescue Service
0:07:31 > 0:07:37were the saviour of RAF crew who'd ditched in the sea.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40To discover how these speedboats were born,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Mark Horton's meeting an Air/Sea Rescue veteran.
0:07:46 > 0:07:5170 years ago, Alf Emmerson was one of the fastest men on the water.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57He's 94 now, but his passion for fast boats is still strong.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02In a quiet corner of the marina, an old Air/Sea Rescue boat,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06like Alf used to pilot, is being brought back to life.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Is this similar to the ones that you worked on?
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Yes, by Jove, it is.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- When where you last on board one of these things?- 60 years ago!
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Right.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20There's no stopping him, is there?!
0:08:20 > 0:08:22No, no, he's away.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Oh, yes!
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Look!
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Slow...
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Half... Ahead.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Oh, blimey!
0:08:37 > 0:08:45Back when Alf was a captain, opening a throttle would power his boat over the water at up to 35 knots.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50A quick response was crucial in saving ditched pilots from the freezing sea.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59The rescue boats were the unsung heroes of the Second World War,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04but their greatest champion was a hero of the First World War.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07None other than Lawrence of Arabia!
0:09:09 > 0:09:15Lawrence's adventure in the desert campaigns made him a national celebrity.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21But by 1929, to escape the limelight,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25he came to Plymouth on a very different mission.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31When he arrived here, Lawrence of Arabia wasn't Lawrence any more -
0:09:31 > 0:09:34he'd changed his name to Shaw.
0:09:34 > 0:09:41Aircraftman Shaw had entered the Royal Air Force with a quiet posting to Plymouth away from publicity.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45But the work that Lawrence did on this coast
0:09:45 > 0:09:48would thrust him back into the limelight
0:09:48 > 0:09:53and help bring to British military a new type of vessel -
0:09:53 > 0:09:56speedboats like this.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06Famed for living dangerously,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10when Lawrence wasn't buzzing around Plymouth on his motorcycle,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13he took to the sea in his new speedboat.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Lawrence's biographer is Jeremy Wilson.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23So it was a boat very much like this?
0:10:23 > 0:10:25- Yep, yes.- There she is.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Did actually Lawrence enjoy boating?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30No, he loved boating, he loved anything that went fast,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and the sensation of speed, driving around in this thing,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35must have been absolutely wonderful for him.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Lawrence used his speedboat to escape the frustrations of his duties
0:10:42 > 0:10:45whilst stationed at the RAF seaplane base in Plymouth.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Lawrence's fast craft was in stark contrast
0:10:52 > 0:10:58to the ponderous, old-fashioned vessels used to reach the seaplanes.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04In 1931, Lawrence's frustration with these slow vessels would reach breaking point
0:11:04 > 0:11:07when he witnessed a terrible flying boat crash.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The seaplane was being piloted by an inexperienced pilot
0:11:10 > 0:11:13who wasn't fully trained, and he crashed it
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and killed himself and a fair number of the people on board.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Lawrence rushed down to the duty boat, and they came out to the site,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24they chugged out to the site in this old-fashioned boat,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28and it was obvious that if they'd used a fast motorboat,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32they would have got there far faster, they would have saved more lives.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Lawrence knew lives depended on faster rescue craft.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42It became his mission to persuade the RAF to adopt new designs,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45more like his own speedboat.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51Fortunately, a far-sighted British designer, Hubert Scott-Paine,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55was already developing revolutionary fast boats.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01In 1931, Lawrence was assigned to trial the new craft for the RAF.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05To understand the novel design of the boats Lawrence was testing,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08you need to look below their waterline.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The crucial thing was the shape of their hull.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15That is the new type of boat. This is the old type.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- Exactly, yes.- What's the difference?
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Well, the old boats - like your ship here -
0:12:20 > 0:12:22are called displacement hulls.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25They're round-bilged and very heavily built,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29so they operate at what is called displacement speed.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31So as the hull goes through the water,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35it has to... move all the water underneath it?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38It literally pushes the water aside as it goes along.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Now, if you look at a modern hull like this one,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44you'll see it's very sharp entry,
0:12:44 > 0:12:49a flat bottom, and designed to travel over the water and not through it.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52So the boat, as you increase the power, will lift itself
0:12:52 > 0:12:54up onto what's called the plane
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and then proceed a lot faster than its displacement speed.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Let's have a go.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04So if we set it moving, it starts off at displacement speed.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Then if we open the throttle, it'll start to plane,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12and the shape of the bow lifts the forward part of the boat out of the water.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16So the boat literally rides up over the wave...
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Over the waves and can go a lot quicker.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23'This novel hull design was adopted by the RAF
0:13:23 > 0:13:26'for a new fleet of fast, life-saving craft.'
0:13:28 > 0:13:33These boats that Lawrence of Arabia had helped to develop
0:13:33 > 0:13:37were ready for the Second World War.
0:13:37 > 0:13:43The RAF's Air/Sea Rescue service now had the tools to do their job more effectively.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51During the War, the Rescue Service saved some 13,000 lives,
0:13:51 > 0:13:56but sadly, Lawrence never saw his beloved boats in action.
0:13:56 > 0:14:02He died after a motorcycle crash in 1935.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Lawrence's love of speed, that would save so many lives,
0:14:06 > 0:14:07took his own.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23On our journey around the South West,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26I'm heading out to the edge of the Atlantic -
0:14:26 > 0:14:28the Isles of Scilly.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38It takes around two and a half hours to reach the islands aboard the Scillonian ferry.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43The Atlantic swell and rolling waves make this one of Britain's great voyages.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Believe it or not...
0:14:54 > 0:14:56this is a fairly mild day!
0:14:56 > 0:15:03This passage of water is notorious for its heaving seas,
0:15:03 > 0:15:10a reputation which has given this little ship the nickname...
0:15:10 > 0:15:12The Great White Stomach Pump.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16And I'm beginning to know why.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21This vital link between the Isles of Scilly
0:15:21 > 0:15:26keeps going through all weather and it's an unforgettable journey.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36The Scillies are an archipelago with over 100 islands of all shapes and sizes.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Getting around means hopping off one boat and straight onto another.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50'Only five of the isles in the Scillies are inhabited.'
0:15:51 > 0:15:54The most northerly is St Martin's.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02It may be a small community with a slow pace of life,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04but you can still get fast food.
0:16:04 > 0:16:11Here on St Martin's is one of the most remote fish and chip shops in the UK,
0:16:11 > 0:16:16but that's not the only reason it's unusual.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21Unlike other chippies, this one doesn't rely on a delivery van for its ingredients.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Islanders have to be resourceful.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27To get the catch of the day,
0:16:27 > 0:16:32I'm meeting up with the restaurant's fisherman, cook and owner, Adam Morton.
0:16:32 > 0:16:38What made you open a fish and chip shop on a tiny island in the Atlantic?
0:16:38 > 0:16:40I needed an outlet to sell my fish.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43There was nothing of that nature on the island,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46so I gave it a try and haven't looked back since.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52When Adam goes out, he only takes enough fish for a night's serving.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55He uses a line to catch pollock.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59- There's definitely one on there. - You got one?- Yeah.- Got a fish!
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- These...- That's a good-size fish.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- ..will go in the restaurant. - That is beautiful.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07I think we might just have another one - can you feel that?
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Yeah.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15OK, that will do us for today. That's all I need for tonight in the restaurant.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19'A fish supper wouldn't be complete without chips.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23'Adam's brother James looks after the spuds.'
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Quite a family team - one brother catching the fresh fish and the other one...
0:17:28 > 0:17:31growing the organic potatoes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Yeah, well, over here, you know,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36there's only a 100 people on the island in total,
0:17:36 > 0:17:41so you do tend to end up working with family most of the time.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Within half an hour, the spuds are sizzling,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50along with the pollock plucked this afternoon from the sea.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54A small-scale, sustainable operation.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Fiona, thank you very much indeed. That looks fantastic, thank you.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04This is the freshest plate of fish and chips I've ever been served - it's barely two hours old.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07The pollock...
0:18:07 > 0:18:11A bit sad, given it was such a beautiful fish, but look at that.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15Mmm!
0:18:15 > 0:18:21I'm not the only mouth around here that needs feeding.
0:18:21 > 0:18:26Miranda's in search of another mammal with a healthy appetite for fish.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32'The Isles of Scilly are a great place to see grey seals.
0:18:32 > 0:18:38'Around 250 have colonised the rocky outcrops around the eastern islands.'
0:18:38 > 0:18:41One of the unusual things that brings the seals here
0:18:41 > 0:18:42is actually the grass,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46and it's rather special grass that grows underwater.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54'This wonderful underwater garden is a perfect breeding ground for fish.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59'I'm hitching a ride with a team of marine biologists heading out to survey the sea grass.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03'Hopefully, the seals won't be too far away.'
0:19:06 > 0:19:09So why is sea grass so important? What is it about the habitat
0:19:09 > 0:19:12that makes it so important and worth protecting?
0:19:12 > 0:19:17It's vital for fish like cod, pollock, bass.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19The juvenile animals live in the sea grass
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and they grow up to a bigger size.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- It's a great place to hide.- Exactly. It provides shelter from predators
0:19:25 > 0:19:28that might come in, trying to eat them.
0:19:29 > 0:19:35'Time for me to get a seal's-eye view of the long grass where tasty treats might be hiding,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38'and you don't have to go too far down to see it.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45'Sea grass thrives in shallow waters,
0:19:45 > 0:19:50'because, like any other green plant, it needs sunlight to grow.'
0:19:51 > 0:19:54It's beautiful down there, the water is crystal clear -
0:19:54 > 0:19:55it's like diving in the Bahamas!
0:19:55 > 0:20:01This is one of a few flowering plants that grows in the sea,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05relying on water-borne pollen to reproduce.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10The sea grass flourishes in the warm tidal streams around the Isles of Scilly.
0:20:10 > 0:20:16The shelter of the lush underwater meadow generates rich pickings for hungry seals who hunt nearby.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24They haul themselves onto rocks to digest their food.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Seals eat a tenth of their body weight a day and they're not fussy.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Sand-eels, cod and pollock are all fair game.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36High tide's the best time to see them hunting.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I'm hoping for a close encounter.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43The best way to get their attention is to be really still,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47relaxed, unthreatening and let them come to you.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Wow! Just had one of the adults swim right underneath me,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57playing with my fins, swimming around,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00just checking me out, and then just swam straight off.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Absolutely beautiful.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Seals spend four days at sea for every one on land,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and this one seems quite happy to hang out with me.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It's a real privilege.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28They're really beautifully designed for the water,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31the torpedo-shaped body, completely streamlined.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And these amazing whiskers on their face.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Those whiskers are super sensitive.
0:21:39 > 0:21:45They can detect the trail of disturbed water left by a fish up to half a minute after it's passed.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57Oh!
0:21:57 > 0:21:59That was truly amazing.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03We just had such great fun, there are loads of seals out there,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07wanted to be really playful. Oh, just really beautiful.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The seals are part of a magical world,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17one where grass grows under the sea, and sharing it with them was an experience I'll never forget.
0:22:32 > 0:22:38'Leaving the Isles of Scilly, I'm heading back to the mainland,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42'taking the direct route over to the Cornish coast.'
0:22:59 > 0:23:04This jagged shore has always inspired mixed feelings.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Many ships have been wrecked here and many lives lost.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14But the raging sea also brings some to contemplate its power.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16What better place to linger than here?
0:23:16 > 0:23:20A tiny refuge with a remarkable sea view,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23built by a rather eccentric clergyman.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26This is known as Hawker's Hut.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30It was built in the 19th century by the local vicar.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39Robert Stephen Hawker was no ordinary cleric.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44He once posed as a mermaid and used to take his pet pig on parish visits.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48He constructed this hut using timbers salvaged from shipwrecks.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55And there was never any shortage of wrecks around these craggy cliffs.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Being a man of the cloth,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Hawker couldn't turn a blind eye to the fate of those who perished.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10Hawker took it on himself to carry the bodies of drowned sailors from that beach
0:24:10 > 0:24:14all of the way up the cliffs and then half a mile inland to the church,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18where he could give them a Christian burial.
0:24:22 > 0:24:28The Reverend Hawker brought the bodies of around 40 sailors to his parish church at Morwenstow.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34The men were buried in a plot marked by the salvaged figurehead
0:24:34 > 0:24:41from The Caledonian, which sank in 1843, drowning many of her crew not far from this churchyard.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50Most sailors whose lives end in tragedy at sea have no known grave,
0:24:50 > 0:24:55but Hawker - a man of wonderful eccentricity and great compassion -
0:24:55 > 0:25:00made those that those who were cast onto the shores of his own parish were not forgotten.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02He turned this into a kind of shrine,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06somewhere to contemplate the price seafarers have paid
0:25:06 > 0:25:09for sailing this rugged coast.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Bideford's link to the sea is the River Torridge,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20which opens into a peaceful estuary...
0:25:22 > 0:25:25..with skeletal remains concealed in the mud.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29This is like an elephant's graveyard for ships.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32It's where old boats come to die.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36It might look like the maritime heritage here is dying,
0:25:36 > 0:25:41but these wrecks litter the lair of a much bigger beast.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43That'll be the shipyard, then.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49This sleepy corner of Devon
0:25:49 > 0:25:56is the unlikely home of a ship-building industry dating back over 500 years.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01The Appledore Shipyard has built more than 350 vessels -
0:26:01 > 0:26:03among them, the Scillonian ferry
0:26:03 > 0:26:06that took me to the Isles of Scilly earlier.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13They've also worked on some of the Navy's biggest ships.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19Gerald Lee was here when this building was opened 40 years ago.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23We've built tankers, gas carriers, platform support vessels,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27ferries, tugs. You name it, we've had a go at it.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29What are you particularly proud of?
0:26:29 > 0:26:35HMS Scott has got to be up amongst it, for the Royal Navy.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39When you think that she was 128 metres long, and the dock is only...
0:26:39 > 0:26:43124, it takes some working out.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Did you build her without a front? How did she fit?
0:26:45 > 0:26:49We fitted her in diagonally, and the bowsprit came right out over the dock head,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51so it was an achievement, yes.
0:27:16 > 0:27:23My journey around the south west coast has taken me onto the water in boats of all shapes and sizes.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27Oh, my goodness, look at that!
0:27:30 > 0:27:35Here, the call of the open sea is very much alive.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47In the ebb and flow of history, industries come and go,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49empires come and go.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52But there are some traditions, some ways of life -
0:27:52 > 0:27:54boat-building, fishing, sailing -
0:27:54 > 0:28:00that are so much a part of what it means to be an islander that they'll never disappear.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03And here in the West Country, they seem to be thriving.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd