As two old-time mariners take their last voyage on a 1920s seiner called the May S., Alert Bay-born and raised Pat Wastell Norris describes the classic vessel down to her engine, and harks back to a time when whales were called blackfish and pubs were beer parlours in High Boats (Harbour $32.95). Ostensibly a history of West Coast fishing, High Boats doubles as a paean to the unique hybrid culture of Alert Bay, the fishing community on Cormorant Island, off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island. Beyond the roll of the boat, the tang of the bull kelp, Norris provides a social history of the region and its prominent personalities. The title refers to the term used to describe seiners with the highest total catches, as usually cited in the local paper-not unlike boxscores for baseball. 1-55017-289-1

[BCBW Summer 2004]