I Say Tomatoe, You Say Tomato

A traditional form of open fishing boat found along the North Sea coastline is that of a wooden coble. Like many words today its pronunciation differs depending on the locality of those pronouncing it. Along the very North of the North Sea coast line it is pronounced co-ble, further south in Yorkshire it is pronounced cob-le.

The boat has a distinctive shape with a flat bottom and high bow, designed to cope with the particular weather conditions local to the area. The flat base of the boat allows for launching and landing in areas that are shallow and sandy. The design itself contains elements of Norse and Dutch origin.

Clinker-built cobles were constructed locally as required, without the use of plans. The craftsmanship on boats often gave them a long working life, however they were known as dangerous boats to sail if the crew were inexperienced. Cobles are still used today but now tend to feature a diesel engine.

Newbiggin-by-the-Sea in Northumberland has a local pub named ‘The Coble’, a tribute to their fishing heritage.