File:Pekalongan Fishing Boat.jpg

English: Excerpt from the book: PEKALONGAN FISHING BOAT
EVERYTHING in Java seems interesting, even to the moderately observant eye : the contrast of the invading Dutch to the natives is so pronounced in every way. The Malay with bright colours, so opposite to the sombre, almost funereal black cloth of the Hollander, who still continues to wear the tall chimney-pot hat of his native land, and never omits to take his "pite" or schnapps in the most orthodox manner. The bright and gaily coloured sarongs worn by the women, picturesque with dark hair beautifully dressed, and their graceful figures. Then the scenery is grand and impressive, and craters in the mountain range fume from time to time, many of them visible from any eminence ; for Java contained in 1887 twenty-one live volcanoes. The Pekalongan fishing boat suggests a straight lineage from the old Roman galley, with high prow painted and the quaint stern with a rudder oar. They are about 48 It. in length, with a narrow long sail with a very high peak to it, a crew some fourteen in all. whilst elaborately carved upright standards support the odd gear composed of spare bamboos, water jars, chatties, rugs, sarongs. Above ibis again run several bamboos to enable the skipper to descry any signs of fish, at the same time taking a bird's eye view of his crew and how they are working. This is very important , as the Malay display few traits of energy. The sail is made of a coarse fibre and grown lor this work particularly; the whole sail is rolled up in a most simple way.