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John Ruskin said the bow of a wooden boat is ‘the pinnacle of Man's achievement’. He appreciated that the some of our most beautiful and effective creations are not designed as such but evolve to fulfil their task in their place, according to the history and affections of the people who use them. Some are scarcely noticed - because they are not buildings but boats, built to do jobs. In this series of The Essay five writers, each personally involved with their craft, circumnavigate the British Isles in five traditional boats – without leaving home.

Malcolm ‘Mac’ Macgregor is a retired fisherman and shipwright who built, repaired and sailed Essex Smacks, the very beautiful gaff-rigged boats that worked (and still sail today) out of the rivers Blackwater, Colne, Crouch and Orwell, stowboating for sprats, dredging for oysters and trawling. He speaks of his life with these boats and his love of them. They work so well, he says, because they are so beautiful, and vice versa.

Presenter: Mac MacGregor
Producer: Julian May