Join author John N. Morris

on an incredible voyage into the past 

"A masterpiece that's been waiting generations to be told," Alone at Sea: Gloucester in the Age of the Dorymen (1623-1939), has made its mark on the cultural and historical landscape of Gloucester, Massachusetts.  And now author and historian John N. Morris's fully chronicled history of Gloucester's fishing fleet is available in new paperback edition.  The manuscript is the culmination of 10 years of intensive research, sparked by Morris's personal quest to learn more about his grandfather, Steve Olsson, a doryman who disappeared at sea in 1935. Beautifully written and illustrated, Alone at Sea is the most complete and compelling history of Gloucester fishing ever written.

This Web site is an extension of Morris's intensive research and passion; it is a living interactive resource for modern fishermen and their families, from Gloucester, MA to Nova Scotia and beyond.  By joining with others to study the evolution of dory fishing over three hundred years, Morris hopes to gain some insight into where the industry is headed in the future, particularly in light of recent legislation on catch shares.

• Learn more about Alone at Sea and author John N. Morris
• Click through the slideshow of historic photographs
• Purchase your copy of Alone at Sea

 
Interact by contributing stories and photos from the dorymen in your family, or by viewing and updating appendices to Alone at Sea that detail yearly catches (1808-1939), men lost at sea and the families they left behind (1693-1940).