ABSTRACT
Boats have been an integral part of human existence in northern European latitudes from the earliest times. We know from archaeological evidence that offshore islands were being colonised during the Mesolithic period and that large quantities of fish and marine mammals were being caught, not only in the shallow waters of lagoons and estuaries, but also in deep sea waters. The remains of canoes unearthed at Tybrind Vig on the island of Fyn would suggest that these early colonisers of the northern shores were capable of constructing substantial vessels.
