The fishing industry at Fleetwood was founded by the inshore boats, and the father of the industry, it could be argued, was Bold Hesketh. Bold kept a small fleet of boats on the exposed expanse of Rossall beach. This made them vulnerable to incoming westerly gales. To protect them he moved them into the shelter of the Wyre Estuary.

Bold's nephew, Peter Hesketh, began constructing Fleetwood after the death of Bold, when he inherited the Rossall estate. As the town grew, vessels increasingly began to trade with the new port. The Wyre channel was always a tricky one to negotiate so pilots were necessary to guide the incoming vessels safely to their anchorage. Waiting on station, the pilots would catch fish to alleviate the boredom, selling it on the beach when they came in.

Soon fishermen came from Banks to exploit the trade, bringing with them the Lancashire "Nobbie" as their preferred vessel. The "prawner", as they came to be known, that is shown on this page, (Short Blue) is one development of those early sailing vessels. She was owned by George Dodd, whose son Brian sent the pictures, and latterly by William (Billy) Wilson. Nothing is known of her after this so if anyone has anymore information, please contact me.

The name Short Blue stems, I believe, from the east coast. The Hewett Fishing Company had a fleet of smacks that sailed from Hull. These were identified by the short, blue pennant that they flew and they were known as "The Short Blues". When Hewett trawlers sailed from Fleetwood, they still carried the pennant on their funnels.