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| One of the waterfowl hunters who now lease our West Marsh, circa 1983, setting decoys from a punt |
While the visuals here foreshadow shortening days and waterfowl migrating north to south, I can't wait till fall to provide some definitions. I am realizing that certain terms become part of the everyday vernacular in the marsh, but that doesn't mean that they are everyday words.
That said I was surprised (though I shouldn't be) that Google could instantly offer basic definitions:
PUNT (/pənt/)
noun: a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat, square or pointed at both ends and propelled with a long pole, used on inland waters chiefly for recreation.
verb: to travel or convey in a punt; to propel a boat by thrusting a pole against the bottom of a shallow body of water.
(Sedwick & Kroll):
". . . options for navigation across the vast mashes were generally limited to shallow-drift, flat-bottomed boats known locally as punts. These fifteen- to sixteen-foot-long wooden boats were doubled ended (pointed) with sturdy decks fore and aft, and flared cowlings to counter splash. The punts drew about three inches of water empty and six inches when loaded with two men and gear, and with a strong push could be punted to the edge of dry ground."
Roy's incredible history of Winous Point goes into painstaking detail describing the attributes and evolution of the boats and their primary forms of propulsion (oars and then eventually "punt poles"). Vessels of similar design date back more than 2,000 years according to a variety of sources, but recreational uses probably have origins in Europe starting in the last couple/few hundred years.
Roy's book has some incredible images dating back to the 1800s and early 1900s. Our history, at least visually, is much more contemporary. As is the construction of many of our boats. The punt to the left (one of my favorite photos I've personally taken, to date) is a carrier-over from the previous marsh manager (more on Tommy later). The hulking steel hull is built like he was: to last.
Punts made of wood are still very much in use elsewhere in the region, but we have opted thus far for other, lighter materials. Our main transport punt is made of reinforced fiberglass. We are contemplating another that is made from an even more forgiving plastic. Times, materials, and designs have evolved, but the basic premise has stayed constant.
While the topic of PUNTERS or "puntmen" -- essentially the primary navigator of a punt boat -- deserves more than one post to be sure, think of these marshmen as the guides. Starting all the way back in the mid-1800s on and around Lake Erie, they provided the entree to the marsh for recreational hunting (and to a lesser extent, fishing). They still provide an integral role today.