I know nothing about boats and didn't think I would ever find them particularly interesting but I have just discovered a great (free!) site about local Dumfries-shire boats. www.dgcommunity.net/historicalindexes/shipping (I sometimes find it a bit reluctant to connect so search through Dumfries and Galloway community and then, in the search box put 'historical indexes'.) It briefly describes the boats that have been registered locally, their names, history, description, master(s) and owners, noting the number of shares each has. I have noticed that most boats have a total of 64 shares. Does anyone know why 64? It is remarkable what a diverse background the owners are from: farmers, gentlemen, widows, merchants, weavers ... It's quite interesting to search under the name of a local family member: you never know who might turn up as an owner. This Dumfries and Galloway site also provides free access to other really interesting areas including the 1851 census (under historical indexes). Jose