About the Author

Xavier Pastor is one of Spain's leading maritime historians. He has spent many years gathering material on the coastal working craft of Spain, and is a fine modelmaker and draughtsman. He has produced numerous plans of Spanish small craft, and has been a regular contributor to Model Shipwright and other nautical journals. Widely recognised as an authority on the 15th century Mataro nao, he was closely involved with the Spanish reconstruction of the ships of Columbus for the 500th anniversary of the European discovery of America.