The Sail of Cardiff Bay illustrates the importance of both Cardiff and Penarth docks during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This fully illustrated book lists over 130 commercial vessels that used the docks, and provides details of the ship builders and shipyards, plus dimensions, rigs and tonnages. The book includes various types of vessels: full-rigged ships, barques, and schooners, along with descriptions of voyages, captains, crews and cargoes. This fascinating piece of maritime history includes stories of mutiny, murder, shipwreck, revolutions and wars, and some of the famous vessels discussed, such as Cutty Sark, Great Britain and Passal, can still be seen and visited today. The Sail of Cardiff Bay paints a picture of the South Wales docks in their heyday, at a time when the confidence of ship owners, captains and crews in the dockyard builders' skills was evident by the sheer number of vessels towed towards the Bay straight from the launching ship, to load coal and sail around the world. The book also describes how the area has more recently been transformed from a forest of masts into an urban sprawl of housing estates, hotels and office blocks.