Jolly Boatmen

Historic shore-boat operators who ferried crew, stores, and passengers between anchored ships and the quay in the age of sail, before purpose-built launches and tender services. The “jolly boat” was a small ship’s boat, typically clinker-built and rowed, used for harbor errands; the men who plied trade boats around major ports such as London, Portsmouth, and Liverpool were a recognized waterfront calling alongside watermen and lightermen. The term survives mainly in maritime history and place-names rather than as a current profession.