A coastal fishing boat, known as a pink, is shown sailing through choppy water to the left of the painting. Pinks were employed for fishing and transporting people. They were flat-bottomed, square-rigged vessels with the mainmast amidships, the foremast directly behind the stern, and long leeboards. Pinks were designed specifically to land on the beach in order to discharge their catch. The boat is shown pitching at an angle in the water. It heels sharply to the right as it is propelled by the wind which is blowing from the left. The two men on board attend to their nets which they have cast over the side. On the far left a large, three-masted merchant vessel – painted in almost the same colour as the sea itself – is faintly visible on the horizon. On the right a smaller coastal craft with a leeboard and two people on board moves briskly through the water. A coastline with dunes is barely visible in the centre.
