his work was painted at Newport, on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, where Brett and his family spent three months in the Castle, leased from the local landowner. In 1882, Newport Bay was dominated by a large sand bar, now partly washed away by the movement of the tides. From a window of the Castle, Brett spotted a boat which had been left stranded on the bar by the ebb tide, of which he painted a small sketch (untraced). From this the current larger version was developed. His Book of Pictures records its sale to Mr Robin, and gives the dimensions as 15" x 30". A later owner evidently had the work slightly cut down, though its essential proportions were preserved. The Whitechapel catalogue for 1893 contained the following note on the picture: "This picture wants long looking at. It is a marvel of patient workmanship. Note how the clouds are massed and yet not heavy; the sea rough and yet flat. Note also the extraordinary blending of the colours of the sea, sky and sand in the pool in the foreground". We are grateful to Charles Brett for his assistance in cataloguing