sawney bean

"In order to survive for some twenty-five years, the Beans would have depopulated the entire southwestern region of Scotland" - wikipedia (citation needed)

While it is not clear that any small craft were used to effect this depopulation, the Beans did live in a cave by the sea. Skin on frame construction techniques were well known to the Scots.

backwards away from the sun

2009 09 05: A fine late summer afternoon fading to evening. Backward paddling home. Though I was feeling a bit peckish by the end, thanks to careful planning, logistics, and more than a little bit of luck, it was not necessary to resort to cannibalism to survive this expedition.

 

There is no Cannabalism in the British Navy!

There is no cannibalism in the British Navy!

Actually, this is a bit of a whitewash of Franklin's first expedition as the 'man who ate his shoes' may have not stopped there. (Arctic Grail, Pierre Berton)