In this work, Volanakis focuses mainly on human activity and chooses to depict a snapshot of the daily life of fishermen. His depictions usually focus on scenes of fishing with nets or torches, but this time he chooses a phase of the fishing boat’s preparation before the fishing begins. In addition, the main subject takes up almost the entire surface of the painting, having been painted on a large scale, and allows little space for the description of the surrounding scenery. The scene takes place in the shallow waters of a bay. Near a sandy beach with moored boats, Volanakis depicts fishermen toiling to push a fishing sailboat into the water. The detailed rendering of this particular moment is impressive; three men with their feet in the water pushing the boat hard towards the sea. Two are pushing with their hands and one with his back, while a fourth man on deck is holding the rudder. Their figures are reflected on the water and, together with the boat’s shadow, colour the sea accordingly.