Two cutters, one a Trinity House yacht and the other a revenue cutter, are shown off the North Foreland with Ramsgate in the distance. The Trinity House yacht on the left flies the Trinity House flag from her mainmast, comprising a St George's cross defaced with identical ships in each quadrant. From the peak of her gaff she also flies the Trinity House ensign of about 1810; that is, a red ensign defaced with the same design as the Trinity House flag or jack set in the red fly. The Corporation of Trinity House was responsible for the lighthouses, lightships and navigational marker buoys around the English coasts. They were also the licensing authority for pilots.

On the right is a cutter of the revenue service shown in port view. It is flying the red ensign and pennant and people are visible on the deck. Cutters were fast vessels mainly employed as auxiliaries to the war fleets, but also in civilian use. They could be armed with up to ten guns and, being fast and handy, were much used by the Revenue service in anti-smuggling operations. They were later also used in the Trinity House pilot service.

The white cliffs in the background symbolically denote the coast of England. Between the cliffs in the distance are the buildings and harbour of Ramsgate, which rose to prominence as a fashionable resort in the early 19th century with Regency terraces curving up on either side of the harbour. Other shipping can be seen in the distance to the right.

Whitcombe was born in London in about 1752 and painted ship portraits, battle scenes, harbour views and ships in storms. Although his output was vast, little is known about him. He produced a large number of subjects from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793-1815, and exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1783 and 1824. His depiction of ships implies specific knowledge of life at sea, although he probably spent most of his career in London. Many of his works were engraved and they included 50 plates to James Jenkins's account of 'The Naval Achievements of Great Britain', published in 1817. There is evidence of a signature on the log, lower right, but this is now illegible.