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Schooner

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For other uses, see Schooner (disambiguation).
Lewis R. French, a gaff-rigged schooner
Oosterschelde, a topsail schooner
Orianda, a staysail schooner, with Bermuda mainsail

A schooner (/ˈskuːnər/ SKOO-nər)[1] is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schooner also has a square topsail on the foremast, to which may be added a topgallant. Differing definitions leave uncertain whether the addition of a fore course would make such a vessel a brigantine. Many schooners are gaff-rigged, but other examples include Bermuda rig and the staysail schooner.[2]: 211 [3]: 26 [4]: 100 [5]: 48 

Etymology

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The term "schooner" is believed to have originated from the Dutch word "schoener", which was used to describe a type of fast, elegant sailing vessel. The word is related to the Dutch verb "schooneren", which referred to smooth or swift movement over water.[6] Given the Netherlands' prominence in shipbuilding and maritime trade during the 17th century, Dutch terminology had a significant influence on nautical language. English speakers likely adopted and modified the Dutch term, as they did with other maritime words such as yacht (from Dutch "jacht") and skipper (from "schipper").[7]

The first recorded use of the word "schooner" in English dates to 1716 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where shipbuilder Andrew Robinson is said to have launched a vessel of this type.[8] However, fore-and-aft rigged ships with similar characteristics had already been used in the Netherlands before this date, particularly in the form of "hoeker" and "smak" vessels, which were known for their manoeuvrability.[9] Some sources suggest a connection to a Scots verb meaning "to send over water" or "to skip stones,"[10] though historical documentation for this theory is limited.

History

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The origins of schooner-rigged vessels are somewhat obscure, but evidence suggests their development in the early 17th century. Dutch marine artists, such as those from the Dutch Golden Age, depicted vessels with fore-and-aft rigs in their paintings, indicating the use of such designs during this period.[11]

The earliest known illustration of a schooner is often cited as a yacht owned by the mayors (Dutch: burgemeesters) of Amsterdam, drawn by the Dutch artist Rool and dated 1600. Later examples show schooners (Dutch: schoeners) in Amsterdam in 1638 and New Amsterdam in 1627. Paintings by Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633–1707) and an engraving by Jan Kip of the Thames at Lambeth, dated 1697, suggest that the schooner rig was common in England and the Netherlands by the end of the 17th century. The Royal Transport was an example of a large British-built schooner, launched in 1695 at Chatham.[12][4][13]

Schooner rigs were used in vessels serving a variety of purposes. On a fast hull, their ability to sail windward was advantageous for privateers, blockade runners, slave ships, smaller naval ships, and opium clippers. Packet boats, built for the fast conveyance of passengers and goods, were often schooners. Fruit schooners were noted for their quick passages, transporting perishable cargoes on routes such as from the Azores to Britain. Some pilot boats adopted the rig. Fishing vessels that worked the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were schooners and were highly regarded as an outstanding development of the type.

In merchant use, the ease of handling in confined waters and smaller crew requirements made schooners a common rig, especially in the 19th century. Some schooners operated on deep-sea routes. In British home waters, schooners typically had cargo-carrying hulls designed to take the ground in drying harbors or even to unload dried out on an open beach. The last of these once-common craft ceased trading by the mid-20th century.

Some very large schooners with five or more masts were built in the United States from circa 1880–1920, primarily carrying bulk cargoes such as coal and timber. In yachting, schooners predominated in the early years of the America's Cup. In more recent times, schooners have been used as sail training ships.

The type was further developed in British North America starting around 1713.[14] In the 18th and 19th centuries, in what is now New England and Atlantic Canada, schooners became popular for coastal trade, requiring a smaller crew for their size compared to traditional ocean-crossing square rig ships and being fast and versatile.[15] Three-masted schooners were introduced around 1800.[13]

Schooners remained popular on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By 1910, 45 five-masted and 10 six-masted schooners had been built in Bath, Maine, and in towns on Penobscot Bay, including Wyoming, which is considered the largest wooden ship ever built.[16] The Thomas W. Lawson was the only seven-masted schooner ever built.

Rig types

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The rig is rarely found on a hull of less than 50 feet LOA, and small schooners are generally two-masted. In the two decades around 1900, larger multi-masted schooners were built in New England and on the Great Lakes with four, five, six, or even, seven masts.[12]: 239–242  Schooners were traditionally gaff-rigged, and some schooners sailing today are reproductions of famous schooners of old, but modern vessels tend to be Bermuda rigged (or occasionally junk-rigged).[17] While a sloop rig is simpler and cheaper, the schooner rig may be chosen on a larger boat so as to reduce the overall mast height and to keep each sail to a more manageable size, giving a mainsail that is easier to handle and to reef. An issue when planning a two-masted schooner's rig is how best to fill the space between the masts: for instance, one may adopt (i) a gaff sail on the foremast (even with a Bermuda mainsail), or (ii) a main staysail, often with a fisherman topsail to fill the gap at the top in light airs.

Various types of schooners are defined by their rig configuration. Most have a bowsprit although some were built without one for crew safety, such as Adventure.

The following varieties were built:

Tern schooner at dockside c. 1910. This design is notable for all three masts being of equal height.
  • Grand Banks fishing schooner: includes a gaff topsail on the main mast and a fisherman's staysail; in winter topmasts and their upper sails are taken down.[18] Bluenose was one such example.
  • Topsail schooner/Square topsail schooner: includes square topsails.[18] A version with raked masts and known for its great speed, called the Baltimore Clipper was popular in the early 1800s.
  • Four- to seven-masted schooners: these designs spread the sail area over many smaller sails, at a time when sails were hoisted by hand, though mechanical assistance was used as the ships, sails, and gaffs became too large and heavy to raise manually. These were used for coastal trade on the Atlantic coast of North America, the West Indies, South America, and some trans-Atlantic voyages.[18]
  • Tern schooner: a three-masted schooner very popular between 1880 and 1920.[18] Wawona, the largest of this type built, sailed on the West Coast of the United States from 1897 to 1947.

Uses

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Schooners were built primarily for cargo, passengers, and fishing.

The Norwegian polar schooner Fram was used by both Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen in their explorations of the poles.

Bluenose was both a successful fishing boat and a racer. America, eponym of America's Cup, was one of the few schooners ever designed for racing. This race was long dominated by schooners. Three-masted schooner Atlantic set the transatlantic sailing record for a monohull in the 1905 Kaiser's Cup race. The record remained unbroken for nearly 100 years.[19]

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Sail plans

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  • Two-masted gaff schooner
    Two-masted gaff schooner
  • Topsail schooner
    Topsail schooner

Examples

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Roslyn Flaherty (August 2, 2021). 'I was never scared': Passenger aboard historic schooner captures video as it sank in Maine river. NEWSCENTERMaine. Event occurs at 00:25. Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Palmer, Joseph (1975). Jane's Dictionary of Naval Terms. London: Macdonald and Jane's Limited. ISBN 0-356-08258-X.
  3. ^ Cunliffe, Tom (2016). Hand, Reef and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats (second ed.). Adlard Coles. ISBN 978-1472925220.
  4. ^ a b MacGregor, David R. (1982). Schooners in Four Centuries. Hemel Hempstead: Argus Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85242-774-3.
  5. ^ MacGregor, David R. (1997). The Schooner, Its Design and Development from 1600 to the Present. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-020-5.
  6. ^ De Vries, J.; De Tollenaere, F. (1991). Etymologisch Woordenboek. Spectrum.
  7. ^ Beekman, F. (1982). Dutch Nautical Terms in English and American Seafaring. Holland Press.
  8. ^ Chapelle, Howard I. (1935). The History of American Sailing Ships. Bonanza Books. p. 97.
  9. ^ Unger, Richard W. (1980). The Ship in the Medieval Economy 600-1600. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
  10. ^ Kemp, Peter, ed. (1976). The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Oxford University Press.
  11. ^ "Wind, Water, and Waves: Marine Paintings from the Dutch Golden Age" (PDF). National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  12. ^ a b Leather, John (1970). Gaff Rig. London: Adlard Coles Limited. ISBN 0-229-97489-9.
  13. ^ a b Marquardt, Karl Heinz (2013). The Global Schooner: Origins, Development, Design and Construction 1695–1845. Conway Maritime. pp. 7–13. ISBN 9780851779300. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  14. ^ Chapelle, Howard I. (1935). The History of American Sailing Ships. Bonanza Books. p. 97.
  15. ^ "Schooner" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
  16. ^ "Largest wooden sailing ship ever". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  17. ^ Images of junk-rigged schooners –
  18. ^ a b c d "Sailing Ship Rigs". Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Nova Scotia Museum. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  19. ^ Ramsey, Nancy (2005-06-02). "YACHT RACING; Schooner Breaks Century-Old Record for Crossing the Atlantic". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
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