Aschooner (/ˈskuːnər/SKOO-nər)[1] is a type ofsailing vessel defined by itsfore-and-aft rig on all of two or moremasts and theforemast generally being shorter than themainmast. The most common variants aregaff-rigged andstaysail schooners, with the topsail schooner carrying a square topsail on the foremast, andBermuda andjunk-rigs being rarities.[2]: 211 [3]: 26 [4]: 100 [5]: 48
The term "schooner" first appeared in eastern North America in the early 1700s.[6] The term may be related to aScots word meaning to skip over water,[7] or to skip stones.[8]
The exact origins of schooner rigged vessels are obscure, but by early 17th century they appear in paintings by Dutch marine artists. The earliest known illustration of a schooner depicts a yacht owned by the mayors (Dutch: burgemeesters) ofAmsterdam, drawn by the Dutch artist Rool in 1600. Later examples show schooners in Amsterdam in 1638 andNew Amsterdam in 1627. Paintings byVan de Velde (1633–1707) and an engraving byJan Kip of the Thames at Lambeth, dated 1697, suggest that schooner rig was common in England andHolland by the end of the 17th century. TheRoyal Transport was an example of a large British-built schooner, launched in 1695 at Chatham.[9]: 233 [4]: 13 [10]
The type was further developed inBritish North America starting around 1713.[7] In the 1700s and 1800s in what is nowNew England andAtlantic Canada schooners became popular for coastal trade,[11] and being fast and versatile.[12] Three-masted schooners were introduced around 1800.[10]
The schooner rig was used in vessels for a wide range of purposes. Its good ability to windward was valuable toprivateers,blockade runners, slave ships, smaller naval craft,pilot boats, andopium clippers.Packet boats (built for the fast conveyance of passengers and goods) were often schooners. Fruit schooners were noted for their quick passages, taking their perishable cargoes on routes such as theAzores to Britain. Some very large schooners with five or more masts were built in the United States from circa 1880–1920 for the bulk cargo trade, such as coal and timber. In yachting, schooners predominated in the early years of theAmerica's Cup. In more recent times, schooners have been used as sail training ships.
The fishing vessels that worked theGrand Banks of Newfoundland were schooners, and held in high regard as an outstanding development of the type. This part of North American eastern seaboard is where the term "schooner" first began to be used as a classification for a particular type of vessel. In merchant use, the ease of handling in confined waters and smaller crews relative tosquare rigged vessels contributed to the schooner's popularity, especially in the 19th century. Some schooners worked on deep sea routes. In British home waters, schooners usually had cargo-carrying hulls that were 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 had ceased trading by the middle of the 20th century.
Schooners were popular on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By 1910, 45 five-masted and 10 six-masted bulk-cargo schooners had been built inBath, Maine, and in towns onPenobscot Bay, including theWyoming, which is considered the largest wooden ship ever built.[13] TheThomas W. Lawson was the only seven-masted schooner built.
The rig is rarely found on a hull of less than 50 feetLOA, and small schooners are generally two-masted. In the two decades around 1900, larger multi-masted schooners were built inNew England and on theGreat Lakes with four, five, six, or even seven masts.[9]: 239–242 Schooners were traditionally gaff-rigged, and some schooners sailing today are reproductions of famous schooners of old, but modern vessels tend to beBermuda rigged (or occasionallyjunk-rigged).[14] While asloop rig is simpler and cheaper, the schooner rig may be chosen on a larger boat to reduce the overall mast height and keep each sail smaller, and thus easier to handle andreef. Two-masted schooners display a variety of sails filling the gaps between them, such as a gaff sail on the foremast (even with a Bermuda mainsail), or a mainstaysail, often with afisherman staysail to fill the gap at the top in light airs.
Schooner types are defined by their rig configuration. Most have abowsprit although some were built without one forcrew safety,[clarify] such asAdventure.
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Some specific types of schooner include:
Schooners were built primarily for cargo, passengers, and fishing.
The Norwegian polar schoonerFram was used by bothFridtjof Nansen andRoald Amundsen in their explorations of the poles.
America, namesake of theAmerica's Cup, was one of the few schooners ever designed for racing. This race was long dominated by schooners. Three-masted schoonerAtlantic set thetransatlantic sailing record for amonohull in the 1905Kaiser's Cup race. The record remained unbroken for nearly 100 years.[16]Bluenose (1921–1946) was both a successful fishing boat and a racer.
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