Schooners are sailing vessels of typically two, but sometimes more masts defined by their rig configuration. The foremast is slightly shorter than the main.
History[]
Schooners are an evolution of the fore-and-aft rig, a rig consisting mainly of sails set along the line of the keel rather than perpendicular to it. This rig had been developed from earlier rigs such as the lateen. The earliest evidence of schooners comes from a Dutch artist’s drawings in 1700.
By 1700, rigging and sail material technologies had advanced to the point where they were strong enough for faster sailing, and hull shapes were adapted accordingly to be less barrel-shaped, and the traditional raised poop deck and rounded and raised bows were lowered.
Schooners became popular in New England for coastal trade, requiring a smaller crew comparative to its size than square rig ships. Schooners were also fast and versatile.
Charles Vane captained a schooner which he used to chase down a Dutch Slaver. He later used it as a fireship to break Woodes Rogers’ blockade of Nassau’s harbor, allowing the Pirate Fleet to escape.