If you are a boating enthusiast, especially wooden boats, then you would be familiar with what a schooner is. However, for the sake of those who are not familiar with the different boating terms, a schooner is a sailing vessel characterized by the presence of a sailing rig possessing sails that have been set up along the lines of the keel. What makes this unique is that most sails are set up perpendicular to the line of the keel. This is not the case with the schooner.
In a schooner, one would observe two or more masts. This is opposite buffet promotion what one would find in a proa, catboat, and the cutter where there is only one mast. What’s more, the forward mast of a schooner is typically of the same height as the rear masts.
The schooner first made its appearance in the Dutch waters during the 16th and 17th century. The North America immediately caught up on the design and were already sailing its own schooners by the 18th century. Back in those days, and even today, it is the two-masted schooners that were preferred by most of the sailors. It was primarily used, then, for transporting slaves. Today, the Chesapeake Bay area features two of the most popular types of schooners – the Baltimore Clipper and the Pungy.
One schooner voyage that stands out in history is that of Robert Louis Stevenson’s. His was a voyage that simply aimed to find out about the status of his health. Unfortunately, what started as a simple schooner voyage in 1888, turned out to be a lifelong journey until his death due to a ruptured vein On December 1894.
Reid Stowe, an American adventurer among other things, is also known for making extended schooner voyages aboard his boat Ann. Based on records, he had sailed aboard the said boat for more than 1,152 days without either stopping for a resupply or stepping on land.
Of course, when one talks about schooner voyage, it would be very impossible not to mention the famous La Amistad. The schooner La Amistad gained notoriety after the African slaves being transported from Havana to Cuba revolted against the ship’s crew. This two-masted schooner was built by a Spaniard residing in Spain and is actually longer and with a higher freeboard than the modern0day Amistad. It is now considered to be the symbol of the fight for the abolition of slavery.
The schooner voyage involving Clotilde was also considered to be significant as it was the last US slave ship on record. It contained no more than 160 slaves from Africa. It was a schooner featuring two masts and measuring 86 feet by 23 feet. One of its famous passengers is Cudjoe Lewis, considered to be the last person to have been born in Africa and brought to the US through the schooner voyage of Clotilde as a slave. He lived to a ripe old age of 94 and was lucky enough to have seen the abolition of slavery.
The schooner Thomas W. Lawson is not so much known for the schooner voyage it might have taken but for the way it was designed. To date, it is the only schooner that was designed with seven masts. It was originally meant for the Pacific trade but ended up transporting coal and oil along the East Coast. Aside from having seven masts, Thomas W. Lawson also prides itself of being the largest schooner as well as pure sailing vessel ever built. The latter means that it does not have any auxiliary engine. The schooner Thomas W. Lawson was built in 1892.
The schooner voyage of the HMS Halifax is yet another one that has made a significant impact in history. The said schooner was built during the 18th century meant for merchant service in Halifax, Nova Scotia; thus, the name. A few years later, it was bought by the British Royal Navy in order to serve as patrol for Northern America. It is considered to be one of the most documented schooners during early colonial times.
On the other hand, it was a schooner voyage that led to James Brooke becoming the first White Rajah of Sarawak. The name of the schooner involved was the RYS Royalist, a 142-ton topsail schooner built in 1884 originally as a gentleman’s yacht. It was brought by James Brooke in 1836 in order to start his expedition to the East Indies. Since the RYS Royalist was considered as part of the Royal Yacht Squadron, the schooner was allowed to display the white Ensign as well as afforded all the rights due a member of the Royal Navy. The Royalist was what brought James Brooke to Sarawak where he was able to establish a foothold to later on become the first White Rajah after the Sultan of Brunei gave him a significant chunk of land in the area. The White Rajahs, mostly form Brooke’s own family, ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946.
The schooner voyage of HMS Pickle is one that is packed with history. Its claim to fame was the fact that it participated in the Battle of Trafalgar and was even awarded with the Naval General Service Medal. This topsail schooner was originally built in Bermuda in 1799. It was originally called Sting and later on became known as Pickle. HMS Pickle was the first ship to bring the new of Nelson’s victory during the Battle of Trafalgar. Apart from the Battle of Trafalgar, this schooner has also seen a number of actions alongside other boats such as the Entreprenante, Prince George, magnificent, the frigate Fox, and Swiftsure.
Today, a typical schooner voyage would be within the fishing grounds of North America as a number of today’s schooners are used as a fishing vessel. There are also some schooners that make it big in races. Some schooners are also used to transport cargos across the Great Lakes. The historical significance of schooner voyages may be lost to most people of today but they are definitely still in fashion for boating enthusiasts.