My latest novel, Wind Raven, is a seafaring pirate Regency, much of which is set on a schooner in 1817. To set my scenes accurately, especially those in a storm, I had to know much about schooners of the period and their crews.
The Ship Though it can vary in size, generally a schooner is a smaller ship with only two or three decks and two or more masts (most often two) rigged with fore-and-aft sails. As their name indicates, schooners have the ability to glide across the water with superior speed. In Wind Raven the ship is a “topsail schooner,” meaning that the schooner has a square topsail on the foremast.
The schooner’s sails run the length of the deck, enabling it to catch the wind at a closer angle and their placement allows greater maneuverability. The ship can thus move closer to the wind, almost directly into the wind, giving it power and speed. The origins of the design are unknown but hulls conforming to the concept were, by the late 18th century, popular both in Britain and America.
Initially built for trade around the coasts, larger ones could take on longer voyages. And such was the ship my hero, Capt. Jean Nicholas Powell captains. See more HERE.
The schooner’s sails run the length of the deck, enabling it to catch the wind at a closer angle and their placement allows greater maneuverability. The ship can thus move closer to the wind, almost directly into the wind, giving it power and speed. The origins of the design are unknown but hulls conforming to the concept were, by the late 18th century, popular both in Britain and America.
Initially built for trade around the coasts, larger ones could take on longer voyages. - See more at: http://www.blueroseromance.com/2014/04/schooners-of-regency-era-by-regan-walker.html#sthash.ESHDx7bm.dpuf
The Ship Though it can vary in size, generally a schooner is a smaller ship with only two or three decks and two or more masts (most often two) rigged with fore-and-aft sails. As their name indicates, schooners have the ability to glide across the water with superior speed. In Wind Raven the ship is a “topsail schooner,” meaning that the schooner has a square topsail on the foremast.
The schooner’s sails run the length of the deck, enabling it to catch the wind at a closer angle and their placement allows greater maneuverability. The ship can thus move closer to the wind, almost directly into the wind, giving it power and speed. The origins of the design are unknown but hulls conforming to the concept were, by the late 18th century, popular both in Britain and America.
Initially built for trade around the coasts, larger ones could take on longer voyages. And such was the ship my hero, Capt. Jean Nicholas Powell captains. See more HERE.
The schooner’s sails run the length of the deck, enabling it to catch the wind at a closer angle and their placement allows greater maneuverability. The ship can thus move closer to the wind, almost directly into the wind, giving it power and speed. The origins of the design are unknown but hulls conforming to the concept were, by the late 18th century, popular both in Britain and America.
Initially built for trade around the coasts, larger ones could take on longer voyages. - See more at: http://www.blueroseromance.com/2014/04/schooners-of-regency-era-by-regan-walker.html#sthash.ESHDx7bm.dpuf
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