What's a schooner, anyway?

Replica of the schooner America
By Greg Bishop via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Seriously: what is it?

It's a ship that has at least two masts, with the foremast being as tall as or shorter than the rear. In the 18th and 19th centuries, two-masted schooners were fast, good for privateering and interdiction, coastguarding and running blockades. The schooner America in 1851 won the race that became the eponymous America's Cup. Schooners have also been used more nefariously: for example, the slave ship La Amistad was a schooner. The Dutch developed the first schooners, but they really found cachet with the Americans.

There are a few schooners puttering around today. The Alma plies San Francisco Bay, as does The Bay Lady. This weekend, my wife and I spotted a replica of the aforementioned America on a sightseeing trip along the waterfront.

Sources:

• Alma at San Francisco Maritime (26 August)
• America's Cup at Wikipedia (23 August)
• The Bay Lady at Rendezvous Charters (26 August)
• Occre Albatros Schooner at Cornwall Model Boats (23 & 26 August)
• Schooner at Wikipedia (23 August)
• Why a schooner? at Schooner Jakatan (23 August)