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Schooners) Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see
Schooner (disambiguation). Three-masted schooner Regina Maris
Schooner rigging: 1) Bowsprit 2) Jib, followed by fore staysail
3) (Fore) gaff topsail 4) Foresail 5) Main gaff topsail 6)
Mainsail 7) End of boom  A schooner /ˈsknər/ is a type of
sailing vessel with fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts, the
foremast being no taller than the rear mast(s).  Such vessels
were first used by the Dutch in the 16th or 17th century (but
may not have been called that at the time – see etymology,
below). Originally schooners were gaff-rigged, but modern
schooners may be Bermuda-rigged. Schooners were further
developed in North America from the early 18th century, and came
into extensive use in New England.[1] The most common type of
schooners, with two masts, were popular in trades that required
speed and windward ability, such as slaving, privateering, and
blockade running. They were also traditional fish