EVOLUTION OF THE FISHING SCHOONER 311 



welcome one to the fishermen. Probably a step in the 

 evolution of the schooner-rig was the cutting away of that 

 part of the lateen sail which extended forward of the mast, 

 although the yard itself projected forward as formerly. 

 The complete transformation was made in 171?. Capt. 

 Andrew Robinson, of Gloucester, "built and rigged a ketch, 

 as they were called, masted and rigged in a peculiar man- 

 ner.' His vessel had gaffs and booms to the sails instead 

 of lateen yards, previously in use, and the luff or upright 

 edge of the sail was fastened to hoops on the masts. She 

 was also provided with a jib-sail forward. As the vessel 

 entered the water at her launching, she was christened a 

 "scooner' by her builder, a name ever since applied to 

 vessels with two or more masts rigged with fore-and-aft 

 sails. There is no evidence that Capt. Robinson attempted 

 any change in the shape of the hull. 1 



The economy of the schooner was soon evident, as the sails 

 could be handled easily on deck, changes in the vessel's 

 course could be made without lowering and setting sail, 

 and the arrangement of sails allowed the vessel to sail 

 several points nearer the wind. Schooners did not come 

 into general use at Gloucester immediately, but by 1741 

 there were about seventy of them owned there. 2 For 

 nearly two centuries, the schooner rig of sails has been 

 found to be well adapted to our ocean fisheries, and is the 

 popular style for yachts and pilot boats. Among the deep- 

 sea merchant marine of the world this rig of sail has well 

 nigh superseded the square rig style. 



For many years after 1713 the schooner represented 

 a compromise between the square sails of the ketch and 

 the fore-and-aft sails of the vessels of the Robinson 

 class. The square sails served in place of the top sails 



1 Babson, History of Gloucester, p. 250. 



2 Ibid, p. 254. 



