OED:

The rig characteristic of a schooner has been defined as consisting
essentially of two gaff sails, the after sail not being smaller than the
fore, and a head sail set on a bowsprit.

Webster:

Fore and aft rigged vessel with a smaller sail on the foremast and the
main mast stepped _nearly_ amidships.


The size of the mast doesn't really matter, it's the sail distribution..
That also dictates mast placement -hence the Webster observation on this
point. Do you think the masts were gaff rigged as well?

Cheers



DSK wrote:

Actually, the Titanic was a schooner.


Nav wrote:

Sheesh. She didn't have a mast stepped near amidships Doug -that is
where the funnels were.


Where in the definition of a schooner does it say that a mast has to be
stepped amidships? AFAIK a schooner has two (or more) masts, with the
foreward mast being shorter and/or having less sail area.



... Did you think she ever carried sail on those masts?


From what I've read, no. However she was rigged for sail, carried sails
on board, and was described on her registry as "schooner rigged."

OED:

The rig characteristic of a schooner has been defined as consisting
essentially of two gaff sails, the after sail not being smaller than the
fore, and a head sail set on a bowsprit.

Webster:

Fore and aft rigged vessel with a smaller sail on the foremast and the
main mast stepped _nearly_ amidships.


The size of the mast doesn't really matter, it's the sail distribution..
That also dictates mast placement -hence the Webster observation on this
point. Do you think the masts were gaff rigged as well?

Cheers