By Bridget M. Burns
Photos by Dave Waddell
From our May 2025 issue
Schooner
Schooners have at least two masts, with the largest mast, or mainmast, located second from the bow. The majority of cruise sailboats in Camden Harbor are schooners originally designed as working boats for cargo or fishing. “They’re so powerful and fast — that’s why they started racing,” Lincoln says. “The America’s Cup is named after schooner America.”
Ketch
A ketch’s mainmast is forward and its smaller mizzenmast is aft. “In the old days, when they were sailing cargo, the schooner wasn’t as great going upwind, so putting that bigger sail forward made the boat sail a little better,” Lincoln says. “They were the semis of their time.”
Yawl
A yawl’s mizzenmast is positioned behind a rudder post with a small, stabilizing sail. Yawls were popular with racers during a time when rules limited the square footage of sail allowed between the helm and the stern but didn’t specify anything beyond the stern. On fishing boats, the smaller sail would help keep the boat steady when hauling nets. “Cruising people liked it because it would keep them from moving around as much when they anchored at night,” Lincoln says.
Sloop and Cutter
A sloop is a single-masted sailing yacht with two sails that are relatively easy to handle due to their minimal rigging and lines. A cutter also has only one mast, but it is generally situated closer to the rear of the boat.
Windjammer
Historically, windjammer was a derogatory term used by sailors of square-rigged ships, whose sails are set perpendicular to the masts, to refer to sailors of newer fore-and-aft rig ships where the sails are set along the line of the keel. “The amount of seamanship skills you needed to sail square-rigged ships was significantly higher,” Lincoln says. “When schooners first started to show up and make a living, the older traditional sailors thumbed their nose at them. They thought they were lesser sailors.” In modern terms, windjammer usually refers to a boat that goes out overnight.
