Charles Riverboat Company is excited to announce that various Tall Ships, from all over the world, will be setting sail into the Boston Harbor from June 17-22nd. For five days, people from around New England can venture into the city to view these beautiful ships!
Types of Tall Ships
- The Full Rigged Ship is equipped with at least three, square rigged masts. During the 19th century, these types of ships were typically used for deep-water cargo carrying trips.
- The Barque vessel has at least three masts, including the main and fore masts being square. Many barques are used as ships today in sailing schools.
- All three masts on a Barquentine are fore-and-aft rigged except for the square mast. Typically, Baequentine ships are seen in the North and Baltic sea.
- Brig ships were initially for basic cargo and used in the 19th These ships sailed fast and they sailed well, especially for naval battles like the historical Battle of Lake Erie.
- The Brigantine was known as the sail and oar-driven war vessel during the 13th This boat has two masts and eight-twelve oars located on each side and was lateen rigged, meaning it could track against the wind. Because of is’ speed, mobility and ease of handling, this ship was a favorite among the Mediterranean pirates.
- Schooners were first used in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Dutch and developed, shortly after, in North America. Schooners had at least two masts and because of its’ speed, were used for things like offshore fishing, slaving privateering and blockade running.
Classes of Tall Ships
To categorize the Tall Ships, there were classes created by rigging (squared, modern or traditional), waterline length and overall length.
Class A ships all have square-rigged vessels and are over 131 feet in overall length. Class A ships include brigantines, barques and brigs.
Class B are all traditional rigged vessels, but some do include gaff rigged sloops, yawls or schooners. To be identified as a class b, the vessels need to have a minimum waterline length of 30 feet and an overall length of less than 131 feet.
Class C ships have a waterline length of at least 30 feet and overall length of 131 feet. A few examples of this class are ketches, Bermudan rigged sloops and schooners.
Much like class c, Class D consist of vessels with modern rigs like ketches, schooners and Bermudan rigged slopes. Each vessel has an overall length of less than 131 feet and a waterline length of at least 30 feet. The difference between class d and c is that class d vessels spinnaker like sails.
Set sail June 17th with Charles Riverboat Company to learn more about the Tall Ships coming to Boston! If you are interested in booking tickets, reserve your spot online or feel free to call us at 617.621.3001!