"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea..."
Antoine de Saint Exupery
The cool breeze blew from the water as the schooner glided along the narrow passage from where I could see the buildings on the other shore. Seeing the vessel gently passing by invoked images of old magazines and movies, the romanticized notions of a glamorous lifestyle, echoes of a golden age, which ironically was the end of the trade in this type of craft.
These vessels were used for everything under the sun, which can be broadly categorized as “cargo, passengers, and fishing” (Wikipedia, 2023). More specifically, the schooners were used as privateers, naval crafts, blockade runners, slave ships, merchant ships, and even in the opium trade. Their speed and maneuverability made them vastly useful for important purposes like carrying fresh fruit from the Azores to Britain (Wikipedia, 2023).
The origin of the vessels is a mystery. The main evidence of their early existence comes from English and Dutch paintings and illustrations of schooners dating back to the 1600s. By the end of the 17th century, the schooner was already a common vessel in England and Holland. It reached popularity in North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, especially because of its usefulness for commerce and fishing along the Atlantic coast (Wikipedia, 2023). The trade in these types of vessels ended by mid-twentieth century, during the Art Deco golden age of Hollywood, which did so much to advance the mystique of this vessel.
Looking at the boat swiftly gliding just off the coast of Victoria, so handsome and lean, I have to remind myself that at some point this craft was the stuff of science fiction in its time. The advanced technology of the high seas. Their utility long superseded by modern vessels, the schooner is now used for less utilitarian purposes, including tours, cruises, festivals, films, and education. I cannot help but wonder how big a role this vessel played in the development of western culture. How different would our history have been without them? These are some of those questions with answers that, like the origin of schooners, will likely remain shrouded in the mists of time.
Across the water, the boat disappeared down the strait, and the breeze still blew softly from the sea.
Resources
- Schooner Wikipedia page, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schooner
- Favorite Quotes about sailing and the sea...(Accessed Jun 6, 2023)
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