Vigilant – On the Pacific Run

The 5-masted schooner Vigilant was one of the last sailing ships built on the US Pacific coast and was typical of the large wooden schooners that were built in large numbers right up to 1920. She was built in 1920 at the George F. Mathews shipyard at Hoquiam Washington for the E.K.Wood Lumber Company.  She was 240 feet (75 metres) long. Her first voyage was to Sydney with timber. Being a light cargo the timber was also carried on deck and many features of these latter day schooners resulted from this practice.

The hoist of their sails and the height of their lower masts was such that when a deck cargo was being carried the booms and gaffs could be set higher up the mast although there was only about 4 feet clearance over the top of the deck load. The ship’s boat was slung from stern davits as there was no room along the well deck. Sometimes an additional boat was carried lashed down on the poop, but due to the small crew required by these fore and aft rigged vessels this was adequate.

It was unusual for these schooners to carry a gaff on the aftermost mast. A triangular sail called a leg o’mutton sail was set on a boom as this was easier to control when sailing down wind. They had a single yard on the foremast from which  two square sails were set, for down wind sailing. They were furled into the mast rather than the yard. They usually had steam-powered winch at the base of each mast to hoist the heavy gaffs.