Loading
SchoonerSail
  • Home
  • 2020 Itinerary
    • All 2020 Sailing Holidays
    • Taster Weekend UK
    • Ipswich To Bergen
    • Bergen To Stavanger
    • Stavanger To Sandefjord
    • Sandefjord To Gothenburg
    • Gothenburg To Copenhagen
    • Copenhagen To Kiel
    • Kiel To SAIL Amsterdam
    • SAIL Amsterdam to Den Helder
    • Den Helder To Ipswich
    • Ipswich To London
  • Our Sailing Holidays
    • Life Onboard
    • Where We Sail
    • Crew Stories
    • Sailing Videos
    • Offshore Sailing
    • Learn To Sail | Sail Training
    • Sailing In Norway
  • The Ship
    • About The Ship
    • Sail Plan
    • History
  • Booking
    • How To Book
    • Online Booking Form
    • Travel To The Ship
    • FAQS
    • What To Pack
    • Sailing Holiday Insurance
    • Payment Page
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Tall Ships & Schooners
    • Tall Ships & Schooners
    • Tall Ships Race Films
    • Tall Ships Gallery
    • Learn To Sail A Schooner
    • Schooner Books
    • Schooner Rig
  • Contact
  • Menu

Books About Schooners

Our Private Collection

People often ask me about the history of Trinovante and if I based our schooner on a particular type of vessel. I could answer no, but then I could answer yes because every traditional sailing vessel is based on, or influenced by, a thousand ships that went before.

How do we know about these schooners of the past? In years gone by a line of practical development ran from generation to generation through the common experience of shipbuilders and seafarers. Now, much of our information and technical history about traditional sail comes from books.

I hope you enjoy the reading list. I would love to know of any great books about schooners not listed below. Please do drop me an email at SchoonerSail.
John

The Schooner By David R MacGregor

The Schooner

David R MacGregor

A highly informative work from one of the worlds leading authorities on merchant sail. Covering over 400 years (from 1600 to the present) of schooner development with many photographs and much technical information on schooners in North America and Europe.

Chapter Headings Include

Definitions, Two Masted Boats, Colonial America, Shallops and Chebacco Boats, Privateers and Baltimore Clippers, British Schooners Before 1840, Naval Schooners, Schooner Brigantines, Clipper Schooners, North American Schooners, Victorian Schooners, Yachts, Schooners in Europe, The Big Schooners, Schooners Around The World, Pilot Boats and Fishermen, School Ships, and Schooners Today.
This is an expanded and rewritten version of Schooners In Four Centuries – see below.

Published 1997

The American Fishing Schooners By Howard L Chapelle

The American Fishing Schooners 1825 – 1935

Howard Chapell

This book chronicles the development of the classic American East Coast Grand Banks and inshore fishing schooners with lines drawings, sail plans and text.

More than half the book is devoted to details of rigging, deck gear, steering and windlasses etc.
I have spent many happy hours myself trawling through rigging details

A definitive book for the serious schooner nerd.

Published 1973

Blue Water Coaster By Francis E Bowker

Blue Water Coaster

Francis Bowker

Published 1972

A first-hand account of life aboard one of the big coasting schooners of the Eastern seaboard of the United States. The 1930s and ’40s were the last days of these ships, and they were well past their sell-by date often requiring a lot of keeping afloat.

A good read.

Hard On The Wind By Russ Hofvendahl

Hard On The Wind

Russ Hovendahl

At the age of 15, the author signed up onboard a four-masted West Coast schooner for a cod fishing voyage to the Bering Sea. A well written account of a way of life nearing its end in 1937 and now a distant memory.

Published in 1983

The Quest Of The Schooner Argus By Alan Vliiiers

The Quest Of The Schooner Argus

By Alan Villiers

In 1950 Alan Villiers renowned author of many books on sailing ships, sailed with the Portuguese fishing fleet to fish on the Grand Banks and Davis Straits. The fishermen left the Argus in open water in small dories to fish for cod with handheld longlines. It was a tough life in a cold place.
The appendix has some interesting economic details such as pay rates and a list of the fishermen’s allowances for each voyage such as 7lb of tobacco, cloth for making sails for the dories and 8 litres of oil for treating oilskins.

Published 1951

Workaday Schooners By Edward W Smith

Skiffs And Schooners

By R D Culler

This is a really nice book by a master shipwright with many details of the nitty gritty of different wooden boatbuilding types.

Chapters Headings Include

Experience Starts When You Begin – Building the Spray – Wooden Boat Building – Materials – Tools – Flat bottoms – File Bottoms – Lapstrake – Carvel Planking – Engines, Oars and Sails, The Sprit Rig – Other Rigs Including The Ketch – The Schooner Rig – Water – Stoves – Anchors – Fuel – Centreboards And Cabins – Paints – Oils And Goo – Sailors Old And Young.
Published 1974

The Merchant Schooners By Basil Greenhill

The Merchant Schooners By Basil Greenhill

By Basil Greenhill

The definitive work of the British Schooner, the construction, the trades, the crews, the finances and contemporary accounts of voyages drawings and photos. A readable book with lots of anecdotes, photos and some lines drawings

Chapters Headings Include

A Fragment Of Industrial History – The Rise And Fall Of The British Merchant Schooner – The Newfoundland Trade – The Shape Of The Schooners – The Building Of The Schooners, Life After Launching – Barmen And Bridgewater Men – Owners, Masters And Men – The Life on Deep Water – the Coal Trade – The Irish Sea – The Company Of Little Ships – The West Country Schooners – The Iron Topsail

Published 1951
Revised 1987

Schooners By Basil Greenhill

Schooners

By Basil Greenhill

My first schooner book ever, a wonderful collection of photos with commentary by the then director of the National Maritime Museum. Su’s favourite photo is of The Souvenir a little pole masted Tern Schooner (three master) 61ft long. One of Johns favourites is of the five-masted schooner Inca, deep laden, beating out of Puget Sound although he found it difficult to pick one photo from so many good photos.

Published 1980

SchoonerMan By Captain Richard England

Schooner Captain

By Nora Ayland (the captains daughter)

The memories of a man born into the life of a sailor in 1881. He was 50 years at sea, 42 as master, a life of extreme hardship and yet of immense satisfaction in his calling.

Published in 1972

SchoonerMan By Captain Richard England

Schooner Man

By Captain Richard England

Against the will of his parents, Richard England signed on the schooner Via in 1925. During the war, he served in the royal marines and was seriously injured. After the war, he along with his wife and two daughters, bought the schooner Nellie Bywater and the story is both inspirational and tragic.

Published 1981

Atlantic Four Master The Story Of A Schooner By Captain Francis E Bowker

Atlantic Four Master – The Story Of The Schooner Herbert L Rawding

By Captain Francis E Bowker

The Herbert L Rawding was launched in 1919 and ended her days under sail at St Johns Newfoundland when engines were fitted. She sank a year later. Includes a lot of good photos including some of this schooner in rough weather. Bowker sailed on the Herbert L Rawding but not as captain. He includes lots of the daily detail of life on a large commercial schooner.

Published in 1986

Workaday Schooners By Edward W Smith

Workaday Schooners

Compiled By Edward W Smith (the photos were his fathers)

This is a little photographic treasure a close friend found in a charity shop. Split into two sections – Fishing Schooners and Cargo Schooners – the photos are excellent and unusual in that they were taken from a small boat and therefore quite close to the water.

In the back are chapters by Howard Chapell on the Gloucester fishing schooners, George Brown Goode detailing the mackerel fisheries, Charles Mogan on the New England Coasting Schooners and John T Rowland on the Big Coasting Schooners (these were the four, five and six masters)

Well worth having.

Published in 1975

Schooner Sunset By Douglas Bennet

Schooner Sunset – The Last British Sailing Coasters

By Douglas Bennet

Much technical detail on the rig and working gear of these mostly North West UK based vessels.

With unsentimental accounts of voyages and life onboard, some photos and many drawings showing how these schooners worked.

Published 2001

American Sailing Coasters Of The North Atlantic By Paul C Morris

Sailing Coasters Of The North Atlantic

By Paul C Norris

The evolution of the three, four, five and six masted schooners with a chapter on the Thomas W Lawson the only seven-master. There are biographies of captains, builders and owners and the story of the decline of the schooner. Illustrated by some nice line drawings and some excellent photos

Published 1979

The Schooner Bertha L Downs By Basil Greenhill And Sam Manning

The Schooner Berth L Downs

A volume that documents this particular ship in great detail. It is stuffed with photos, constructional drawings, rigging details etc right down to the nuts and bolts. Very interesting for the serious nerd. If you want to build a wooden four masted schooner this book is a must.

Published 1995

Enough Reading About it? Why Not Sail On A Schooner

Voyages In Date Order

Uk Sailing weekends on the schooner TrinovanteSchoonerSail

UK Sailing Weekends

May 1, 2018
3 Nights, 26th - 29th April 2019 £440
A weekend on the water in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Limited Spaces Remaining
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/uk-sailing-weekend-schooner-trinovante.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:10:302019-11-07 20:42:34UK Sailing Weekends
A lighthouse in Norway

Offshore Voyage UK To Norway

May 1, 2018
14 Nights, 4th - 18th May 2019 £1495
An offshore voyage to Norway followed by magical day sailing in the fjords and islands.
Limited Spaces Remaining
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/lighthouse-norway.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:09:252019-01-05 15:43:27Offshore Voyage UK To Norway
At the head of a deep fjord in Norway

Arctic Norway Trondheim To Bodø

May 1, 2018
28 Nights, 29th May to 26th June 2019 £3295
A month sailing in Norway, cross the arctic circle, Lofoten and more.
Limited Spaces Remaining
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/nord-fjord-norway.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:08:212019-02-14 11:26:54Arctic Norway Trondheim To Bodø
Bows of an anchored ship with midnight sun in the background

Norway Sailing Lofoten

May 1, 2018
9 Nights, 30th June - 9th July 2019 £1350
Set sail from Bodo to cruise the stunning coast of the Lofoten islands.
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/midnight-sun-anchorage.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:07:052019-09-20 11:40:44Norway Sailing Lofoten
Crossing the Arctic Ciircle, a waypoint, on the coast of Norway.

Norway Sailing Crossing The Arctic Circle

May 1, 2018
9 Nights, 13th - 26th July 2019 £1625
Set sail In The Land Of The Midnight Sun and cross the Arctic Circle
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/crossing-arctic-circle-waypoint.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:06:492019-09-20 11:41:13Norway Sailing Crossing The Arctic Circle
Warehouses on the river, Trondheim, Norway.SchoonerSail Limited

Norway Sailing Trondheim To Ålesund

May 1, 2018
8 Nights 29th July to 6th August 2019 £1160
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/river-trondheim-norway.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:05:252019-09-20 11:41:48Norway Sailing Trondheim To Ålesund
The old quay, Øye near Alesund Norway. Tall Ship Adventure Sailing.

Norway Sailing Ålesund To Bergen

May 1, 2018
8 Nights, 10th August to 18th August 2019 £1200
Coastal sailing with stunning scenery in the midst of Norway's fjords and islands.
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/quay-oye-norway.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:04:302019-09-20 11:43:27Norway Sailing Ålesund To Bergen
A Viking Ship.SchoonerSail Limited

Offshore Voyage Norway To Scotland

May 1, 2018
13 Nights 22nd August To 4th September 2019 £1560
A offshore voyage In The Wake Of The Vikings from Norway to Shetland and Orkney
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/viking-ship-sign.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:03:412019-09-20 11:39:23Offshore Voyage Norway To Scotland
Orkney sailing boat, harbour view near Stromness.SchoonerSail Limited

Scotland to England, Kirkwall To Whitby

May 1, 2018
9 Nights 9th September  to 18th September 2019 £960
Sail south along the Scottish coast across the Moray Firth and past Bass Rock.
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/orkney.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:02:282019-09-20 11:42:41Scotland to England, Kirkwall To Whitby
View through a port hole of the sea - taken on a UK Sailing Holiday.SchoonerSail Limited

UK Voyage Whitby To Ipswich

May 1, 2018
6 Nights 21st to 27th September 2019 £660
Set sail on the old collier route. Offshore and Coastal Sailing
https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/porthole.jpg 1500 1500 enfoldblogger https://www.schoonersail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/schoonersail-sailing-holidays-logo.png enfoldblogger2018-05-01 10:01:452019-09-14 15:14:26UK Voyage Whitby To Ipswich
PreviousNext

SchoonerSail Newsletters

Sign Up for Early Bird offers and more.

SchoonerSail1k+ likes
Logo image
Open facebook page now
Join our Facebook community

SchoonerSail Limited
16A Stafford Mill
London Road
Thrupp
Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL5 2A

Ships phone +44 (0)7977 594 649
info@schoonersail.com

Company No 6133553
© Copyright - SchoonerSail
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKNo, Read More
SchoonerSail Logo
  • Home
  • 2020 Itinerary
    • All 2020 Sailing Holidays
    • Taster Weekend UK
    • Ipswich To Bergen
    • Bergen To Stavanger
    • Stavanger To Sandefjord
    • Sandefjord To Gothenburg
    • Gothenburg To Copenhagen
    • Copenhagen To Kiel
    • Kiel To SAIL Amsterdam
    • SAIL Amsterdam to Den Helder
    • Den Helder To Ipswich
    • Ipswich To London
    • Back
  • Our Sailing Holidays
    • Life Onboard
    • Where We Sail
    • Crew Stories
    • Sailing Videos
    • Offshore Sailing
    • Learn To Sail | Sail Training
    • Sailing In Norway
    • Back
  • The Ship
    • About The Ship
    • Sail Plan
    • History
    • Back
  • Booking
    • How To Book
    • Online Booking Form
    • Travel To The Ship
    • FAQS
    • What To Pack
    • Sailing Holiday Insurance
    • Payment Page
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Back
  • Tall Ships & Schooners
    • Tall Ships & Schooners
    • Tall Ships Race Films
    • Tall Ships Gallery
    • Learn To Sail A Schooner
    • Schooner Books
    • Schooner Rig
    • Back
  • Contact