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Basic sailing knowledge:
different types of sailing ships
From imposing full-rigged ships with their masts and yards to manoeuvrable fast sailing ships such as schooners and brigs – every sailing ship has its own history, shaped by tradition, functionality and regional influences. The variety of rigging, the arrangement of the masts and the different sail shapes make each sailing ship unique and special for specific purposes.
What is a sailing ship?
A sailing ship is propelled entirely or primarily by the force of the wind through its sails. Sailing ships have at least one mast and one sail, with two types of sails: square sails and fore-and-aft sails. Square sails are attached to a yard and are mainly oriented transversely to the direction of travel. Fore-and-aft sails are set in the direction of the ship's longitudinal axis.
How do sailing ship types differ?
If you have already sailed with us – or intend to do so in the future – you may have learned what type of sailing ship this is: our Eye of the Wind is a brig. What does that mean? What other types of sailing ships are there and what distinguishes the different types of ships? We have compiled a list of some types of sailing ships for you.
Sailing ships are distinguished by the arrangement of their masts and their sail equipment. The rigging is important for classifying a ship type. When classifying a ship type, other characteristics of the ship are also taken into account, mainly the design of the hull, which in turn determines the ship's intended use and possible sailing areas and often has a connection to the regional shipbuilding tradition at the time of construction. Sails come in different shapes and different methods are used to attach them to the masts of a sailing ship.
Full-rigged ship
All masts are square-rigged. There are four- and five-masted full-rigged ships. The rear mast carries an additional gaff sail (mizzen sail) to assist with tacking and jibing manoeuvres. The famous "Preussen" and all fast tea clippers were full-rigged ships.
Barque / Bark
The barque has two fully rigged masts and one more lightly rigged mizzen mast. The four-masted barque has an additional fully rigged mast. Compared to a full-rigged ship, the barque can be sailed with a smaller crew.
Schooner
Any multi-masted sailing vessel with masts that are not fully rigged, where the taller mast (main mast) is at the rear, is a schooner. Schooners were mainly used for courier services and as warships. They are fast and manoeuvrable.
Brig
A brig is a two-masted vessel with both masts fully rigged and equipped with yards. In addition, there is a gaff sail (mizzen sail) on the main mast. Brigs were often used as merchant ships and training ships. The Eye of the Wind is one such vessel.
Details and technical data about our tall ship Eye of the Wind can be found in the Ship section of this website. Would you like to experience this impressive sailing ship for yourself? Then visit one of our free Open Ship events. Dates for upcoming ship tours can be found in our sailing schedule.