I was intrigued to see, downstream from Blue Mistress,  two masts of a large schooner towering over the normal view.

Sadly, her hull was hidden behind a barge and I had no time to investigate. However,  from the featured image at the head of this page, I can just about make out a name . . .  “Eleonor…”?

A phone call – she is the Eleonora E recently out of Cowes bound for the Mediterranean. She has now  sailed.

The coincidence I could not ignore?  Although this is a magnificent yacht rather than a merchant vessel, masts of this height would have been a common sight in the period mentioned in my three previous posts. The rigging would have been heavier and the British schooner captains preferred  square-rigged topsails on the foremast, giving them extra sail and greater versatility in running before the wind – particularly useful in the weathers and tides around the British Isles.

Basil Greenhill wrote the definitive description of The Merchant Schoooners. I recommend his book.

(Image by Bill Whateley)