Haroldine

Description

"The Haroldine, of Providence, R.I., was a notable early four-master, launched at North Weymouth in 1884. Symbolic of the shift from deep-water sail to coasting, she had originally been intended for a square-rigger --- note the indicatively high bulwarks. She is rigged with one yard, from which a square sail was set, bent to hoops. A triangular raffee was set above. This rig was especially common in the seventies, and was often found on schooners employed in offshore trades. The foot of the square sail, brailed in and stopped, shows in the photograph. These sails must have been useful, but were apparently not considered worth the bother, and were rarely seen in the eighties and nineties. The photograph [a deck view] was taken prior to the Haroldine's unusual maiden voyage to Melbourne and Hong Kong. Subsequently she was primarily employed in the coastwise coal trade and made three voyages to the River Plate as well as a second voyage to China. Although square-rig was better suited to conditions offshore, the big schooners successfully engaged in considerable deep-water voyaging." (Source: Bunting, W. H. Portrait of a Port. Boston 1852-94. Boston, 1971, p. 258.)"The Haroldine, of Providence, R.I., was a notable early four-master, launched at North Weymouth in 1884. Symbolic of the shift from deep-water sail to coasting, she had originally been intended for a square-rigger --- note the indicatively high bulwarks. She is rigged with one yard, from which a square sail was set, bent to hoops. A triangular raffee was set above. This rig was especially common in the seventies, and was often found on schooners employed in offshore trades. The foot of the square sail, brailed in and stopped, shows in the photograph. These sails must have been useful, but were apparently not considered worth the bother, and were rarely seen in the eighties and nineties. The photograph [a deck view] was taken prior to the Haroldine's unusual maiden voyage to Melbourne and Hong Kong. Subsequently she was primarily employed in the coastwise coal trade and made three voyages to the River Plate as well as a second voyage to China. Although square-rig was better suited to conditions offshore, the big schooners successfully engaged in considerable deep-water voyaging." (Source: Bunting, W. H. Portrait of a Port. Boston 1852-94. Boston, 1971, p. 258.)