Coastal Barques are shallow-draft three-masted ships with one or more of the masts being fore-and-aft rigged. The fore-and-aft rigging makes these ships fast when sailing close-hauled, but slow when sailing large. Some smaller Barques carry oars, allowing them to row straight into the wind.
Being both slow and lightly-armed, Coastal Barques do not make effective warships. They are not the first choice of pirates or pirate hunters.
The coastal barque is the smallest ship in its class, which also includes the barque and the larger ocean barque. |