Yes, it really is a Brigantine!

The diamond-studded waters of the Big Sound, and those great west winds, have brought sailors with ships large and small to sail Parry Sound.  The beautiful training ships Playfair and Pathfinder are popular visitors to the waterfront.  Living history with youthful crews, the ships are a welcome sight.

 Everyone who sees these magnificent ships for the first time has questions about them.  Here, courtesy of Toronto Brigantine, everything you wanted to know about the blue ship which visited Parry Sound this week, STV Playfair.

STV Playfair

 

The following specifications are for the Sail Training Vessel Playfair built for Toronto Brigantine Inc. as a sail training vessel. She was commissioned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1973, and remains the only Canadian ship to be commissioned by a reigning monarch.

A brigantine is a two-masted square-rigged sailing vessel with fore-and-aft rigged sails on the mainmast. This is distinct from a brig that has square sails on both masts. The name comes from the Italian word brigantino meaning a pirate ship and was associated with the vessels favoured by them in the Mediterranean. The term has been applied to a variety of types of vessels through centuries and now means a two-masted square-rigged sailing vessel with fore-and-aft rigged sails on the mainmast. This is distinct from a brig that has square sails on both masts.

Specification Value Year Built 1973 Designer Francis A. MacLachlan Location Built Kingston, Ontario, Canada Builder Canada Dredge and Dock Co. Hull Welded steel, 1/4″ hull plating, 1/2″ keel plating, frames every 2′ Length Sparred 22m (72′) Length Overall 18.23m (59.8′) Length Waterline 14m (45′) Beam 4.5m (15′) Freeboard 0.8m (2.6′) Draft 2.5m (8′) Registered Tonnage 32.98 tons Displacement 47 tons Ballast 10 tons Foremast Height 16m (52′) Mainmast Height 167.4m (57′) Sail Area Over 250m2 (2,600 sq. ft.)

Sails: Jiptop, Jib, Foresail, Forecourse, Foretopsail, Lower Studding Sails, Upper Studding Sails, Fisherman Staysail,Main Staysail, Mainsail, Main Gaff Topsail

Hull Speed 8.2 knots (15.3 km/hr or 9.4 mi/hr)

Cruising Speed (under sail)4-8 knots (7.5-14.9 km/hr or 4.6-9.2 mi/hr)

Cruising Speed (under power)7 knots (13.1 km/hr or 8.1 mi/hr)

Water Tank 862 litre (228 US Gallons)

Waste Tank 1090 litre (288US Gallons)

Fuel Tank2380 Litres (629 US Gallons)

Engine Detroit Diesel 3-71

Engine Power81 kW (110 hp) at 1800 rpm

Complement  Total 28:

1 Captain

1 First Mate

3 Watch Officers

1 Bosun

1 Cook

3 Petty Officers

18 Trainees

All information courtesy Toronto Brigantine, a charitable organization formed in 1962. Their founding tenets were the development of leadership, discipline, and citizenship in a maritime environment.