Ketch and schooner

A lot of different windjammers tie up on the Harbor Park side of Camden, but you’re most likely to find the ketch Angelique and schooner Lazy Jack II.

(A bit of nomenclature: a ketch differs from a schooner in that its mainmast is taller than its mizzen mast. A lazy jack is a bit of rigging that cradles the sail neatly onto the boom when lowered. Now you can swagger around the docks like the old Jack Tar you secretly want to be.)

On this sweet summer morning, I blocked out both boats and focused mainly on the soft fog wafting behind them. I intended to rig the boats later, but the blockiness of the painting and its brushwork are so cohesive that I didn’t touch a thing. It’s set off by a warm silver frame that would go well in either a traditional or contemporary setting.

I often tell my students that you don’t need detail if the drawing’s right. Fans of Angelique will know her by her straight prow, unique in the windjamming fleet.