Barque

The Barque is a lateen rigged vessel, often with three masts and its sails carried on long yards. These ships were always traditionally square rigged with only the mizzen sail gaff rigged, however frequent use by smugglers who prefer the ability to sail closer to the wind have caused this design to be almost universally adopted.

While not by any means a speedy ship the barque can sail well on a close reach and can usually outpace any square rigged ship when sailing into the wind.

It is designed for short voyages and does not have the crew or cargo capacity of the larger Ocean Barque, however it does have the same number of guns and can deliver a broadside comparable to a Sloop Of War making it a challenge for any small pirate ship, especially if it has the weather gauge.

Unlike the smaller Coastal Barque it does not have a draft shallow enough to navigate rivers.