The Brigantines
Toronto Brigantine Inc. operates two brigantines, the sail-training vessels Pathfinder and Playfair. They were both designed and built as sail training vessels for TBI by Francis A. McLachlan in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Pathfinder and Playfair were launched in 1963 and 1974 respectively, TS Playfair being christened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Each vessel caries a complement of 28 people, 18 of which are Trainees that may never have set foot on a boat before. The Trainees are divided into 3 watches of 6, and there is a Petty Officer assigned to each watch. The Wardroom consists of 6 Officers where one Watch Officer is in command of one watch, there is a full time Cook, and a Bosun who is responsible for maintenance and repairs while at sea. The Executive Officer co-ordinates the daily operation of the brigantine and reports directly to the Captain. Aside from Captain, the entire ship’s complement is between 13 and 18 years of age.
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.
STV Pathfinder
The following specifications are for the Sail Training Vessel Pathfinder built for Toronto Brigantine Inc. as a sail training vessel.
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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.
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