The Brigantines

Toronto Brigantine Inc. operates two brigantines, the sail-training vessel (STV) Pathfinder, and the training ship (TS) Playfair. They were both designed and built for TBI as sail training vessels 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. The reason for the association was that this type of rig was popular with the brigands or freebooters of the Atlantic.

STV Pathfinder

The following specifications are for the Sail Training Vessel (STV) Pathfinder built for Toronto Brigantine Inc. as a sail training vessel.

Specification	Value
Year Built	1963
Designer	Francis A. MacLachlan
Location Built	Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Builder	Kingston Shipyards
Hull	Welded steel, 1/4″ hull plating, 1/2″ keel plating, frames every 2′
Length Overall	22m (72′)
Length On Deck	20m (66′)
Length Waterline	14m (45′)
Beam	4.5m (15′)
Freeboard	1.3m (4.3′)
Draft	2.5m (8′)
Registered Tonnage	31.63 tons
Displacement	50 tons
Ballast	12 tons
Foremast Height	16m (52′)
Mainmast Height	16.5m (54′)
Sail Area	Over 250m² (2,600 sq. ft.)
Sails (Sails in bold are standard press)	Jiptop, Jib, Foresail, Forecourse, Foretopsail, 2 Forecourse Studding Sails, 2 Foretopsail Studding Sails, Fisherman Staysail, Main Staysail, Mainsail, Main Gaff Topsail, Spritsail
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	1200 litre (300 gal US)
Waste Tank	800 litre (200 gal US)
Fuel Tank	1800 litre (450 gal US)
Engine	Volvo TAMD41-H
Engine Power	110 kW (150 hp) at 3000 rpm
Complement	Total 28: 1 Captain 1 First Mate 3 Watch Officers 1 Bosun 1 Cook 3 Petty Officers 18 Trainees

TS Playfair

The following specifications are for the Training Ship (TS) Playfair built for Toronto Brigantine Inc. as a sail training vessel. She was commissioned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1974, and remains the only Canadian ship to be commissioned by a reigning monarch.

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 Overall	22m (72′)
Length On Deck	20m (66′)
Length Waterline	14m (45′)
Beam	4.5m (15′)
Freeboard	1.3m (4.3′)
Draft	2.5m (8′)
Registered Tonnage	32.98 tons
Displacement	50 tons
Ballast	10 tons
Foremast Height	16m (52′)
Mainmast Height	16.5m (54′)
Sail Area	Over 250m² (2,600 sq. ft.)
Sails (Sails in bold are standard press)	Jiptop, Jib, Foresail, Forecourse, Foretopsail, 2 Forecourse Studding Sails, 2 Foretopsail Studding Sails, Fisherman Staysail, Main Staysail, Mainsail, Main Gaff Topsail, Spritsail
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	2000 litre (450 gal US)
Waste Tank	1000 litre (250 gal US)
Fuel Tank	1800 litre (450 gal US)
Engine	Detroit Diesel 3-71
Engine Power	81 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