Pungy
Encyclopedia
The Pungy is a type of schooner
developed in and peculiar to the Chesapeake Bay
region. The name is believed to derive from the Pungoteague region of Accomack County, Virginia
, where the design was developed in the 1840s and 50s.
In form, the pungy is a two-masted gaff-rigged
schooner with a main topsail
but no square-rigged sails (as found on the related Baltimore clipper
). The masts are tall and raked, and there is a bowsprit
on the clipper bow. The deck is flush, with a log rail. The hull is framed and has a vee profile. One peculiar detail of the pungy is its traditional paint scheme of green and pink, the origin of which is unknown.
The pungy, like the Baltimore clipper, evolved from the pilot schooner
. Its principal usage was to haul freight, particularly perishables. It was capable of ocean travel and was used, for instance, to ship pineapple
s to Baltimore from Bermuda
. It was also used for a time to dredge
for oyster
s, but its excessive draft
and large crew complement led to it being replaced by the bugeye. The last pungies were built in the 1880s, and its use died out in the first half of the twentieth century.
A replica, the Lady Maryland, was built in 1985-1986 and continues to serve as a floating classroom for The Living Classrooms Foundation.
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
developed in and peculiar to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
region. The name is believed to derive from the Pungoteague region of Accomack County, Virginia
Accomack County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 33,164 people, 15,299 households, and 10,388 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 19,550 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
, where the design was developed in the 1840s and 50s.
In form, the pungy is a two-masted gaff-rigged
Gaff rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar called the gaff...
schooner with a main topsail
Topsail
A topsail is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails.- Square rig :On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a square sail rigged above the course sail and below the topgallant sail where carried...
but no square-rigged sails (as found on the related Baltimore clipper
Baltimore Clipper
Baltimore Clipper is the colloquial name for fast sailing ships built on the south-eastern seaboard of the United States of America, especially at the port of Baltimore, Maryland...
). The masts are tall and raked, and there is a bowsprit
Bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow. It provides an anchor point for the forestay, allowing the fore-mast to be stepped farther forward on the hull.-Origin:...
on the clipper bow. The deck is flush, with a log rail. The hull is framed and has a vee profile. One peculiar detail of the pungy is its traditional paint scheme of green and pink, the origin of which is unknown.
The pungy, like the Baltimore clipper, evolved from the pilot schooner
Pilot boat
A Pilot Boat is a type of boat used to transport pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting.-History:The origins of the word pilot probably disseminates from the Latin word pilota, a variation of pedota, the plural of pēdón which translates as oar...
. Its principal usage was to haul freight, particularly perishables. It was capable of ocean travel and was used, for instance, to ship pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
s to Baltimore from Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. It was also used for a time to dredge
Dredge
Dredging is an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location...
for oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s, but its excessive draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
and large crew complement led to it being replaced by the bugeye. The last pungies were built in the 1880s, and its use died out in the first half of the twentieth century.
A replica, the Lady Maryland, was built in 1985-1986 and continues to serve as a floating classroom for The Living Classrooms Foundation.