The Old Gaffer

A gaff-rigged cutter leans into the wind with her tan sails full. She has one mast, a four-sided mainsail held up by a wooden spar called the gaff, and headsails set from a long bowsprit at the front. Sailors call boats like her old gaffers. A small village and green hills sit on the shore behind.

It's tall and full of movement, so it suits a narrow wall, a study or a stairway. It's a fond choice for someone who sails or restores a wooden boat, or who goes to old gaffer rallies in the summer.

The tan sails and the fine rigging look sharp as a framed poster. Canvas gives the choppy sea more texture. A3 or A2 suits most spaces; A2 lets the sails fill the frame.

White, pale blue and sand walls suit it. For a pair of working sail, add Red Sails, or The Schooner for a second gaff rig. Old gaffer owners are often very particular about their boats, so this one works best as a picture of the type, not of their own boat.