Towing with a sailing ship

[UGB]

Prior to the invention of steam tugs, did sailing ships historically ever tow log rafts or barges? I know ancient Mediterranean sailors towed logs with sail powered boats but I wonder if that was ever practiced in relatively modern times, say between 1700 and 1800.

[portofdc]

Self-Propelled Barges (1700s–1800s): Many vessels classified as barges actually had their own sails. For example, the famous Thames sailing barges in England were highly maneuverable, flat-bottomed cargo boats that sailed completely independently without needing a tow. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

[ombugge]

@portofdc

Thames sailing barges

There are some Thames Sailing Barges still in existence:

Source: https://bargetrust.org/barges/centaur/

One more:

Source: Edme – Thames Barge

So are traditional Dutch sailing barges:

Source: https://uk.boats.com/sailing-boats/1898-classic-dutch-sailing-barge-9805155/

[Rafterman]

Using a kedging anchor to move logs across lakes. Rangley Maine.

There’s also a painting by Francis Ann Hopkins “the woman who painted the fur trade” showing a log raft with some sails