What is the vessel in the carving?

Ok, here's a challenge.

This beautiful carving is in SW Scotland, somewhere on the Isle of Gigha.

can anyone identify anything about the vessel in the carving; the type, use, likely date?

I take it to be a schooner, gaff rigged with a square topsail on the main, and perhaps two (or more?) headsails.

However, the very vertical bow and very overhanging stern have the look of a pilot cutter, and I thought they were normally only one mast.

Any ideas? And any shots at any of the writing? It seems to be names (Alexander, James) and dates, typical graffiti.

 

or a trading ketch? I'm bewildered by the variety and subtleties of the various sail plans. The masts seem to be the same height...

 

Probably a variation (fore and aft sail also on foremast) of either a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig. A brig has two masts, near equal height, square rigged on both.
Top picture is a brigantine and lower the hermaphrodite brig.
Little difference other than wider spacing of masts for staysails in between.

Or a large topsail schooner, the photo predominantly blue.
This topsail schooner, besides her foremast topsail, is carrying a t'gallant above the topsail, and a royal at the very top.

 

All very interesting, but what is the black "stuff" on the surrounding rock ?

 

thanks for the pictures, Yobarnacle - I'm fascinated by the variations. I was reading the carving as having a gaff on the main too, which would make it the topsail schooner, but its hard to make out.
I was trying to see if dating the sail plan would clarify what appears to be a date at the top, in the box under the letters M McN or MEN. It looks to me like 1971, but that seems unlikely as the photo was taken in 1983 and the carving looks more soft and worn than 12 years would show, plus how likely is it that someone in 1971 would carve a fairly accurate image of a sailing ship on a rock?

If not 1971, it looks more like 1771, but the ship carving looks more like the image I've found of 1871 schooners than 1771 schooners

 

By the spacing, it looks more like 1917 with a vertical line after.

 

Have you tried various picture filters?
Sometimes they will bring out features not easily see in normal colors.

It occasionally works startlingly well

 

1771 apparently

 

Yep. :idea:

 

Thanks folks - Upchurchmr - i did mess with the contrast and brightness some, but I'll try some more. Mr E - its a litchen growing on the rock - I don't know what its called but its pretty common here. Yobarnacle, Hoyt - yep, I think that nails the date - Thanks!

 

I increased definition from 72 pixels to 720 pixels per inch, enlarged picture, then cropped out the date, to avoid distracting the eye with too much imagery.
Focus.

 

Image file uploaded to replace broken link.

 

Sorry I can't find any source for the photo