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A tall ship is any sailing ship that has at least two masts and is square rigged. Incidentally, the requirement to have at least two masts means that tall ships usually also are large ships.
The term has come into widespread use even amongst landlubbers in the mid-20th century with the advent of the Tall Ships' Races. The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) has extended the definition of tall ship for the purpose of its races to embrace any sailing ship with more than 30 ft (9.14 m) waterline length and on which at least half the people on board are aged 15 to 25.