The Mistique built in the Marseilles shipyards around the middle of the eighteenth century, and sailed until the beginning of the nineteenth. She was a three master, being equipped with a lateen sail on the foremast, and square sails on both the main and mizzen masts. If becalmed or in difficulties with her sails, she could revert to her oars. To all extents and purpose her hull is that of a xebec, thus earning the ship her title of ‘Polacre-Xebec’. She was a trading vessel, but to defend herself by privateers attacks, she was provided with 15 guns.

The Mistique had a constricted area of covered quarters, but she was a trader, most the of Mistique’s space below decks was dedicated to the stowing of the cargo, with subsequent sacrifice of the crew’s living quarters, sadly a not uncommon thing in trading vessels of that era.

Corel ship model plans are historically accurate and contain detail instructions on building the ship model.