The Maritime Heritage Project

Clippers taking part in The Deep Sea Derby and arriving in San Francisco included:

Bald Eagle (extreme clipper)

• Built by Donald McKay, 1852
• Arrived SF April 4, 1853
• 107 days
• Captain Phillip Dumaresq

Competitor

• Arrived San Francisco July 19, 1853
• 114 days from Boston
• Captain Howes

Contest

• Designed by David D. Westervelt
• Arrived SF February 24, 1853
• 100 days from New York (and returned to New York in 80 days)
• Captain William Brewster

Dauntless

• Built by Benjamin F. Delano, 1852
• Arrived SF February 12, 1853
• from Boston

Fleetwood

• George Raynes Shipyard, 1852
• Arrived SF April 13, 1853
• 130 days from Boston

Flying Childers

• Samuel Hall, Boston, 1852
• Arrived SF April 7, 1853
• 113 days from Boston
• Captain Jeremiah D. White

Flying Dutchman (extreme clipper)

• Built by William Webb, 1852
• Captain Ashbel Hubbard

Flying Fish

• Arrived SF January 31, 1853
• 92 days/4 hours from New York
• Captain Nickels

Game Cock

• Pook design, Samuel Hall Boston Shipyard
• March 10, 1853
• 115 days from New York
• Captain Hollis

Grey Feather

• There's little afloat that compares to Windstar's vessels. They sail the Caribbean, Europe, Greek Isles, Turkey. Since 1986, these masted sailing yachts have filled an upscale niche. They are smaller than the floating cities of traditional cruise ships so are able to visit ports of call inaccessible to huge ships. While Windstar ships have thousands of yards of sail, they are fully equipped with engines and stabilizers to control lean. However, if you're fortunate and conditions are perfect the silence of pure sailing is heavenly. During a maiden public relations cruise into San Francisco Bay some years ago, I was invited for a lunch sail on Windsong. Nothing yet has topped the few hours aboard one of Windstar's vessels. The ships were remodeled in 2006-2007 with the addition of computer stations, and upgraded accommodations, massage rooms, Balinese sun beds and cooling mist sprayers near the pools and we have seen them elegantly sail into Tahitian waters and in various ports in Mexico and Europe. Click to reserve your cabin on Windstar

  Arrived SF March 15, 1853
• 126 days from NewYork
• Captain Daniel McLaughlan

Golden Eagle

• Hayden & Cudworth Shipyard
• 110 days from Boston (lost time due to high seas past Rio De Janeiro)
• Captain Samuel L. Fabens

Golden West (extreme clipper)

• Paul Curtis, Boston, 1852
• Arrived SF
• 124 days from Boston
• Captain Samuel R. Curwen

Jacob Bell

• Jacob and Abraham Bell, 1852
• Arrived SF April 10, 1853
• 122 days from New York

Meteor

• E. & H.O. Briggs Boston shipyard, 1852
• March 10, 1853
• 113 days

Northern Light

• Designed by Samuel Harte Pook, H.O. Briggs Boston Shipyard, 1851
• 1853, 117 days from Boston
• Her first passage around the Horn was 109 days under Captain Bailey Loring; this was her second passage at 117 days; she was taken back to Boston by Captain Hatch in 76 days, 8 hours.

Ocean Spray

• Arrived San Francisco July 19, 1853
• 143 days from Boston
• Captain McLellan

Peerless

• Arrived San Francisco July 19, 1853
• 212 days from Boston
• Captain Bascom

Queen of the Seas

• Arrived SF March 11, 1853
• 119 days from Boston (with heavy battering at Cape Horn)
• Captain Elias D. Knight

Red Rover

• Fernald & Pettigrew, 1852
• Arrived SF April 19, 1853
• 117 days from New York (stormy passage; lost masts, yards and canvas)
• Captain W. O. Putnam

Sovereign of the Seas

• Extreme clipper built on speculation by Donald McKay, East Boston, MA
• Launched June 19 1852
• August 4, 1852 left for San Francisco; Arrived November 15, 1852, 103 days out from New York. The best day's run was 368 miles.
• Captain Lauchlan McKay (Brother to Donald McKay)

Telegraph

• Pook design, J.O. Curtis Medford shipyeard, 1852
• March 10, 1853, 114 days
• Captain C.W. Pousland

Trade Wind

• Jacob Bell's Shipyard
• Arrived SF February 24, 1853
• 103 days from New York

Westward Ho (extreme clipper)

• Donald McKay, 1852
• Arrived SF January 31, 1853
• 107 days from Boston
• Captain Johnson

Whirlwind

• James O. Curtis Shipyard, 1852
• Arrived SF March 11, 1853
• 128 days from Boston
• Passenger List

Winged Racer

• Pook design
• March 30, 1853
• 108 days (105 days to the bar off of San Francisco; waited 3 days to enter the harbor)
• Captain William Homen

Clippers were built for speed. This was not the only time they raced. The Cutty Sark and Thermoplya raced from the docks of Hongkew at Shanghai with 1,196,400 and 1,303,000 pounds of tea respectively. These were lighter loads than they would normally carry as "the race was on."

"As soon as the cargo came down, each ship became surrounded by tea lighters, for they were loaded in the stream. Sweating coolies, standing on stages, rigged along the Cutty Sark's black and the Thermopyle's green sides, hove the chests aboard to their mates in the holds amidst a continual sing-song of guttural Chinese chantying.

It was hot, steamy, S.W. monsoon weather, with sharp bursts of rain alternating with a damp fog, so that sail bending was left to the very last moment.

Cutty Sark was the first to finish loading, the last chest being hurled aboard on the afternoon of June 17th. She got under way at 7 p.m. and dropped down as far as Halfway Point, where she had to bring up for the night.

Themopyle put the taupaulins on her hatches some time after dark that same night. The Woosung bar was crossed by both vessels the following morning, Cutty Sark being in the lead, and the beautiful Sir Lancelot, on her way to load at Foochow, was also in company.

The two clippers raced through nights at sea in monsoon weather and did not see each other again until July 15 off the coast of Borneo. Cutty Sark had the lead, but on July 19th, Thermopyle had gained a lead of 1-1/5 miles. From July 26, off of Keeling Cocos Island, they did not see each other again. Cutty Sark passed Thermopyle in the Indian Ocean. Cutty Sark had lost her rudder on August 15th, Thermopyle took the lead and was towed up the Thames to unload on October 18th, only one week ahead of her rival.

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Hand, Reef and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats
Tom Cunliffe
In Hand, Reef & Steer - winner of the Best Book of the Sea Award - Tom explains the different sailing characteristics of classic craft and shares his grasp of the special skills required to handle them. He describes how to handle heavy loads using tackles rather than winches and reveals the mysteries of making the boat work for you rather than fighting with her gear.


United States Power Squadrons: The Squadron Boating Course for Power and Sail
Newly updated for the first time in ten years, this video and paperback book package of the nation's best-known boating course teaches all the skills and knowledge necessary to earn a nationally recognized boating education certificate.

The video includes aerial and on-the-water footage and state-of-the-art graphics to introduce the essentials of boat handling; it makes piloting and rules of the water easy to understand. Included are lessons on boat handling and seamanship.