Clipper Ships and the Golden Age of Sail

Races and rivalries on the nineteenth century high seas

Sam Jefferson (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

240 Seiten

2014
Adlard Coles Nautical (Verlag)
978-1-4729-0028-9 (ISBN)

Titel ist leider vergriffen;
keine Neuauflage

Artikel merken

In the era of commercial sail, clipper ships were the ultimate expression of speed and grace. Racing out to the gold fields of America and Australia, and breaking speed records carrying tea back from China, the ships combined beauty with breathtaking performance.

With over 200 gorgeous paintings and illustrations, and thrilling descriptions of the adventures and races on the water, this beautiful book brings the era vividly to life.

Chapters include:

The origins of the clippers - from the gold rush to the tea trade
A hell ship voyage with 'Bully' Waterman, one of the most successful and notorious captains of the era
Marco Polo, the fastest ship in the world - her rise to prominence and subsequent decline
Mary Patten's battle with Cape Horn - a lady captain takes charge in a very male world
Mutiny aboard the 'wild boat of the Atlantic'
The great China tea race of 1866 - an amazingly close race across the world, only decided in the final few miles
The Sir Lancelot defies the odds - her eccentric captains and rivalry with the legendary Thermopylae
The Cutty Sark's longest voyage

First-hand accounts, newspaper reports and log entries add fascinating eyewitness detail, whilst the stunning images show how the designs of these thoroughbreds developed over the years.

A wonderful read and worthy celebration of these racehorses of the sea.

Sam Jefferson is one of the foremost authorities on clipper ships in the world today. Previously Deputy Editor of Sailing Today, he now lives on a boat and writes for magazines such as Classic Boat, Sailing Today, and Traditional Boats and Tall Ships.

Introduction VII

1 The origins of clipper ships 1
Baltimore clippers 2
Britain lags behind 5
Gold rush 6
Time for tea 12
Beauty at any cost 16
End of an era 20

2 A hell ship voyage with ‘Bully’ Waterman 23
Fame and fortune 24
A challenge for the Challenge 29
Rotten crew 32
Crisis at Cape Horn 40
The reckoning in San Francisco 41
The aftermath 47

3 Marco Polo the fastest ship in the world 49
A stranding with a twist 50
Under new ownership 55
Up through the hawse-pipe 57
Troubles on the record passage 57
Commander of the Lightning 60
The Schomberg’s only voyage 66
Dangerous gamble 71
Decline and fall 73

4 Mary Patten’s battle with Cape Horn 81
T he Rapid’s turnaround 83
An unusual honeymoon 85
Captain and mate 89
Mary’s dilemma 91
Keeler’s second chance 92
The frustrating final leg 97
End of the fairytale 99

5 Mutiny aboard the ‘wild boat of the Atlantic’ 103
The Dreadnought’s recipe for success 105
Liverpool packet rats 109
The provocation 111
Crisis point 117
Rudderless in mid-ocean 121
Wrecked near Cape Horn 125

6 The great China tea race of 1866 127
Out to sea 129
The captains and their ships 132
The challenges of sailing China clippers 137
Manoeuvring for position 143
On the home stretch 150

7 The Sir Lancelot defies the odds 159
Dismasted in the Bay of Biscay 160
The race line-up 163
‘Go ahead’ Robinson 168
The Sir Lancelot catches up 168
A new rival 171
Against the Thermopylae 179
Robinson’s final record 181

8 The Cutty Sark’s longest voyage 185
Cruel mate 190
Search for a new skipper 193
Tramp of the ocean 199
Hazing and hardship 202
Drunk in command 203
Wool clipper 206

Erscheint lt. Verlag	9.10.2014
Zusatzinfo	280 colour paintings, contemporary extracts and reports
Verlagsort	London
Sprache	englisch
Maße	215 x 280 mm
Gewicht	1234 g
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport ► Segeln / Tauchen / Wassersport
	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918)
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte
	Wirtschaft
ISBN-10	1-4729-0028-6 / 1472900286
ISBN-13	978-1-4729-0028-9 / 9781472900289
Zustand	Neuware