Know your Nautical Terminology
Our ongoing study of the development of sailing ships. We started with the Viking longboat and now reach ultimate in wooden hulled sailing ships, the Clippers.
A clipper is a sailing vessel designed for speed, a priority that takes precedence over cargo-carrying capacity or building or operating costs. It is not restricted to any one rig (while many were fully rigged ships, others were barques, brigs, or schooners), nor was the term restricted to any one hull type.
The boom years of the clipper era began in 1843 in response to a growing demand for faster delivery of tea from China and continued with the demand for swift passage to gold fields in California and Australia beginning in 1848 and 1851, respectively. The era ended with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
Many, myself included, think the Cutty Sark to be the ultimate example of the clipper ship. 
Click picture for a large version (1588 × 1191)
I was going to start a new series next month but I think I will show some of the modern examples of the ultimate in go-fast sailing. The new series will start in January with the first recorded instance of the use of water craft. It is a lot earlier than you think. Send me your guesses to win some trivial prize of my later choosing.
SpyNavy
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
