Fiery Cross (clipper)
Encyclopedia
Fiery Cross was a famous British Tea Clipper
which sailed in the Great Tea Race of 1866
.
and Chinese
ports like Hong Kong
, Foochow
, Canton
, and Shanghai
.
. The first five ships, the Taiping
, Ariel
, Serica
, Fiery Cross, and Taitsing, finished a 14,000 mile race within three days of each other. Fiery Cross arrived fourth, in "the closest run ever recorded."
Fiery Cross had the best overall 24 hour run of all the competitors in this race on June 24, when she traveled 318 miles, averaging 13.7 knots.
, Serica
and Lahloo
performed at their best in light breezes, as they were all rigged with single topsail
s.
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
which sailed in the Great Tea Race of 1866
The Great Tea Race of 1866
The Great Tea Race of 1866 was an unofficial competition between the fastest clipper ships of the China tea trade to bring the season's first crop of tea to London in 1866....
.
Tea trade
From 1860-1875, the ship sailed in the tea trade between LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
ports like Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Foochow
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
Great Tea Race of 1866
Laden with close to a million pounds of tea, Fiery Cross raced nine other ships from China to England in The Great Tea Race of 1866The Great Tea Race of 1866
The Great Tea Race of 1866 was an unofficial competition between the fastest clipper ships of the China tea trade to bring the season's first crop of tea to London in 1866....
. The first five ships, the Taiping
Taeping
The Taeping was a clipper ship built in 1863 by Robert Steele of Greenock. Taeping participated in The Great Tea Race of 1866 and narrowly defeated the Ariel...
, Ariel
Ariel (clipper)
Ariel was a clipper ship famous for making fast voyages between China and England in the late 1860s.Ariel was a full rigged ship of 853 tons net register, measuring x 33.9 feet x . She was designed by William Rennie, and built in 1865 by Robert Steele & Co., Greenock for Shaw, Lowther & Maxton of...
, Serica
Serica (clipper)
The Serica was a clipper ship built in 1863 by Robert Steele & Co., at Greenock on the south bank of the Clyde, Scotland, for James Findlay.-Winner of 1864 Tea Race:Serica is Latin for "China"-- the ship was built expressly for the China tea trade...
, Fiery Cross, and Taitsing, finished a 14,000 mile race within three days of each other. Fiery Cross arrived fourth, in "the closest run ever recorded."
Fiery Cross had the best overall 24 hour run of all the competitors in this race on June 24, when she traveled 318 miles, averaging 13.7 knots.
Sailing performance
According to Lubbock, the tea clippers Fiery Cross, TaepingTaeping
The Taeping was a clipper ship built in 1863 by Robert Steele of Greenock. Taeping participated in The Great Tea Race of 1866 and narrowly defeated the Ariel...
, Serica
Serica (clipper)
The Serica was a clipper ship built in 1863 by Robert Steele & Co., at Greenock on the south bank of the Clyde, Scotland, for James Findlay.-Winner of 1864 Tea Race:Serica is Latin for "China"-- the ship was built expressly for the China tea trade...
and Lahloo
Lahloo (clipper)
The Lahloo was a British Tea Clipper known for winning the Tea Race of 1870, and finishing second in the Tea Race of 1871. She sailed from Foochow to London with over a million pounds of tea in 1868...
performed at their best in light breezes, as they were all rigged with single topsail
Topsail
A topsail is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails.- Square rig :On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a square sail rigged above the course sail and below the topgallant sail where carried...
s.