Race Horse (clipper)
Encyclopedia
The Race Horse was an 1850 clipper
barque
. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn.
and to Samuel Hall. According to a letter written by Mr. Hall to the "Boston Daily Atlas", he asked Samuel Pook to make the models and molds for Race Horse based on the Coquette , with a few modifications, in order to help Mr. Pook to "get his name before the public."
, which took place in 1850. Race Horse sailed from Boston to San Francisco in 109 days (or 94 days, 14 hours land to land). She made Cape Horn just 52 days out on this trip, 20 miles offshore.
The new clippers Race Horse, Celestial, and Mandarin challenged the Hoqua
, the Sea Witch
, Samuel Russell, and Memnon
, which were old rivals in the China trade
.
The Samuel Russell knocked eleven days off the record, arriving first in San Francisco after 109 days from New York. Race Horse would also make a 109 day passage, but it was Hoqua that arrived next, having made a 120 day trip from New York. The following day Sea Witch arrived after a 97 day passage, knocking an additional 12 days off the record. The performance of Sea Witch was particularly astonishing because she had rounded Cape Horn during the Antarctic midwinter.
"The remaining ships arrived in the following order: Memnon, 123 days, Celestial, 104 days, Race Horse, 109 days from Boston, and Mandarin, 126 days from New York-- all 'exceptionally fine passages,' average passages of the time being 159 days."
, Turkey under the command of Captain Searle, with several passengers who were en-route with their wives to work as missionaries in Armenia
: Sanford Richardson, Edwin Goodell, and Benjamin Parsons.
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...
barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn.
Construction
Race Horse was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, the Coquette . The design of Race Horse has been credited to both Samuel Hartt PookSamuel Hartt Pook
Samuel Hartt Pook was a Boston-based American naval architect noted for designing very fast clipper ships.-Clipper ships:...
and to Samuel Hall. According to a letter written by Mr. Hall to the "Boston Daily Atlas", he asked Samuel Pook to make the models and molds for Race Horse based on the Coquette , with a few modifications, in order to help Mr. Pook to "get his name before the public."
First Clipper Race Around the Horn, 1850
Race Horse performed well in the First Clipper Race Around the HornCape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
, which took place in 1850. Race Horse sailed from Boston to San Francisco in 109 days (or 94 days, 14 hours land to land). She made Cape Horn just 52 days out on this trip, 20 miles offshore.
"The keen rivalry between clippers led to races over thousands of miles of seas; and upon the result thousands of dollars were often wagered."
The new clippers Race Horse, Celestial, and Mandarin challenged the Hoqua
Houqua (clipper)
The Houqua was an early clipper ship with an innovative hull design, built for A.A. Low & Brother in 1844. She sailed in the China trade.-Name:...
, the Sea Witch
Sea Witch (clipper)
The Sea Witch was an American clipper ship designed by naval architect John W. Griffiths for the China trading firm of Howland & Aspinwall. She was launched in Manhattan on December 8, 1846.-Model for American clipper ship design:...
, Samuel Russell, and Memnon
Memnon (clipper)
The Memnon was the first clipper ship to arrive in San Francisco after the Gold Rush, and the only clipper to arrive in San Francisco before 1850...
, which were old rivals in the China trade
Old China Trade
The Old China Trade was the name given to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghsia in 1844...
.
"Large sums of money were wagered on the result, the four older vessels having established high reputations for speed. The Samuel Russell was commanded by Charles Low, previously of the Hoqua, while the Hoqua was now commanded by Captain McKenzie; Captain Gordon was again in the Memnon, and Captain George Fraser, who had sailed with Captain WatermanRobert Waterman (sea captain)Robert H. Waterman, , known as 'Bully Waterman' or 'Bully Bob Waterman', was an American merchant sea captain. He set three sailing speed records; his time of 74 days from Hong Kong to New York City has never been bettered in a sail-powered vessel...
as chief mate."
The Samuel Russell knocked eleven days off the record, arriving first in San Francisco after 109 days from New York. Race Horse would also make a 109 day passage, but it was Hoqua that arrived next, having made a 120 day trip from New York. The following day Sea Witch arrived after a 97 day passage, knocking an additional 12 days off the record. The performance of Sea Witch was particularly astonishing because she had rounded Cape Horn during the Antarctic midwinter.
"The remaining ships arrived in the following order: Memnon, 123 days, Celestial, 104 days, Race Horse, 109 days from Boston, and Mandarin, 126 days from New York-- all 'exceptionally fine passages,' average passages of the time being 159 days."
Voyage to Turkey
On Aug. 8, 1851, Race Horse sailed from Boston to SmyrnaIzmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey under the command of Captain Searle, with several passengers who were en-route with their wives to work as missionaries in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
: Sanford Richardson, Edwin Goodell, and Benjamin Parsons.