Description

FLYING CLOUD 1/200 Scale Kit

Flying Cloud was a clipper ship that set the world’s sailing record for the fastest passage between New York and San Francisco, 89 days 8 hours. The ship held this record for over 100 years, from 1854 to 1989.

Flying Cloud is popularly called an extreme clipper, as are many of Donald McKay’s ships, but as her dead rise was less than 40″ she was not. Donald McKay built many fast clipper ships but only one, Stag Hound was an extreme clipper, even if others may have been advertised as such. It was popular to advertise clippers as “extreme” because of the popular conception of speed.

Within six weeks of launch Flying Cloud sailed from New York and made San Francisco ’round Cape Horn in 89 days, 21 hours under the command of Captain Josiah Perkins Cressey. In July, during the trip, she ran the following nautical mileage, 284, 374 and 334 for 992 nautical miles total over the three consecutive days. In 1853 she beat her own record by 13 hours, a record that stood until 1989 when the breakthrough-designed sailboat Thursday’s Child completed the passage in 80 days, 20 hours. The record was once again broken in 2008 by the French racing yacht Gitana 13, with a time of 43 days and 38 minutes.

credit: Wikipedia