Flying Fish

Clipper ships were born in the shipyards of Baltimore around 1820 and represented the zenith of the age of sail. They had completely new and original naval design characteristics, still emulated today by marine designers. These included a long and narrow hull, a narrow, cutting bow, low freeboard, a streamlined stern, and a deep draft. They were especially renowned for carrying large amounts of sail relative to their displacement and were capable of remarkable speed.

Donald McKay, one of the greatest designers of the time, built the Flying Fish in 1851 at East Boston, MA. Flying Fish was registered at the Boston Common House as a ship of 1505 tons, with a hull length of 207 feet, and a beam of 22 feet. She sailed from New York to San Francisco in 92 days--only 3 days short of the record set by her sister ship the Flying Cloud.

28"L 23"H