The Cutty Sark was launched at Dumbarton in 1869, built specifically to compete in the China tea trade at a moment when that trade was already dying — the Suez Canal had opened that same year, giving steamships a decisive route advantage. She never won the race she was designed for. Her most celebrated years came later, running wool from Australia, where she logged 363 miles in a single day in 1885.
By 2000 she was a museum ship at Greenwich, which provided the commemorative hook for this BVI issue.
The Cutty Sark was launched at Dumbarton in 1869, built specifically to compete in the China tea trade at a moment when that trade was already dying — the Suez Canal had opened that same year, giving steamships a decisive route advantage. She never won the race she was designed for. Her most celebrated years came later, running wool from Australia, where she logged 363 miles in a single day in 1885.
By 2000 she was a museum ship at Greenwich, which provided the commemorative hook for this BVI issue.