A clipper was a very fast sailing ship. Often small, but with a large relative sail area they were used to ply the trade routes between western European countries and their colonies in the east.
The small, fast ships were ideally suited to low-volume, high-profit goods, such as spices, and most commonly, tea.
Although many were built during the middle of the 1800s, only the Cutty Sark has survived.
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