A
clipper was a very fast
sailing ship of the middle third of the 19th century. They were fast, yacht like vessels, with three
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. Clipper ships were mostly constructed in British and American
shipyards, though France, Brazil, the
Netherlands and other nations also produced some. Clippers sailed all over the world, primarily on the trade routes between the United Kingdom and its colonies in the east, in trans-
Atlantic trade, and the New York-to-San Francisco route round
Cape Horn during the
California Gold Rush.
Dutch clippers were built beginning in the 1850s for the tea trade and passenger service to
Java.