Customer Reviews

Flying Cloud: The True Story of America's Most Famous Clipper Ship and the Woman Who Guided Her

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since the story is a substantial piece of history, it must have been difficult for Shaw to make the narrative move so well. I was thoroughly engaged by Captain and Mrs. Creesy's exploits, and by the time the book ended I wished for more stories about other journeys of the Flying Cloud and the clipper ship era. After about the 1/3 point of the book, I was so engaged that I stayed awake reading late in to the next two nights in order to finish the book properly. The charts and maps and graphic explanations of the sailing maneuvers were extremely helpful especially since I know nothing about sailing. I should disclose that I have only been on a sailcraft once in my life so I was not reading for authenticity, but for the story telling, which I found excellent. I have read other works by Shaw (Daring the Sea) and feel that he is just starting to kick his creative powers in to high gear. IF you want a fast paced story and are interested in the dramatic side of history read this book.

This book is a must read that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Any one who has a love of sailing will be immediately swept away by this tale of the great clipper ship Flying Cloud and her maiden voyage from NYC to San Francisco. At the time of her first voyage, the Panama Canal had not been built yet and ships had to sail all the way around South America and the feared Cape Horn. Flying Cloud set a new-world record of just under 90 days on her first trip. She would later better her own record. The author does a wonderful job of describing the conditions of sail and the perils and problems faced by the captain, and the crew.

The armchair sailor, without much experience but a desire to dream of distant places will also enjoy this book as it takes you on a remarkable trip on the high seas. The writing is clear and descriptive and makes it easy to close your eyes and imagine yourself standing on the pitching deck or climbing the slippery ratlines to reef the sails. The author has included descriptions within the narrative (and a glossary) that make it easy for a landlubber to understand the nautical references describing the actions taking place. In fact, I learned that "dead reckoning" is actually short for "deduced reckoning" - see the book to learn more!

For the history buff, this book is a wonderful depiction of the clipper ships that played such a big part in Americas past. Not only that, but the Cloud's navigator was the captain's wife - which was truly remarkable considering that the Victorian era was a man's world that allowed women very few freedoms or liberties.

This book is a work of history that actually reads like a best-selling work of fiction. The author has captured the danger, excitement and adventure in compelling detail. Once begun it was impossible to put down. I recommend it highly.

This book is about the Clipper Ship FLYING CLOUD and her record breaking voyage between New York and San Francisco in 1851, a record that would stand for over 100 years. The navigator was Ellen Creesy, the wife of the captain, Perkins Creesy. Ellen was interested in science and the natural world, rare for a woman of her day, and still rare even today. She must have been a jewel, in addition to being an excellent navigator.

The book covers life aboard a Clipper Ship very well, from the viewpoints of the sailors, officers, captain, passengers, and also of Ellen. Clipper Ships were primarly used to transport cargo at a speed unattainable with sailing ships of previous designs. The passage around the treacherous Cape Horn is also covered well. This book is very well written, a joy to read and at times hard to put down.

The Clipper Ship era was one of the romantic times of sailing. I understand that no surviving examples of the Clipper Ships remain to this day. I would love to see one, and if I am wrong someone please do a review of this book and inform us.

The good aspects of this book are that is quite informative and easy
to read. Nautical terms are clearly defined and easy to
understand. Several charts explain the Profile, Deck, Spar Plan,
Sailing Plan, Points of Sail, and Wind and Water Currents. Diagrams
also explain how a full-rigged ship is tacked (turned) and follow the
course of the ship during its maiden voyage, which was most
interesting around Cape Horn. Several photographs reproduce a painting
and engraving of the "Flying Cloud", its builder Donald
McKay, and Captain Creesy. Unfortunately no photo of Mrs. Creesy is
reproduced. Still the charts, diagrams and photographs are very
helpful.

Another good aspect of the book is that Shaw provides quite
a lot of information regarding the "Flying Cloud", which is
why I bought the book.... Information is also given on how much water
was carried, that it was for drinking and not bathing, and what type
of provisioning was loaded. Shaw writes about the nature of the cargo
and that the value of the shipping costs equalled "Flying
Cloud's" building costs. We are informed about the contents of
the Medicine Cabinet, about the livestock taken aboard, about
Celestial Navigation, the fact that fresh foods iced lasted for over a
month, and much more. Here the book is very strong.

The book is
really about Captain Creesy's wife, Eleanor, who was the navigator on
the journey described, and who worked as a partner with her
husband. Shaw tries very hard to show what an intelligent and unusual
person she was for her time, or really any time at all, and what an
excellent navigator she was. She is portayed as a kind, sensitive,
concerned and brave person, popular with both passengers and crew
alike, devoted to her husband and the ship. I can imagine that it must
have been difficult to recreate her persona, from the doubtless scant
sources. Shaw brings this off fairly well.

The worst aspect of this
book is that it is not the "True Story" of the Flying
Cloud. All dialogues, and fortunately there are not too many, are
invented, and are times rather tedious. For example, tender moments
between Captain Creesy and his wife are not credible, and are also
written, as most of the other dialogues, in an unmistakable Twentieth
Century Style. This greatly distracts from the Story. Other dialogues,
such as that of the Captain and the first Mate, Thomas Austin, are
also much too obviously contrived, as are those between the
passengers, which are just plain unbelievable. Shaw should not have
titled the Book "The True Story", or he should have not
included dialogues. It seems that Mr. Shaw had difficulties with these
sections as the style shifts markedly between these and the maritime
portions of the book, where he is much more knowledgable and obviously
more comfortable. For the reader these shifts are
distracting.

....Also Shaw would have
done well to work with an Editor to correct the many stylistic flaws,
especially in the dialogues. Had he done so, the book would have been
great, instead of just a good read, and could have become a classic
book in an often overlooked area of American History. I still
recommend this book for leisurly reading. It's enjoyable to read and
informative.

This is not a history book, nor does it claim to be. So if you are a sailing purist, looking for a true history of what actually happened on Flying Cloud's maiden voyage, you will be disappointed.

If, however, you are looking for a good historical novel, and there is nothing wrong with using a novel's format to teach truly GOOD history, then you will be delighted. Based as much on fact as could be assembled, this is a story about the remarkable accomplishment of an excellent navigator who utilized as much of the scientific advances of her time as was then currently available, to achieve truly remarkable results.

I think most reviewers miss the point of this work. Eleanor Creasy, the story's pivotal character, was likely the first navigator on a truly fast ship to incorporate Matthew Fontaine Maury's, Physical Geography of the Sea. This compendium of seasons, winds, and currents flew in the face of all previous navigational works back to the beginning of time. It was the most remarkable sailing advance ever. Its impact on sailing was akin to the impact the Internet has had on the world over the last 20 years. Eleanor's adoption of it, her use of the most advanced scientific navigation tool of her time, is the reason HER achievement, not Maury's, stood for over 100 years. Her drive to win, to succeed in the great sea races of her time, her willingness to take risks no one else took, is the true essence of her story.

And those characteristics, when combined with what had to be her own innate excellence as a navigator, are why her achievement stands so tall. She really had to be quite remarkable as an 1850s navigator: Why else would she have been entrusted with her ship's owners and her husband, the captain's, complete confidence. She simply had to be darn good before this trip. Thinking outside the box, as she likely often did, is what made her great.

This is a good book. Don't miss it.

Sitting in my reading chair with my 3 feet Flying Cloud model (which took about 18 months to build) beside me, the story of the record breaking journey to San Fransisco became really alive. With the detailed descriptions of all things happening on board it seemed as if my scale model came to life. I really enjoyed reading it!

If we are to avoid repeating the mistakes of history, we need to continue our attempts at understanding how people lived; How did they feel about their surroundings? What kinds of personal conflicts or demons did they face?

In this excellent chronicle of the maiden voyage of Flying Cloud, Shaw takes plenty of liberty in trying to piece together the feelings, fears and motivations of the Captain, his navigator/spouse and other characters.

While many would argue that historical accuracy is sacrificed to make the story interesting or that Shaw's lengthy dialogues from the character's thoughts and perceptions are totally contrived, I would stress that these insights may allow many who do not have prior historical background to appreciate the economic impact of the clipper ship on the rapid expansion of the American economic engine of the 19th century.

While this does certainly limit the credibility of this book for pure historical research, Shaw's writing style serves to bring the excitement and risk of the voyage into a more reasonable and understandable perspective than most "pure" historical accounts ever could.

If the reader seeks a broader understanding of the impact of the era of the Clippers and their ultimate demise to the domination of the steamship, then this book is a welcome supplement to the bibliography.

This was a wonderful account of the maiden voyage. The hardships faced by the passengers and crew made my realize how difficult it must have been to sail during those times. The detailed course charts were facinating to me. I highly recommend this book for those interesting in this famous ship.

Smooth but not very satisfying. This may please some looking for light reading, but it brings so little to the table, especially when compared to substantial works like Howard Chapelle's The Search for Speed Under Sail. Chapelle (out of print, but in the library) has it all, the understanding of sail and of how the clippers developed, for smuggling, of course. Smuggling opium into China and slaves out of Africa. Which explains why the Baltimore gave birth to the clipper. Baltimore was our greatest slaving port in the days after the trade became illegal, and the British Navy dedicated ships to intercepting slave traders. Nor does Shaw give us an idea of the economics of the clipper, the extremely high number of sailors needed to spread all of that canvas at the same time the size of the hold was reduced to streamline the ship for speed. Clippers could only be profitable when carrying extremely high-value cargo for extremely long distances in cases where time mattered. That,of course, is why the greatest clipper races were not to California but to London. The premium paid by the London market for the first of the year's tea crop made clipper ships pay, few other runs did. Nor does Shaw go into the question of why the greatest clippers were built in East Boston and not Baltimore or London, a question prababy best answered by Samuel E. Morison, our great sailor historian, or by Diana Muir in her dazzling new history of New England, Bullough's Pond.

This book contains some very interesting factual information, but unfortunately too much fabricated and romanticized dialog. The author obviously has a great knowledge of sailing and the sea at the time of the clipper ships, but I found myself frequently skimming through the book to avoid the tedious fictional content.