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

by David W. Shaw

In 1851, Elanor Creesy, in a position almost unheard of for a woman in the mid-nineteenth century, served as the navigator on the maiden voyage of the clipper ship Flying Cloud -- traveling from New York to San Francisco in only eighty-nine days. This swift passage set a world record that went unbroken for more than a century. Upon arrival in San Francisco, Flying Cloud became an enduring symbol of a young nation's frontier spirit. Illustrated with original maps and charts as well as historical photographs, David Shaw's compelling narrative captures the drama of this maritime adventure.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Maritime, Biography, Nautical, Adventure, Womens

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[G.L. Tysk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying I really wanted to like this book. As with pretty much everyone I know, I love the beauty of the clipper ships, the crazy records they set, and the history of their captains and builders. So when I started this book, I thought I would absolutely be enthralled by the Creesys' story, especially in an era when very few navigators were women. What killed this book for me was the fabricated dialogue and minute details crammed in between bits of historical fact. I'm not sure if Shaw was trying to write a novel, if he fancied himself a nonfiction author with a bit of flair, or if he thought that thinking up bits of conversation between the principal actors in the story would make it more interesting. Whatever he was trying to do, it fell flat for me. It's evident that this book is well researched and that Shaw knows the history in intimate detail, so why fill up pages upon pages with awkward soap-opera-ish dialogue and cringe-worthy novelizations of the real thing? I tried hard to get through the book and give it a fair read, but in the end, the (badly) fictionalized bits sank what could have been an amazing narrative.

[Helena Schrader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Account that Captures the Spirit of the Times.

This is a meticulously researched and well-written account of a record-breaking voyage. The text is enriched with evocative descriptions of the sea, the weather, and the ways of great three-masted ships. In addition, the author provides interesting details about the points passed during the voyage and background information about the historical and economic context of this historic voyage. Shaw, himself an avid sail, intelligently illluminates the difficulties of navigating and sailing, yet he also depicts the appalling conditions aboard ship without hyperbole. Stretching the media of non-fiction, he breathes feelings and thoughts into the main protagonists, an approach that some may find inappropriate, but he did so with sufficient restraint resulting in an enriched but not melodramatic narrative. With remarkable understatement, the atmosphere of the 19th century -- the ruthless greed, the class-differences, the puritanism, the arrogance -- is recreated. Perhaps most remarkable of all, Shaw manages to maintain tension despite a plot that, in less masterful hands, would become dull or repetitive. This is a good read for anyone who loves sailing or has an interest in the age of sail.

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bailing out at the 50% mark—too heavy on technicalities of sailing tall ships and too light on the personalities (crew and passengers) involved. Not even close to my Patrick O’Brian standard for such novels.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors style is a little ponderous so it took me awhile to get into this book. I almost didn't continue but am glad I did. It is a very well researched account of the record breaking maiden voyage of the Flying Cloud. The story is centered around the Captain's wife and Navigator and is well worth the read.

[Phil K · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Flying Cloud" by David Shaw tells the story of 'America's most famous clipper ship'. One thing that interested me was that I couldn't recall anything about this ship, so I wondered how famous it really was. My interests include ships, so I decided to read this.

The ship famously sailed in 1851. This interested me because I had just read a book about African exploration in the 1850s, and because one of my favorite books includes the story of the steamer SS Central America sinking in 1857.

Lots of technological and scientific advancements taking place at this time. Before the Panama Canal was built, and before the transcontinental railroad was built, one of the ways to get goods-for-trade to San Francisco was around the southern tip of South America by a sailing ship. And this ship went the fastest (and held that record for many years).

The book was well researched and relied on a lot of source material. But there were still parts that had to be filled in by speculation or probabilities. Might have made more interesting reading by being a historical fiction novel to add some more excitement and color to the story.

There was a very feminist side to this story: The ship's navigator was both a woman, and the wife of the captain. But unfortunately there wasn't much written about what kind of 'waves' this made in the industry or what it meant to society. I fear this woman was mostly forgotten in terms of being a trailblazer (the author said he couldn't even find a picture of her (but of course portraits exist of the captain, the ship builder, the company owners, etc.)).

The book was short, but I think could have been even shorter by being a magazine sort of article. In describing 90 or so days of sailing, naturally some of it will be monotonous. I am generally interested in trade and commerce, but was disappointed that more of the income, ROI, and financial history of the company that owned the ship was not covered.

I did like it, but can certainly appreciate why this book is not widely read.

[Nicholas Lefevre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true tale of the record-breaking trip of the Yankee clipper, Flying Cloud, on its maiden voyage from New York to San Francisco in 1851. The trip around Cape Horn took 89 days, a record not surpassed for over 100 years. On completing this I discovered there is another better reviewed book on the same subject, "Dare the Wind: The Record-breaking Voyage of Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud."

Both books focus on the navigator for the voyage, Ellen Creesy, who's maiden name was Elenor Prentiss. At the time of the voyage, she was married to Captain Perkins Creesy, the captain of the Flying Cloud. "Dare the Wind" apparently focuses more on the life of Elenor Prentiss, including this voyage, while "Flying Cloud" focuses mostly on the voyage.

Despite the relative paucity of source materials outside of the dry ships logs (there were few diaries or letters) the novel brings the story to like. To the extent the tale is supplemented by conjecture on conversations, thoughts, and small details, this can be easily forgiven for the sake of color. It is supplemented by historical, geographic, anthropological and other resources, including the diaries of Charles Darwin's travels in the southern region. Also, the author brings a detailed knowledge of sailing ships and navigation.

I can't say which book to read having not read "Dare the Wind" but I can recommend this one for lovers of good sailing adventures.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book I never would have sought out had a friend not visited my house, looked at my model ship, and said “Ah, The Flying Cloud: the fastest clipper ship!” I figured I’d better find out the story behind the tall ship prominently displayed in my home. It’s actually a pretty cool story. The Flying Cloud was built in New England in 1851 to bring provisions & passengers around the horn to San Francisco, young & booming after the discovery of gold. She had a female navigator, really unusual for its time. The book focuses on her. The ship is constantly falling apart, the captain runs her hard and the rigging fails time after time. But they set the record time from New York to SF, making the voyage in 89 days 21hrs.

The book touches on the basics of navigation, charting courses to find wind and favorable currents. But there is also sabotage, romance, perhaps a suicide attempt?, and some entertaining descriptions of the ship. The writing was a little melodramatic but well researched.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this some years back and was surprised it wasn't on my Goodreads shelf, because I absolutely loved it. So much of history is filled with "hidden figures", women whose stories were never told because men were writing the history books and the newspaper accounts. Eleanor Creesy was the captain's wife on the Flying Cloud during the California gold rush, but she was also the navigator, setting a world record for the clipper ship on its maiden voyage from New York around the Horn to California. Reading of how she took on this task, utilizing her study of astronomy, currents, and weather from her life in Marblehead, MA, made for a great sea yarn.

[Caleb Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Book! I enjoy ships and everything maritime, so I knew I was going to be in for a pleasant ride. Shaw does a great job of giving you historical facts while still mixing in some intense drama. I enjoy a nonfiction book that takes liberties with the storytelling format. Overall, it's a read that I would recommend for anyone with a budding interest in ships!

[Sara F · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts that were very interesting and parts very dry. It could have certainly done without the random made up dialogue, but all the same it was interesting to learn about sailing way back in the day.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for the book club I'm in and I enjoyed the book. However, I docked a star because the book read like a novel with no source notations made for direct quotes. Clearly the book and topic is well researched, it just needed that extra information to feel like a superb biography.

[Karen Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I’m not sure why but I find the characters interesting and I enjoy the mentions of astronomical navigation.

[L. Stephen Halpern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best in Class

A new dawn arose as Flying Cloud docked, set a new record for her crossing to keep for many years to come.

[Bill Hitzel]

Great book set in the time of wooden ships and iron men. If you have ever sailed with the wind you will enjoy this adventure !

[Maureen Lipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best nautical history book I've read.

This is the first book I've read that explains sailing maneuvers , winds and currents in detail. Exciting and interesting book.

[David L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

splendid and knowing

Shaw writes with the authenticity required of an author taking on such a daunting topic. His Flying Cloud comes alive in the language of the time, with the clarity of a blue sky and the fierceness of a squall. A marvelous journey, reading this book.

[Tony Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful real-life story about a piece of history that was most likely well known by every school child of the 19th century: the story about the clipper ship "Flying Cloud. When "Flying Cloud" was launched in Boston in early 1851, she was the largest of a new class of clipper ships ever built, and before the year was over she became the fastest ship on the seas. Under the command of a superb captain along with his wife, the ship's navigator, the "Flying Cloud" sailed on her maiden voyage from New York to San Francisco in only eighty-nine days, a world record that went unbroken for over a century other than the time that the skipper and his wife broke their own record on a subsequent voyage. Not only was this passage a world record from port to port, but along the way the clipper set a world speed record by sailing at a speed of over 18 knots (most likely it was faster, but the line used to measure the ship's speed ran out at 18 knots as the ship seemed to skip over the water at even a faster rate).

David W. Shaw, the author, is an expert sailor himself. The story is more than about the ship; it is also about those who sailed with her, especially the navigator, a woman devoted to her husband during many of thier life-long days of sailing around the Horn and on to San Francisco and then to China. She was truly a master navigator in her own rights and was a follower of Matthew Fontaine Maury, the superintendent of the National Observatory, who had published a book about how to best take advantage of the winds the currents depending on where a ship sailed. Eleanor Creesy, the ship's navigator, held a coveted position aboard "Flying Cloud" not only as a woman in what was most often considered a man's job, but as one who also cared for and looked out for the passengers aboard the ship. Her husband, Josiah, entrusted in her for not only her navigational skills, but also one to whom he would turn to when making vital decisions while sailing this great ship.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves to sail or dreams of sailing in a great ship, as well as to anyone who loves a good story. The book is extremely well written, and even though there are many nautical terms that may be new to some readers, he has a way of explaining them down to the basics of understanding. He also includes glossary of nautical terms to help the reader along the way. Enjoy....

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read that accomplishes very well its goal of describing the thrill, danger, and fear of such a long ocean voyage as well as the excitement of doing it in record time. The story of the lifelong partnership of the captain-husband and his navigator-wife is compelling and well done.

My only quibble with the book is more a failing on my part and that is, perhaps because the author is a sailor, some of the narrative gets very jargon-y. I'm sure he's using all the correct language, but it lost me in parts, especially during high action passages when things are going quickly wrong.

I do have one other complaint, a real one. The book is not well formatted as an e-book. At least not a kindle book. Chapters are not listed in the GOTO menu, you can only go the the table of contents, the beginning or the end, or to a specific Location if you know it. Who knows that?

The end of the book describes the resting place of Perkins and Ellen Creesy, at Harmony Grove cemetery in Salem, MA, so I took a trip up to see it. They are listed in the register under their full names "Capt. Josiah P Cressy*" and "Eleanor Creesy". *The captain's name is misspelled in the register, but it's easy enough to find. Their graves are uphill on "Seaview Ave" between Elm path and Grape path, a short walk from the entrance.



A book very much worth reading.

[E.A. Harwik · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1900 aged 85 Eleanor Creesy of Salem MA passed away. She had no children and survived her husband by 29 years. Not once during her life was she permitted vote nor was she ever granted any rights to the entitlement modern women take for granted. 19th century America society deemed Eleanor Creesy someone's daughter, someone's husband or someone's widow. Yet Eleanor Creesy was one of a handful of women who quietly ploughed the fields in which women rights were seeded.

Most people leave school with an understanding of the important exploits of 19th century square rig sailing ships and the seamen who sailed them, and of the famous record setting voyages around Cape Horn by the Boston build clipper, `Flying Cloud'.

However few people would know that `Flying Cloud' was in reality another one of many skilfully crafted American designed and constructed Clipper Ships. What gave `Flying Cloud' an edge over rival ships was Eleanor Creesy, Flying Cloud's scientifically aware, experienced and skilful navigator.

This book is a chronicle of the 1851 record setting New York to San Francisco voyage of `Flying Cloud'. It's also a testimonial to Eleanor Creesy.

Flying Cloud: The True Story of America's Most Famous Clipper Ship and the Woman Who Guided Her by David W Shaw, Five Stars.

[Jon Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in nautical history this book gives great insights into sailing ships and the people who sailed them.

[Stu Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written book, with many detailed accounts of sailing technique!