Lighter than wet sailcloth, these started to be used by the Royal Navy and the early tea clippers.

From 1830-50, faster and larger tea clippers were introduced, thereby replacing the earlier, smaller privateering vessels from the American Revolution.

As a result, Americans could achieve greater scale with the combination of tea clippers and British credit.

The tea clippers were loaded around the clock by Chinese workers, while the crew checked the cargo and readied the ship.

The housekeeper swept forward with a sound like an elderly tea clipper in a gale, and beckoned Granny to follow her.

Like most tea clippers she was composite built, of timber planking over iron frames.

These larger vessels were built predominantly for use in the China tea trade and known as "tea clippers".

In 1863 the first tea clippers of composite construction were brought out, combining the best of both worlds.

They were set on shelves which had been specially fitted to the rear walls to take the tea clippers and schooners with comfort.

Stornoway was a British tea clipper built in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1850.