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

by David W. Shaw

Book Overview

Flying Cloud is the riveting and thoroughly researched tale of a truly unforgettable sea voyage during the days of the California gold rush. In 1851, navigator Eleanor Creesy set sail on the maiden... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060934786
• ISBN13: 9780060934781
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Informative, hardly "The True Story", but still a good read

The good aspects of this book are that is quite informative and easyto read. Nautical terms are clearly defined and easy tounderstand. Several charts explain the Profile, Deck, Spar Plan,Sailing Plan, Points of Sail, and Wind and Water Currents. Diagramsalso explain how a full-rigged ship is tacked (turned) and follow thecourse of the ship during its maiden voyage, which was mostinteresting around Cape Horn. Several photographs reproduce a paintingand engraving of the "Flying Cloud", its builder DonaldMcKay, and Captain Creesy. Unfortunately no photo of Mrs. Creesy isreproduced. Still the charts, diagrams and photographs are veryhelpful.Another good aspect of the book is that Shaw provides quitea lot of information regarding the "Flying Cloud", which iswhy I bought the book.... Information is also given on how much waterwas carried, that it was for drinking and not bathing, and what typeof provisioning was loaded. Shaw writes about the nature of the cargoand that the value of the shipping costs equalled "FlyingCloud's" building costs. We are informed about the contents ofthe Medicine Cabinet, about the livestock taken aboard, aboutCelestial Navigation, the fact that fresh foods iced lasted for over amonth, and much more. Here the book is very strong.The book isreally about Captain Creesy's wife, Eleanor, who was the navigator onthe journey described, and who worked as a partner with herhusband. Shaw tries very hard to show what an intelligent and unusualperson she was for her time, or really any time at all, and what anexcellent navigator she was. She is portayed as a kind, sensitive,concerned and brave person, popular with both passengers and crewalike, devoted to her husband and the ship. I can imagine that it musthave been difficult to recreate her persona, from the doubtless scantsources. Shaw brings this off fairly well.The worst aspect of thisbook is that it is not the "True Story" of the FlyingCloud. All dialogues, and fortunately there are not too many, areinvented, and are times rather tedious. For example, tender momentsbetween Captain Creesy and his wife are not credible, and are alsowritten, as most of the other dialogues, in an unmistakable TwentiethCentury Style. This greatly distracts from the Story. Other dialogues,such as that of the Captain and the first Mate, Thomas Austin, arealso much too obviously contrived, as are those between thepassengers, which are just plain unbelievable. Shaw should not havetitled the Book "The True Story", or he should have notincluded dialogues. It seems that Mr. Shaw had difficulties with thesesections as the style shifts markedly between these and the maritimeportions of the book, where he is much more knowledgable and obviouslymore comfortable. For the reader these shifts aredistracting.....Also Shaw would havedone well to work with an Editor to correct the many stylistic flaws,especially in the dialogues. Had he done so, the book would have beengreat, instead of just a good read, and could have

I still feel the wind in my hair

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.

A Great Clipper Ship book!

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.

A well told story

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.

Adventure and Americana together

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.