Flying Cloud Book

In 1851, navigator Eleanor Creesy set sail on the maiden voyage of the clipper ship Flying Cloud, traveling from New York to San Francisco in only 89 days. The swift passage set a world record that went unbroken for more than a century.

Flying Cloud tells the story of this most remarkable adventure in nautical history. In a position unheard of for a woman during her time, Creesy navigated a mighty three-masted ship around the treacherous shores of Cape Horn, overcoming dismastings, storms, and sabotage by two crewmen. Shaw's attention to detail gives readers both an intimate chronicle of this extraordinary journey, and a uniquely dramatic window into American life in the mid-nineteenth century. With original maps, charts, and historical photographs, Flying Cloud is a riveting and thoroughly researched tale of a truly unforgettable voyage.

About the Author:

David W. Shaw is the author of Daring the Sea: The True Story of the First Men to Row Across the Atlantic Ocean, and Inland Passage: On Boats and Boating in the Northeast. An expert sailor in his own right, Shaw also writes for Offshore magazine, Sail, Cruising World, and Lakeland Boating.