Classic Choice

The China Clippers – Basil Lubbock

Aside from possessing the most evocative name in nautical literature, Basil Lubbock is also the most successful chronicler of the golden age of sail. He had the great advantage in his endeavours of picking up his pen and documenting the heroics, hardship and romance of the final flourish of commercial sail while some of the skippers and crew were still alive. Perhaps his finest work is The China Clippers because the subject was the most evocative. The annual tea races that took place between China and London in the 1850s and 60s brought together extraordinary levels of seamanship in a whole blend of conditions. From battling down the South China Seas against the SW monsoon, booming through the trade winds of the Indian Ocean and Atlantic and then storming up the channel, scanning the horizon for a sign of one of your rivals, each annual race was full of real drama, beauty and joy. Lubbock manages to convey all that in prose that is both controlled yet enthusiastic and wonderfully evocative. Some of the first hand accounts are truly magical.

This is not just a book for the historian but should also be instructive for any ocean racer, as these ships were pushed just as hard as any Volvo Ocean Race yacht and the ultimate goal was real hard cash for the skippers and crews, as the winner of the race gained a substantial premium. The level of skill, dare and risk on display is clear. It is instructive that many reefs in the South China Seas (Fiery Cross reef, Lammermuir Bank) retain the names of clipper ships that took one too many chances in these poorly charted, reef strewn waters. An incredible book documenting an incredible period of history. skipper.co.uk £24