The 1848 discovery of gold in California inspired efforts to speed the trip to San Francisco from East Coast ports, a sea trip around the tip of South America that averaged about six months. American shipbuilders began to craft slim vessels built for speed—the clipper ships. In 1851, Boston-built Flying Cloud sailed from New York to San Francisco in an astonishing 89 days, 21 hours. Three years later, the same vessel set a new record—89 days, 8 hours—that stood for 135 years. Josiah Perkins Creesy, Jr. commanded the ship, and, uncommon for the time, his wife Eleanor navigated. As a child in Massachusetts, she had learned navigation skills from her seafaring father.
Flying Cloud enters SF Bay
$2,650.00
“Flying Cloud enters SF Bay” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth ivory bark by Jim Pauls. Flawless piece of blue bark mammoth ivory perfect of Pauls’ amazing work. His stipple work on this one is in a class by itself, and obviously took a long, long time to complete. His signature sea gull graces the work as well. Pauls had retired some time ago, but agreed to do a few more pieces for Scrimshaw Collector. Any serious nautical scrimshaw collector should have Pauls” work. It is that good.
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