What is true is that the clipper ships and even the more full-bodied windjammers that came after them could make some very impressive passages in fair winds. This is all really interesting, but is it true? Unfortunately, not really. Shipping is now officially slower than in the age of sail.” Earlier this month in an article about rate wars among container lines, the author made the statement, “ Just to put that into context: the tea clippers of the 19 th century normally averaged around 16 knots.

Similar stories were reported via various news outlets and blogs. American clippers reached 14 to 17 knots in the 1850s, with the fastest recording speeds of 22 knots or more.” “Travel times between the US and China, or between Australia and Europe, are now comparable to those of the great age of sail in the 19th century. This lowered speeds from the standard 25 knots to 20 knots, but many major companies have now taken this a stage further by adopting “super-slow steaming” at speeds of 12 knots (about 14mph). “A combination of the recession and growing awareness in the shipping industry about climate change emissions encouraged many ship owners to adopt “slow steaming” to save fuel two years ago. “The world’s largest cargo ships are travelling at lower speeds today than sailing clippers such as the Cutty Sark did more than 130 years ago. The article was subtitled, “ Container ships are taking longer to cross the oceans than the Cutty Sark did as owners adopt ‘super-slow steaming’ to cut back on fuel consumption. In 2010, the headline read, Modern cargo ships slow to the speed of the sailing clippers.

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