In 1872, the two ships set out on the same tide from Shanghai in a voyage that saw Cutty Sark (foreground) in the lead for nine weeks until she lost her rudder in rough seas. The Thermopylae (background, left) would go on to win the race back to London by a week. Steam however (background, right) was soon to take over the lucrative tea trade.

In 1872, the two ships set out on the same tide from Shanghai in a voyage that saw Cutty Sark (foreground) in the lead for nine weeks until she lost her rudder in rough seas. The Thermopylae (background, left) would go on to win the race back to London by a week. Steam however (background, right) was soon to take over the lucrative tea trade.

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