O

n 22 November 1869, at the Dumbarton shipyard

(Scotland), the Scott & Linton company launched the
Cutty Sark. On 15 February 1870, the Cutty Sark set
sail for China. She crossed the Equator after 25 days, reaching
Shanghai on 31 May, 104 days after raising anchor. The clipper
was active in the tea trade between China and the United
Kingdom for eight years. She went on to transport wool from
Australia and, later carried cargos between Porto, Rio de Janeiro,
New Orleans, Lisbon and the Portuguese colonies.

In 1949, she was taken out of service, and in 1954

put into dry dock at Greenwich, London, where
she became a museum ship and popular tourist
attraction. In May 2007, while being
restored, she was seriously damaged
by fire. Renovation is expected to
be completed in early 2010.

TECHNICAL DATA:

The Cutty Sark

Model no: 22800
Degree of difficulty:
Length: 1032mm (40 19/32in)
Height: 624mm (24 17/32in)
Beam: 350mm (14 2/32in)
Scale: 1:84

Not suitable for children under 14 years of age. Model for collectors only.
 TEA CLIPPERS

1 THE CUTTY SARK

The tea clippers were the last great hurrah of commercial sail. The
romantic image of these tall and graceful ships cleaving the oceans
under full sail has such a strong pull that it is difficult to believe that their
heyday lasted only about 20 years, before a combination of steam power
and the opening of the Suez Canal effectively made them redundant.

F
or two centuries, the British
East India Company enjoyed a
government-sanctioned
monopoly on trade between Britain
and India, China and all points east.
With no competition, it made
economic sense for the company
to go for bulk, rather than speed, in
shipping the treasures of the Orient
back to Britain.
The company’s merchant ships,
known as East Indiamen, always
travelled fully laden with more than
1,000 tons of cargo, and the round
trip to India took well over 18
months. The tea harvest, which
DeAgostini
reached the company’s Chinese ports
in September, might take an entire
year to reach home shores.
Free trade
The monopoly was revoked by Act
of Parliament of 1813. Although, at
first, tea continued to be brought to
Europe in East Indiamen, which had
been pensioned off by the company,
some of the new participants in the
trade began to realize that more
money could be made by getting their
boats home before their rivals, as
fresh tea fetched a premium price.
In the meantime, the Americans
had developed a new, fast type of
sailing ship with several tall masts,
carrying up to six tiers of sail. These
powered a sleek and slender hull that
was deeper at the back than at the
front. Their speed earned them the
name ‘clippers’. These ships were
deployed in the 1840s to bring tea
from Canton in China to New York.
Then, in 1849, the British Navigation
Laws were repealed to allow other
nation’s ships to bring tea to Britain,
and in 1850, an American clipper,
Oriental, made the journey to London
Below: The Cutty Sark in Chinese waters.
 UNITED
KINGDOM

2 THE CUTTY SARK

CHINA

MAURITANIA

INDONESIA

MADAGASCAR

Octavian Press
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
AFRICA
INDIAN
OCEAN
SOUTH
ATLANTIC
OCEAN

Above: The journey between Britain and

China was cut by many weeks with the
advent of the speedy tea clippers.

The Suez Canal

Above: Opened in 1842, the port of Fuchow (now Fuzhou) was more convenient for tea-
traders as it was closer to the Chinese tea-growing areas.
from Hong Kong, laden with tea, in
just 97 days, three times faster than
the East Indiamen.
This provoked an immediate
response. The first British tea clipper,
Stornoway, was launched that same
year, and 50 more over the next
two decades. British tea clippers
were narrower than their American
equivalents, making them faster in
lighter winds: their American rivals
were built to withstand the voyage
around Cape Horn.
Although American clippers had
the upper hand for a few years, by
1855 they had largely withdrawn from
the race. And make no mistake, a
race was what it was. A new port had
opened at Fuchow (now Fuzhou) in
1842, much closer to the tea-growing
areas, and the annual harvest arrived
there much earlier. Ship owners cut
corners with paperwork and the
labyrinthine Chinese bureaucracy
in order to be first out of port. The
owner of the first ship home with the
new season’s tea could confidently
expect 6d a pound – more than £50
a ton – extra for her cargo, a bounty
that was shared by the captain and his
crew. It was not just about the cash,
however: the expert sailors who
crewed the clippers – which carried
a complement of around 40 – enjoyed
the competition. Crews would place
large side bets, as much as a month’s
pay, with crews of other ships.
The public got caught up in the
excitement, too, following the course
of the race through telegrams and
gathering along the English south
coast and in the docks to cheer the
winners home. Large wagers were
made and taken on the races.
And then, in 1869, the Suez Canal
opened, bringing steamships into the
equation. The journey around the
Cape of Good Hope needed so much
coal that there was not room in the
hold for enough tea to make the
journey viable, but this was not true
of the new route, and the clippers
could not use the canal.
The decline of the tea clippers was
swift and brutal. The steamers lacked
the glamour and beauty of the tall
ships, but economics, as usual, won
out over aesthetics. Cutty Sark, built
to win races – although in fact she
never defeated her great rival,
Thermopylae – only carried tea for
eight years before the clipper races
were abandoned in 1877.
To avoid the shifting of cargo
during the voyage, and maximize
profit, skilled packers at the
Chinese ports filled the holds to
bursting point, literally hammering
in the tea chests with large
wooden mallets.

THE GREAT TEA RACE

The most famous of all clipper races took place in 1866,
when no less than 10 clippers set sail from Fuchow on
the same day. Three months later, four ships passed the
Azores together. Ariel and Taeping (right) pulled ahead
and raced virtually side by side along the English Channel
and reached the Thames estuary together. By good
fortune, the Taeping got a slightly quicker tugboat, and
berthed in London just 20 minutes before her rival, after
a voyage of 99 days. Sportingly, the Taeping’s owner
declared it a dead heat, and the owners and crews
divided the money between them.

GENERAL TIPS
ATTENTION! Assemble under adult supervision. Unsuitable for children under 14. To
assemble this model we recommend that you follow the step-by-step guide.
1 4
1. Follow all assembly steps CAREFULLY.
Take all the time you need. First look at the
photos and read all the documentation included
in the kit, as it will help you assemble the
model correctly:
• Parts list with Dimensions and Materials.
• Cut Sheet with precision-cut numbered parts.
• These instructions.
2 This glue can be applied with either a brush or a
2. To remove the wood pieces (see Cut
Sheets), carefully cut the tiny strands joining
them to the sheet. Use the Cut Sheets to
identify fully the precision-cut parts.
After removing the parts from the sheets to
use them during assembly, carefully sand them
before gluing in place.
Given the nature and origin of the wood,
there may be slight differences in the tone
or colour of some material.
3 dampen them in water for greater flexibility. You
3. To cut to size and identify the parts which
are not prefabricated, look at the parts list
where you will find:
• Part number.
• Part description.
• Number of same parts to be cut and used
in the model.
• Part dimensions (thickness, width, length,
in that order).
• Material used to make the parts (subject to
modification by prior notification.
4. To ensure the perfect adjustment of cast
metal parts, go over the edges with a small
file before fitting to eliminate possible burrs
and impurities.
5 This is also known as carpenter’s glue or PVA.
5. To give a more authentic appearance to
the ship’s sails, dye them in some tea. When
completely dry, add them to the ship without
ironing them.
6 Metal glue
6. For parts that need bending or curving,
can also use a bending press, or plankbender,
which is highly useful during assembly.
7 before varnishing. Varnish as follows:
7. Before mounting the pulley blocks or dead-
eyes, it is best to enlarge the holes with a
0.75mm diameter drill.
1 THE CUTTY SARK: GENERAL TIPS
8
GLUES
Apply glue sparingly and in strict accordance
with the manufacturer’s instructions. There are
different types of glues that can be used to
assemble the model.
White glue
It can be applied directly or with a brush to
one of the parts to be glued. Clean off any
excess glue immediately after joining the
parts to avoid staining when fully dry.
Contact glue
flat spatula. Apply a thin coat to both surfaces to
be joined. Before joining the parts, leave for
approximately five minutes. After joining, apply
light pressure and remove excess glue.
Fast-drying glue
Apply a tiny amount directly to the point where
the parts are to be joined. It is very important
that the parts are correctly positioned as you
will not be able to move the parts again to set
them correctly.
Super Glue Gel or Two-part epoxy glue
PUTTIES
Use regular stopping putty for wood. Read the
manufacturer’s instructions carefully!
Applying putty
To fill holes or cracks in the ship’s hull, apply
the putty with a flat spatula. Allow to dry and
softly sand the entire surface of the hull to level
off the putty.
VARNISHES
Use clear (not coloured) stopping varnish. Read
the manufacturer’s instructions carefully!
Applying varnish
Use a brush to apply varnish to wood. Sand
the surface and thoroughly clean the part
1. Apply a first coat and allow to dry.
2. When dry, sand and clean the part.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2.
4. Apply a third coat and allow to dry.
5. When dry, polish the part using steel wool.
PAINTS
Use acrylic (water-based) paints. Read the
manufacturer’s instructions carefully!
Applying paint
Use a paintbrush. Sand the surface and clean the
part thoroughly before painting. Paint in the
following order.
1. Apply a coat of varnish to prepare the
surface to be painted. Allow the part to dry.
2. When dry, sand and clean the part.
3. Apply a first coat of paint and allow to dry.
4. When dry, apply a second coat of paint.
 1 THE CUTTY SARK: STEP BY STEP
THE CUTTY SARK
STEP BY STEP
Check that all the necessary ship parts are present and that you have all the necessary paints, varnishes and glues and the
! tools that you need to build the model. Follow the steps CAREFULLY.

Vertical keel and mast reinforcements

1 16
2

15

13
16 11 12
10
9
8
6 7 15
5
2 3 15
4
1

16
15
15

13
8 16 12
15 11
5 6 7
2 3 15 10
4
9
8
1 15

16
15
15 13

11 12

10 90°
9
8
6 7
5 90°
2 3
4 90° 1

1 Remove all the frames 2 to 13, mainmast and foremast stays 15, stern bulkhead 16 and the vertical keel 1 from the 4mm plywood pre-cut sheet. Fit
and glue the stays 15 to 16 into their corresponding slots in the vertical keel 1, ensuring that each is perpendicular, making a 90º angle with the keel.
They should be fitted evenly, leaving them flush with the vertical keel. Use white glue.
 False keel and frames
2

2 THE CUTTY SARK: STEP BY STEP

7
4 5 6 11 12 13
3 10
2 8 9
7

90° 90°

90° 90°
90°
15
1 16
15 1

11 12 13
9 10
7 8
5 6
4
2 3

90°

90° 90°
15

15
15 1

2 All the frames 2 through to 13 are numbered. It is advisable, after sanding them, to place them in order from bow to stern. Place them in the
corresponding slots on the vertical keel, ensuring that each is perpendicular, making a 90º angle with the keel. They should be fitted evenly, leaving
them flush with the vertical keel. Do not glue them yet.
 Bow and Stern strengtheners
3

3 THE CUTTY SARK: STEP BY STEP

14
13

17

18
1 1
14

13

18 20
19

19
20
1 19 18 18
18 19

14 18

19

17 1 20

3Glue the strengtheners 14 and 17 onto the bow stem on the vertical keel 1. Glue the stern knightheads 18, 19 and 20 onto frame 13, ensuring that
each is perpendicular, making a 90º angle with the keel. They should be fitted evenly, leaving them flush with the vertical keel. Use white glue.