The picture above right is of the ‘Sovereign of the Seas’. This was very similar to the ‘Gossamer’, being built as a composite with wood and steel in the mid 1800’s. The Gossamer was a China Tea Clipper of 735 Tons with a length of 181 ft and breadth of 30 ft. On her final voyage in 1868, it was owned by George Kipsel and six others. She was carrying a general cargo from Adelaide in Australia to London when the captain, on board with his wife, handed over control to the pilot and retired to his cabin. They had had a discussion about whether or not they could tack past Start point and, despite the pilots concerns, Captain Thomson told the pilot to hold course.
