Free trade caused the demand for tea to increase, placing pressure on tea companies to supply it quickly. The fresher the tea, the more valuable it would be, so suppliers began to race each other across the high seas. Soon the ships began to develop into the fast and sleek tea clippers.
The sole surviving example of a clipper is the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, London. Some of the feats achieved by the clippers are now legendary. The 'Lightning', for example, travelled 436 nautical miles in 24 hours, a record that stands to this day!
