John Keay
Books
- Ninety-Nine Days The Great Tea Race of 1866 and the End of the Clipper Era · Liszt Think
In May 1866, five clippers departed Foochow within three days, chasing a lucrative premium for the first new-season tea to reach London.
- The Premium and the Min River…erged as the most serious contenders. Ariel, owned by Shaw, Lowther & Maxton, had finished second in the previous year’s race. Her captain, John Keay, was known for pushing his ship hard. Taeping, owned by Alexander Rodger, had won in 1865 and would carry the hopes of her owner again. Ser…
- The Logbook’s First PageJohn Keay stood on Ariel’s quarterdeck and watched the Foochow pilot’s boat pull away toward the Pagoda Anchorage. The morning of May 30, 1866, offer…
- Tea, Salt, and Men…. The best men meant better work aloft, better handling in storms, and better chances of winning. The captain’s reputation was his capital. John Keay of Ariel had a reputation. So did Donald MacKinnon of Taeping and George Innes of Serica. They were known as men who could drive a ship har…