Editing Cutty Sark (section)

===''Thermopylae''===
''Cutty Sark''{{'}}s [[Race Cutty Sark and Thermopylae|well-known race against]] ''[[Thermopylae (clipper)|Thermopylae]]'' took place in 1872, the two ships leaving [[Shanghai]] together on 18 June. Both ships were of similar size: length, beam and depths were within {{convert|1|ft|spell=in|1}} of each other. The ''Thermopylae'' had a slightly larger capacity: 991 compared to 963 (GRT) or 948 compared to 921 (net).{{sfn|Carr|1964|p=5}} Two weeks later ''Cutty Sark'' had built up a lead of some {{convert|400|nmi|mi km}}, but then lost her rudder<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/15131.html|title=The tea clipper Thermopylae|publisher=[[National Maritime Museum]]}}</ref> in a heavy gale after passing through the [[Sunda Strait]]. John Willis's brother was on board the ship and ordered Moodie to put into [[Cape Town]] for repairs. Moodie refused, and instead the ship's carpenter Henry Henderson constructed a new rudder from spare timbers and iron. This took six days, working in gales and heavy seas which meant the men were tossed about as they worked and the brazier used to heat the metal for working was spilled out, burning the captain's son. The ship finally arrived in London on 18 October a week after ''Thermopylae'', a total passage of 122 days. The captain and crew were commended for their performance and Henderson received a £50 bonus for his work. This was the closest ''Cutty Sark'' came to being first ship home but it was Moodie's last trip as her captain before he transferred to steamships. He was replaced by Captain F. W. Moore.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

{{Quote box |title=Life at Sea |width=30% |quote=A little east of the longitude of the Cape we were favoured by a great fair wind blow, that tested all the resources of ship and crew. At the first spurt, heavy squalls came up from S.W., that threatened to take toll of our masts, but later it steadied down to a hurricane straight from the west.

Captain Wallace was sure in his element now. It was 'Stand by!' the whole time, not knowing whether the sticks would go, but the splendid rigging and equipment of sails in the ''Cutty Sark'' stood the strain. We lost two brand new topgallant sails and one lower fore topsail.

A tremendous sea was running and needs must we carry on or be pooped. The partial becalming of the lower sails by the stern seas was a great danger, as they filled again with a bang that threatened to burst them into tatters. It was some trick rebending sails. I had a time on the fore topsail yard for two hours. The ship took a green sea over the stern, and it appeared as if there were just three sticks set in the ocean, as it swept the length of the deck. |source=—A crew member writing of life on board<ref>{{cite book|title=The Log of the ''Cutty Sark''|author=Basil Lubbock|url=https://archive.org/stream/logofcuttysark0000lubb/logofcuttysark0000lubb_djvu.txt|publisher=James Brown & Son|date=1924}}</ref>{{rp|9}}}}