Captain Waite explains that the heyday of the tea clippers was from about 1850 to 1875. The Cutty Sark was built in 1869, the year the Suez Canal opened. The canal's opening was an important event in maritime history, but it was instrumental in the decline of the tea clippers. Replaced by steam Steamships had existed before that time, but they could only operate over short distances.
「卡蒂薩克號誕生的時候，其實已經過時了」，韋特船長解釋說，飛翦茶船的全盛時期大約是在一八五○到七五年之間，卡蒂薩克建於一八六九年，這一年蘇彞士運河啟用，是航海史上重要的一件大事，卻也是茶船沒落的關鍵。