The Bahama Clipper Tale

Our story begins in 1938 when the legendary Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat was first built. Seeking beautiful beaches on exotic islands, the giant Clippers would fly to where there were no runways, touch down on the water, then float taxi to a pier at its destination. They flew from U.S. cities like San Francisco, Miami, New York, Baltimore and Long Beach to places such as Hawaii, Manila, Cuba, Lisbon, Bermuda and Hong Kong. It was the Golden Age of Aviation and air travel was a special luxury available to only a select few. People on the ground would stop what they were doing when they heard the Clipper arriving and go to the harbour to watch it splash down.

Only 12 Clippers were ever built, and in 1939, a Clipper completed the world's first commercial transatlantic flight. All of the passengers aboard the Clippers received first class service including the traditional Clipper cocktail upon boarding, full meals on real china in the dining area, and sleeper compartments for nighttime travel. The biggest aircraft of its time, the Clipper was capable of carrying 40 tons of weight, had a crew of ten and the navigator used a sextant to "shoot the stars" and plot their course. In 1941, Clare Boothe Luce wrote an article for LIFE magazine about her transpacific flight aboard a B314 saying, "Fifty years from now people will look back upon a Clipper flight today as the most romantic voyage of history."

Nowadays there are runways to land jet airplanes at most of the destinations where only Clippers could fly 60 years ago. But there are still a few places a jet can't take you that the Clipper could and while today's jets will get you there faster, they will never get you there in as much Style.

In 1946, all of the Clippers were either sold or scrapped by the airlines. It is said that one Clipper was aquired by an air charter service and made its last commercial flight in the year 1950, in The Bahamas. There were sightings of a flying boat island hopping all over the world after that, but when and where the great ship was last flown was never known, that is until now. With the launch of Bahama Clipper Fine Island Apparel, we hereby proclaim the vintage flying boat, "Back in Service." The legend flies on.

It's not where you go, it's how you get there. Arrive in Style.

Bahama Clipper
Purveyors of Island Dreams