Nova Scotian Donald McKay began working as a shipbuilder in New York, in the late 1820s. There, he met and married Albenia Boole, the eldest daughter in a family of shipbuilders. She taught McKay algebra, trigonometry, and drafting skills, enhancing his shipbuilding knowledge.

His packet ship Courier [380 tons] was the first ship fully designed and built by Donald McKay himself, in 1842. The speed and durability of this one ship gave great notoriety to the young shipbuilder, and word spread fast that he had a new, ‘incredibly fast’ design that could produce a reliable product. In 1843 McKay, now working at the McKay & Picket shipyard, built the packet ships St. George [845 tons], John R. Skiddy, [930 tons] and Joshua Bates, [620 tons].

McKay’s packet ships, also known as medium clippers, were characterized by a long, hollow bow, which allowed his ships to penetrate waves, reducing drag at high speeds, and providing stability that allowed the ship to carry more sails in higher winds, for more power in extreme conditions. The technological innovation of the clipper design, and the soon-to-be urgent need for ships to supply the California Gold Rush, brought the ship-building industry back in Newburyport for the next 40 years.

McKay moved to East Boston in 1844 and established his own shipyard. From 1845 to 1869 he would build some of the finest ships to ever sail. Thirteen “extreme clipper” ships were constructed between 1850 and 1854, including: Flying Cloud, which made the voyage from New York City to San Francisco in a record 89 days; Lightning , which established a long-standing world record of 436 nautical miles in a day, at times reaching a speed of 21 knots; and the massive Great Republic, with four masts, registered at 4,555 tons, which was the largest clipper ever built.