This story begins with the arrival aboard a lumber schooner of young Donald McKay at South Street Seaport in the spring of 1826. A short history of the New York shipyards sets the stage for the beginnings of the golden age of sail and the indentureship of Donald McKay at the shipyard of Issac Webb, the "Father of shipbuilders." These were exciting times for the ever increasing demand for fast sailing ships spurred on by the demand for tea from China and the lust for California gold. The struggle for the world's carrying trade was picking up in intensity, and the search for answers that the...