The time for loading tea depended much upon the seasonal crops, which were in two seasons for the export market and picked in April and June.
The first crop brought high prices, and was loaded from about May or June. The favourite port for the earliest crop was Foochow, aport situated many miles inland up the Min River, which in parts is a narrow tortuous gorge. Other ports were Canton, Whampoa, Macao, Shanghai and later Hankow, where the clippers would load between June and August, with occasional sailings at other months of the year .
   The most noteworthy races took place in the period between the late 1850s and the opening of the Suez Canal. After that time the clippers were searching for cargoes of inferior teas, usually from Shanghai, and sailing late in the year. In 1859 there sailed from Foochow, within a few da ys of each other , Fiery Cross, Ellen Rodger, Crest of the Wave , Ziba and Sea Serpent (American), all arriving in London only a few days apart after approximately 140 days at sea. The American, having left last, arrived first in the Channel.
  Other close finishes were :
1861 Ellen Rodger, Robin Hood, Falcon, Fiery Cross, and Flying Spur
1866 Ariel, Fiery Cross, Serica, Taeping, Falcon, Flying Spur, Black Prince, Chinaman, Ada, Coulnakyle and Taitsing
1867 Maitland, Serica, T aeping , Fiery Cross, Whiteadder, Zilba, Flying Spur, Taitsing, Black Prince, Yangtse, Ariel, Chinaman, Deerfoot, Min, Sir Lancelot, Belted Will and Eliza Shaw
1869 Ariel, Leander, Lahloo, Thermopylae, Spindrift, Taeping, Ziba, Sir Lancelot, Kaisow, Black Prince, Windhover, Serica, Falcon , Forward Ho, Titania, Taitsing , Whiteadder and Maitland
1870 Oberon, Titania, Cutty Sark, Serica, Forward Ho, and Belted Will
1871 Thermopylae, Forward Ho, Undine, Titania, Norman Court , Lahloo, Cutty Sark and Ariel

The following list of typical passages, in days, from the different ports to England will give an idea of the fastest and slowest passages.

Canton to Liverpool 87,99,110,130
Canton to London 99,104,115,128,134
Foochow to London 89,93,97, 144, 146
Shanghai to Liverpool 85,87, 117, 122, 140
Shanghai to London 90,92,96,100, 111,129, 138,166
Whampoa to Liverpool 88, 106, 126, 136, (Scawfell, 1861: 88 days)
Whampoa to London 92,96, 112, 122, 128
Macao to London 89, 93,96, 106, 117, 125

The famous Cutty Sark was not built until 1869 and consequently did not compete for long with other notable clippers, but made her reputation on the Australian run.