About Us

The Cutty Sark is a privately owned and managed full service hotel situated right on the main beach of Scottburgh amidst 14 acres of beautifully manicured grounds surrounded by lush indigenous vegetation.
Ideally located for a holiday catering to the whole family, the Cutty Sark is a central accommodation hub for a variety of wonderful activities for all age groups and walks of life - from a day of shopping in Durban or Amanzimtoti, visits to nearby CrocWorld, leisurely hours spent on one of the many surrounding golf courses or adventure sports activities at Oribi Gorge or with our on-site dive charters - the friendly staff at the Cutty Sark Hotel will welcome you home after each day's activities to settle you in and make you feel right at home!

A Little History:
The Cutty Sark Hotel was named for the world famous Cutty Sark Tea Clipper, launched on 22 November 1869.
Cutty Sark was destined for the tea trade - then an intensely competitive race across the globe from China to London, with a substantial bonus to the ship to arrive with the first tea of the year.
In the Cutty Sark's most famous race, against the Thermopylae in 1872, both ships left Shanghai together on 18 June, but two weeks later Cutty Sark lost her rudder after passing through the Sunda Strait, and arrived in London on 18 October, a week after the Thermopylae - a total passage of 122 days. Her legendary reputation is supported by the fact that her captain chose to continue this race wth an improvised rudder instead of putting into port for a replacement, yet was beaten by only one week.

The Cutty Sark is the world's sole surviving extreme clipper, a type fo vessel taht was the highest develpment of the fast commercial sailing ship, with the majority of her hull fabric surviving from her original construction.
She is internationally appreciated for her beauty and is one of the most famous ships in the world. Her fine lines - a considerable part of her appeal - are defined by her frames which form part of the vessel's composite construction; a construction technique of which she is the best surviving example and of which she is of exceptional quality.

As the world's last remaining tea clipper, she is tangible evidence of the importance of tea in the 19th centry trade and cultural life.

For more information on this magnificent vessel, please visit http://www.cuttysark.org.uk/index.cfm