A large and dramatic evocation of the bow of the 'Cutty Sark', showing a carved figurehead. In this highly stylized painting the ship is shown moving through the waves at sunset. The sails of the ship loom above the viewer's point of vision. The figurehead represents a character from Robert Burns's poem 'Tam O'Shanter', which retales the story of a Scottish farmer who was chased by the young witch. Known as Nannie, she is shown wearing a short chemise, also called a cutty sark, from which the name of the ship was taken. The figurehead of Nannie was carved by master craftsman Robert Hellyer, of Blackwall.

Everett evokes the art deco in this highly stylized and formulaic painting. The crests of the waves are reduced to a series of white blocks on the horizon, reminiscent of Japanese prints. The sun, in thick impasto paint, glows orange on the horizon and the sails are outlined and painted as blocks of colour.

The 'Cutty Sark' was one of the most famous merchant sailing ships of the 19th century. She was built for the tea trade to China but the opening of the Suez Canal in the year she was built meant a short cut to China that only steam ships could use. So she went into the wool trade to Australia and in 1895 was sold to the Portuguese and renamed 'Ferreira'. Everett saw her several times while she was at sea under this name. By 1922 she had been rescued by Captain Downman and brought to England where Everett saw her again. She remained as a training ship until she was put into dry dock at Greenwich in 1954 as the last surviving British merchant sailing ship.