Steamship shows its worth over clipper

[clif9710]

I was losing money fast due to the fact that my clippers hauling rum from the new world, though fast going with the wind and empty, were dead slow into the wind coming back loaded. I built a steamship and found it plows through regardless of the wind, getting the rum where I wanted it on time.

[Tankfriend]

That's generally the great advantage of steam ships - independent from the wind, and can handle heavy cargo better.
If you have the Docklands DLC, finishing the questline around the docklands nets you an item that lets you build the World-Class Reefer, a more expensive version of the steamship that has double (!) the speed on the world map.