Clippers sailed all over the world , especially on the trade routes between the United Kingdom and its colonies in the east , in trans-Atlantic trade , and the New York-to-San Francisco route round Cape Horn during the California Gold Rush . Clippers sailed all over the world , primarily on the trade routes between the United Kingdom and its colonies in the east , in trans-Atlantic trade , and the New York-to-San Francisco route round Cape Horn during the California Gold Rush .