On the surface it seems Willis must have been taking a risk but he used all his business experience to negotiate an agreement which provided a high degree of protection.
Cutty Sark was to be built to Lloyds A1 classification and in addition to the regular visits from the Lloyds surveyors, Willis had one of his experienced skippers, Captain George Moodie, superintend the construction prior to taking command of Cutty Sark upon completion.