A port-side view of the full-rigged clipper ship 'Adelaide' off Sandy Hook in choppy waters. A smaller two-masted vessel, presumably the pilot, is to the left of the bow of the 'Adelaide.' Two men row a gentleman in a suit and top hat in a rowboat between the pilot and the clipper ship. The clipper flies an American flag above the stern, a red flag with a large "A" on the mainmast, and a blue flag with white and black dots on the foremast.