Cutters were fast vessels mainly employed as auxiliaries to the war fleets, but also in civilian use. They could be armed with up to ten guns and, being fast and handy, were much used by the Revenue service in anti-smuggling operations. They were later also used in the Trinity House pilot service.

The white cliffs in the background symbolically denote the coast of England. Between the cliffs in the distance are the buildings and harbour of Ramsgate, which rose to prominence as a fashionable resort in the early nineteenth century with Regency terraces curving up on either side of the harbour. Other shipping can be seen in the distance to the right.

Whitcombe was born in London in about 1752 and painted ship portraits, battle scenes, harbour views and ships in storms. Although his output was vast, little is known about him. He produced a large number of subjects from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793–1815, and exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1783 and 1824. His depiction of ships implies specific knowledge of life at sea, although he probably spent most of his career in London.