The Letter of Marque by Patrick O'Brian
At the beginning of this Patrick O'Brian book the Surprise is lying at anchor in Shelmerston, a port with an awkward bar and a dangerous tide, used by smugglers and privateers in
The Letter of Marque  .
Their position is 43 degrees 45' North and they have to rendezvous with Tom Pullings at 37 d 31' North, 25 d 30' West. The crew known as idlers were the sailmaker and his mates, the gunner's mates, the carpenters crew, the cooper, and the rest of the specialists. They pass the northeast point of St Michaels Island, part of the the Azores, Ribera Point. They hope to reach a point midway between St Michaels and St Mary, and they must get there from the east, as though sailing from Cadiz. Jack Aubrey wants to run down to 37 d 30' North and then bypassing the Formigas, to turn westwards as though sailing for Horta.
They do narrowly avoid hitting the Formigas and bear away for Fayal and Horta Harbour. After that the Surprise heads back to Shelmerston Harbour and lies out to sea in Polcombe Cove. After that Stephen Maturin goes to Stockholm in Sweden and Jack Aubrey sails off to Riga in Latvia to get some cordage, spars and poldavy - the finest in the world. After going to Riga in the Baltic , Jack comes back to Stockholm and picks up Stephen.
The next book in the series is
The Thirteen-Gun Salute .
The Letter of Marque Resources
Wooden Ship-Building - by Charles Desmond.
First published in 1919, this reprint helps you relive the glory days of sailing.
Building The Wooden Fighting Ship - by James Dodds. This book tells the story of the building of HMS Thunderer, a two-decked, 74-gun ship-of-the-line. In words and drawings as well as contemporary prints and paintings, they capture every stage of its construction, from purchase and cutting of timbers through launch in 1760.
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Home
O'Brian Index
Golden Ocean
Mauritius Command
Desolation Island
Fortune Of War
Ionian Mission
Treasons Harbour
Far Side of World
Reverse of Medal
Letter of Marque
13 Gun Salute
Nutmeg of Consolation
Clarissa Oakes
Wine-Dark Sea
The Commodore
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