QUARTERDECK WATCH

 

A new supplement to Quarterdeck magazine, featuring the latest in nautical fiction, sailing and boating, maritime history, and more from: Globe Pequot * McBooks Press * Mystic Seaport Museum * Sheridan House * Lyons Press * Muddy Boots

Hot off the Press

Night Boat to New York Steamboats on the Connecticut, 1815–1931 Erik Hesselberg A portrait of the vanished steamboat days, when a procession of stately sidewheelers plied between Hartford and New York City, docking at Peck’s Slip on the East River in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge.

A Spy in Casablanca Riley Fitzhugh Novels, #5 Terry Mort Riley Fitzhugh, former Hollywood private detective turned US Navy lieutenant, is recruited by the OSS for temporary duty as a naval spy in Morocco during the planning for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. His assignment? Kidnap a French river pilot and extract him from Casablanca.

Shanties from the Seven Seas Collected by Stan Hugill This book contains not only more than 400 sea shanties but also as much of their history as Stan Hugill could collect in his extraordinary career as sailor, scholar, author, artist, and inspiration to new generations of sea-music enthusiasts and performers.

Upcoming Releases

Trafalgar: The Fog of War by Seth Hunter ~ Nathan Peake #8 ~ 1803, on the eve of war: This is the story of the murders and intrigues, the myths and mysteries—and crucially the naval encounters—that preceded the most famous battle in nautical history. This is Nathan Peake’s Trafalgar, the true story of the events leading up to the campaign. A Troubled Course by David Donachie ~ John Pearce #17 ~ In night actions, outnumbered on land and sea, John Pearce and his crew must fight the Francophile Corsicans, who are arming themselves for an insurrection. Will he succeed, or will he, HMS Hazard, and the Pelicans pay the ultimate price of failure? The Falmouth Frigate by James L. Nelson ~ Isaac Biddlecomb #6 ~ Biddlecomb and the men of the half-built frigate Falmouth manage to slip through a British blockade, only to find themselves trapped in a desolate harbor on the New Jersey coast and menaced by outlaw bands that terrorize the countryside and see the ship as a valuable prize.

Sailing by Starlight by Rod Scher In the early 1980s, retired geography professor Marvin Creamer set out to do what hadn’t been done for a thousand years—if indeed ever at all: sail around the world without the use of any instruments. There was no sextant aboard. No compass. No chart-plotter. No GPS. No radar. Not even a stopwatch. Travel with Creamer and his crew as their 35′ sailboat Globe Star ventures around the perilous Horn, across the tumultuous Tasman Sea, and into an active war zone. This is the story of a man who was taken prisoner by an idea, a man obsessed with proving a point, and who would let neither 40-foot waves nor fractious crewmembers deter him. Every Second Counts ~ Brand-new historical fiction from McBooks author David Donachie ~ July 1940: In this thrilling historical “what-if,” Churchill has resigned without naming a successor and Parliament leaders are calling for an armistice with Hitler. Meanwhile, the fugitive Billy Houston finds himself in possession of Britain’s plans to thwart the German invasion. No patriot, Houston is determined to help bring about a Nazi-run Britain. Soon, Adam Strachan, Deputy Director of Counter-Espionage at MI5, finds himself pursuing Houston through England in a desperate bid to stop the missing defense plans from falling into German hands. The clock is ticking, and Britain’s future is anything but secure.

New in Children's

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Arielle North Olson; illustrated by Elaine Wentworth On a rocky island outpost off the coast of Maine, a young girl once kept the lighthouse lamps burning for days while her father was held on the mainland by a violent storm. Illustrated in sweeping watercolors, this story will stir the hearts of readers as they watch Miranda struggle triumphantly against storm and rock and sea.

Joey Goes to Sea Alan Villiers Joey the ginger cat went to sea with Alan Villiers on the ship Joseph Conrad. He caught flying fish, got into trouble generally, and even fell overboard—just as he does in this book! He was a kitten of great personality and an adventurous spirit, and his story is full of humor. This family classic will appeal to children and cat-lovers everywhere.

Something for Everyone

The Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told Ed. by Christopher Caswell A collection of 27 of the most compelling writings of the millennium, including Peter Goss's wrenching narrative of incredible courage in the world's most desolate ocean; Ernest Shackleton's understated account of one of the most daring small-boat journeys ever taken; and William F. Buckley Jr. on idyllic cruising. The Incredible Voyage by Tristan Jones In a salty, slashing style, Tristan Jones unfolds his extraordinary saga: a six-year voyage during which he covered a distance equal to twice the circumference of the world, dodged snipers on the Red Sea, capsized off the Cape of Good Hope, struggled for 3,000 miles against the mightiest sea current in the world, and much more. Three Sheets to the Wind by Cynthia Barrett An entertaining compilation revealing the maritime roots of 200 common English words and expressions, such as "slush fund", “turned a blind eye”, "pooped," and the "bitter end." This is the perfect companion for sailors, etymology lovers, factophiles, ocean dreamers, and the conversationally curious!

Last Man Down by David W. Jourdan The USS Nautilus was the flagship of Submarine Division 12 operating out of Pearl Harbor throughout World War II. In 1942–45, she engaged the enemy in fourteen different patrols, from the Battle of Midway to the liberation of the Philippines, earning fourteen battle stars. Here, the historical events documented in deck logs and patrol reports are told through the voices of the men who lived them. Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Sailing by John Vigor; foreword by Don Casey Aimed at sailboat owners of all kinds, this reference book contains 200 entries packed with solid practical advice and valuable tips. Each entry is categorized alphabetically and prefaced by an arresting statement, such as "People always lie about how fast their boats are." Cartoons by SAIL Magazine cartoonist Tom Payne enliven the text; a comprehensive appendix covers 50 technical topics. Doctor on Board by William W. Forgey, M.D. This must-have book for the serious or weekend sailor or power-boater focuses on care for head trauma and management of orthopedic injuries, seasickness, issues relating to cold injuries (“cockpit foot”), illness, and burns (including exposure to the sun and/or boiling water in the galley). All these and much more are discussed, along with treatment options while on the water.

Read Past Issues of Quarterdeck

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Ruth Ware's The IT girl

 

No, not internet IT, but IT from the swinging Charleston era, when the IT girl had everything, the beautiful and rich sex kitten supreme.

And April had IT all -- until someone strangled her ....

Ruth Ware is a clever, clever author. I love the way she entwines other books -- classic books -- into her plot development. Rebecca, Turn of the Screw, and so forth.

I assume that this one is based on the classic play by Euripides, Medea.  The author gives this away quite early on. The main character -- April, the victim of the murder -- definitely echoes the mythic queen. Blessed by the sun, with magical qualities, and yet murderously inclined. April is all of that, beautiful, rich, entitled, glamorous, and yet vicious. She doesn't quite kill, but she plays really vicious practical jokes on her victims. So well portrayed that after just a few chapters I was willing to give a medal to whoever topped her.

But who was it? That is the mystery. And it is a good mystery, too. I didn't guess the murderer, and enjoyed the surprise.

Apart from April, though, the characters were tenuous. Hannah, the other main protagonist, was so one-dimensional and crippled with angst that I couldn't understand why her saint of a husband put up with her. The others were even more sketchily drawn, but as bit players in this very Greek drama they served their purpose.  

I found the BEFORE/AFTER format irritating. Halfway through, I contemplated reading all the BEFORE chapters and then the AFTER ones, but that would have meant I lost track, so I bore with it.

And, because Ruth Ware is now classed as a bestselling author, the editing isn't there. Awkward sentences kept popping up to spoil the tempo. And why this fashion for "like" instead of "as if"?

But I do recommend this book, and will keep following the author.

Spring 2022 newsletter from Butler Point Whaling Museum, in the winterless north of New Zealand

 

Haunting wildlife image a big winner

 

A confronting photograph of a humpback whale carcass and circling sharks on the ocean floor in Coral Bay, Western Australia has won the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition for 2022. ‘Nature’s Prey’ by Ashlee Jansen captures a harsh act of Mother Nature, but an important part of the natural ecosystem.

Based in Western Australia, Ms Jansen captured this winning shot in July 2021 after a sub-adult whale died while making the annual migration north along the Ningaloo Reef.

The judges were united in selecting this powerful image as the overall winner and praised Ms Jansen’s photography skills.

“The beauty of the image lies in its artful circular composition, seen in the curves of the whale’s skeletal ribs mirroring the patterns in the sand, keeping our eye within the frame moving between the living and the dead,” they said.  

Image: Nature's Prey, by Ashlee Jansen, Overall Winner 2022 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

The ghost with the dancing horse

 

HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER

I have been watching Clint Eastwood since the age of about twenty, starting with "Rawhide."  It was the era of westerns, and I never tired of horse operas.  Perhaps it was because I'd had an after school job of ushering at a movie theater and westerns were standard fare.  And Clint was among the best of them.

So I kept on following, through the spaghetti westerns to Dirty Harry and then his self-directed films, and never tired of watching Clint Eastwood playing Clint Eastwood.  That lean, laconic, stone-faced style, so oddly attractive.

This film was made ages ago, in the seventies, but somehow I missed it. And this one is different.  Well, Clint plays Clint, just as he always did, but the story has a most unusual message.  

If you want revenge, take care not to sup with the devil.

Clint, playing a nameless stranger, rides into a small mining town, the usual western outpost with clapboard houses, a stable, a church.  A few of the local men accost him and threaten his life.  Predictably he proves himself -- with a gun, naturally.  So impressive is he that the townsfolk propose a contract.  They need a gunfighter, as three men they put away for murder are coming out of prison next day. The anonymous guy with a gun accepts it, but on his own very strange terms.  He has a mission of his own.

That mission is gradually revealed as he arms the townsfolk, drills them into a faint semblance of efficiency, and literally paints the town red.  His motives come in horrifying glimpses that leave the viewer to make his or her own conclusions.  Because of this, the ending is both thoughtful and satisfying.  As a western, this film is remarkably intelligent.

But the star of the show?  Not Clint, believe it or not.  It's Clint's equally nameless horse.  The dance as the gunfighter rides into town is startlingly clever.  That horse was so good, in fact, that I was on tenterhooks throughout the rest of the film in case that lovely, graceful steed was stolen, killed or hurt.

Scan through the credits of the clip above, and at three minutes into it, turn up the music and watch that horse dance.

A Gothic from Tess Gerritson

***    

THREE STARS

Alcoholic food writer, Big cat. Haunted house. Ghost of a long-dead sea captain that is seriously sexy. Demons. Ghostbusters. Cute Maine coastal town. What more do you want?

But just three stars.

I picked up this book as I much prefer Dr. Gerritson's standalones, as they seem to have more thought and research behind them. So, as as maritime historian who is also a technical editor for maritime novels, I found it irritating that she had not researched the seafaring history of her home state, Maine. 

Ship names do not have the word "the" in front of them, and if they do (editorial choice?) the preposition should not be in italics. The sentence describing a "Down Easter" as "a three-masted sailing ship, 250 feet long, 44 feet wide, [weighing] a little over two tons" is so ridiculous it is hilarious. Even if the "two tons" is a typo, the vessel being described is more likely to be a clipper. 

Down Easters were in the California trade, clippers were more likely to be in the Oriental trade. And a crew of thirty-five? For a ship that size? Whaleships needed big crews for various technical reasons, but freighting sailing ships had very small crews, the owners being stingy. Captain "Shotgun" Murphy of Searsport, Maine, who commanded real Down Easters, would have a belly laugh at that.

But still, despite this serious caveat, I liked the book. There seems to be a fashion for emulating Daphne du Maurier (see Ruth Ware's The Death of Mrs. Westaway) which is no bad thing at all. The introduction of 50 Shades-type rubbishy B&D sex was a pity, as it is an entirely different genre, but on the whole this book as a shade of Rebecca wasn't bad at all.

It's no kind of mystery. Ava's dark secret was far too easy to guess, and wasn't all that terribly criminal, and the ending didn't reveal anything unexpected. But as a Gothic, yes, give it a go.

New Bacchante book and half-price promotion

 

JUST PUBLISHED

Storm Swept, the second in the Bacchante series.

Harold Pcderson’s discovery ships are in trouble. Specializing in exploring remote estuaries and photographing endangered wildlife in South East Asia and the western Pacific, his fleet ventures into waters that are rife with pirates.

When Jerry Giacomo is hired by Pederson to make his ships look bullet-proof, he finds that the situation is even more precarious than expected. The Jihadist breakaway group Abu Sayyaf is operating in the South China Sea, and their brutality is notorious, with filmed beheadings as well as outrageous ransom demands.  Because of the threat the terrorists present, Storm Swept, with all the Bacchantes on board, is requisitioned by the British navy, to take part in an exercise up a remote river in Borneo, where the pirates have their lair.

At the same time, Helen Pederson is trapped in a remote village in Mexico, being blackmailed by her first husband. When she mnages to confide her dilemma to Jerry and Skye, the Bacchantes are forced to face yet another great challenge. The paternity of the girls has been brought into question yet again.

And the answer could be fatal.

And -- to celebrate the publication of Storm Swept, for the month of April Daughters of the Storm will be half-price on all platforms except Amazon (which won't let me do it).