Quarterdeck

Thomas Kydd and his good friend, Nicholas Renzi have both been promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Royal Navy.  Kydd wants to become a gentleman, but Renzi will have his work cut out for him trying to eliminate the naval speech so readily to hand for Kydd.
Both are re-assigned to the Tenacious, but the captain is not impressed by the fact that Kydd is not a gentleman officer.

Kydd finds life as an officer very different with new responsibilities.  However, he is sure that he can handle them.  The whole crew is surprised when Tenacious is assigned to the North Atlantic, with Halifax their next port.  Kydd is to be the signals officer.  Tenacious is assigned to be the main warship guarding a 148 ship convoy to Halifax.

Kydd soon learns that Halifax is cold, but the North Atlantic is a colder, brutal mistress.  While in Halifax Kydd receives a letter from his sister asking him to search for their uncle.  Will he have any success accomplishing that in such a remote part of the world?  Frustrated at not being a gentleman officer, Kydd ponders leaving the navy.

Before Kydd can do anything, he is dropped ashore in the United States to spy on a French ship.  There he makes the acquaintance of an American naval officer.  Later, he is seconded to the newly formed American navy; to help and to provide an opinion on.

 In this historical naval novel, author Julian Stockwin, has not provided the reader with the intense action of previous novels, but charts a course that may take the hero and his friend in a different direction.  Although I look forward to sequels, I'm afraid that the recent action of the government of Saskatchewan to cut library funds, has left me wondering when I will have the opportunity to borrow the sequels.