Gentleman Captain

Matthew Quinton, captain of the recently sunk Happy Restoration, has been urgently summoned to London to meet with Charles II.  There Quinton learns that the Scottish are preparing for rebellion and that a shipment of arms is being prepared in The Netherlands for the rebels.  He is assigned the captaincy of the Jupiter.  He asks permission to have his friend Kit Farrell aboard as his mate.

Quinton knows that the crew really belongs to her old, deceased captain.  The second in command, Lieutenant James Vyvyan is the former captain's nephew and he is sure that he was murdered.  Will Quinton be able to convince this officer and the others on the ship that he is a capable captain despite being a gentleman captain?

It is several days before winds unfavourable to sailing change.  Will his friend Kit Farrell arrive in time to join the ship?  Fortunately he does, and thus begins Quinton's naval education, given in return for Quinton teaching Farrell how to read and write.

When Quinton decides to test his gunners, he finds that each volley on either side of the ship is ragged.  He realises that they would not last long in battle.  They would not be much of a deterrent to the Dutch who sailed around the Scottish coast.  Later, a man-of-war is discovered in waters near where the Jupiter is anchored.

Author J. D. Davies has treachery, and a naval battle awaiting Quinton in the ensuing pages.  How will the young, inexperienced captain survive?  You will have to read this historical novel to find out.