Seaflower by Julian Stockwin
Topic: Book Review
I have read the first two novels in the series. I found them reasonably good entertainment at the time, that is about a year ago. When I came to write this review I browsed over the other user reviews of the first books. I honestly could not remember some of the minor characters and incidents referred to, so I feel Stockwin fails the test of "memorable writing". I am one of the readers who feels that the character Kydd lacks depth and development, however that is my personal taste to desire such a thing, and it is perhaps part of the Age of Fighting Sail genre, that characters are rather one-dimensional. There are certain conventions to be followed, not neccessarily rigidly, in most genre fiction.

I am most disappointed when I read reviewers who give Julian Stockwin's books a lot of praise for authenticity, and then I find parts of the story that I do have some knowledge of, and they don't seem authentic. The worst instance I have seen of this was in "Seaflower". The navigational aspects of the book seemed quite sloppy.

In this discussion, "miles" means "nautical miles".

The movements of "Seaflower" seemed too fast to me. I was reading the paperback edition.
On page 309 Seaflower is to "strike south then East" and it will take "3 or 4 days to Barbados". If she went 300 miles south, then 1000 miles east, which is what I scaled off my National Geographic Map of the Caribbean, that would 1300 nautical miles. SF would have to sail at more than 12 knots to do it in 4 days. The theoretical maximum hull speed of a 70ft vessel is 11 knots. A modern yacht might manage that but an 18th century vessel loaded with men, stores, and heavy guns would not have a hope. 3 days is out of the question.

On page 308-310, she weighs anchor in the late afternoon, departs Kingston, and turns east before noon next day!! That is either sailing at 25 knots, or not going deep in the Caribbean to avoid the enemy, as was the stated intention. As a mere detail, the often-mentioned noon sight would establish that they were on the best latitude for the easterly course.
On page 311, dirty weather is seen ahead, that is to the east. In a tropical revolving storm,that would put the wind from the north, on the port beam. The captain orders "ease sheets, bear off to leeward, set course NNW". This means the fore-and-aft rigged sloop would have to gybe (risky in a heavy breeze), and sail very close-hauled to go NNW. Not impossible but difficult and pointless, as the storm will probably go that way too. And indeed, (p313) "they struck south then southwest into the reef-strewn west Caribbean". Did the Captain decide this? We are not told. It was not a good strategy I feel, with the storm centre to the north, they should go east, where there is most sea-room, the wind is on their port beam or astern, and it's where they want to go anyway.

They lose track of their position (very likely in the storm) and run up on an island(p316). "The tidal surge deposited Seaflower gently among storm-tossed coconut palms" - this is so poetic I will not begin to examine if it is possible or not, but will return to navigational incongruities.

Kydd is given the task of sailing the longboat with a VIP passenger to complete the mission. He knows his latitude. We are not told. He sails to the Spanish Main, the northern coast of South America, we are vaguely told it is somewhere near Barranquilla, and Cuerda Grande. This took one and a half days. The exact position is given to Kydd by a local inhabitant. Barranquilla certainly exists, "near half-way along the Carribean Coast" but I have not been able to find Cuerda Grande. The party confer. Port Royal is supposed to be 500 miles away, 3 or 4 days sail with the NE tradewinds on the beam. The small size of the boat makes the projected 130 to 170 miles per day progress wildly unlikely. I have found accounts of the open-boat voyages of Bligh and of Flinders in the same era and they managed 70 and 80 miles per day respectively. Kydd and the VIP decide to make for Barbados, expecting to take 6 days. To fit the situation so far described, this will be 700+ miles, at 120 per day.

Kydd intends to run along the 14degree latitude. Good idea, that is how a lot of navigation was done before chronometers became available. Much is made of the importance of longitude. They should have been able to manage quite well without it. Kydd changes course when he reaches 65degrees west, whence he will sail "a couple of hundred miles, say no more than a day of sailing" to the Windward Isles (p334). He's even quicker than I thought! The change of course is unneccessary, he could continue until he sees the islands (more about this below) and they should recognise where they are because they have been in this area before. When I read on p338 " The passage between the two islands was more than 25 miles; at their height-of-eye they would probably not even see them.", I had the jolt of disbelief that set me off on checking all these points. I remembered reading an account (Adrift, Steve Callaghan, 1981) in which Callaghan could recognise three large islands in the Leeward Isles from his tiny liferaft. Could not Kydd do the same?

According to my maps the passage between St Vincent and St Lucia is just 19 miles wide. The highest peaks of the islands are 30 miles apart. If the boat is exactly in the middle of the gap, the peaks will be 15 miles away. Inspection of Norie's Nautical Tables tells me that anything above 35 metres will be visible at 15 miles from a height-of-eye of 5 feet. The peaks are 950 metres and 1234 metres high!

To extend this idea, Barbados is 340 metres high, and comes into view at 39 miles. anything above 650 metres on St Vincent is still visible at 54 miles. So at that point, Kydd will be able to see both islands at the same time. Also, Barbados is 15 miles wide at a distance of 80 miles from St Vincent. Quite a large target navigationally speaking.

Stockwin appears to totally ignore the real geography of the area when he throws in a last-minute crisis, with the boat hitting an uncharted reef somewhere in the middle of the st Lucia/St Vincent Passage. The National Geographic Map shows the depth in the passage as over 200 metres. As another has commented, this problem is solved with ease. The Windward Isles squadron just happens to sail over the horizon at the right time to save Kydd & company. Stockwin tells us on his site that he loves to visit these locales to give his works authenticity. I am sure he enjoys himself but he has sold us very short with this book.

Reluctant Achiever
Topic: Relationships
Reluctant Achiever

Ians Review of

The Reluctant Mariner by Joanna Hackett

I've seen so many descriptions of this book as funny. Yeah it is. It's also funny when Donald Duck drives a nail through his foot or Charlie Chaplin plays The Great Dictator. On another level however we have to pay attention to workplace (or liesureplace) health and safety, and watch out for fascists trying to run our lives for our own good. So let it be with the Reluctant Mariner.

Joanna advised readers not to take the mickey out of their skippers by heel-clicking, saluting, and saying "Yes Sir, No Sir!". So is she being ironic when she announces early in the book that Lindsay will be referred to in the rest of it as Skipper, Captain Lindsay or Sir? In other words, takes the mick out of him for the rest of the book. He deserves it.

I firmly believe that Joanna was co-skipper of the yacht and that sailing life-partners should assert their right to be co-skippers. She repeats the old saw that "there can only be one Skipper at sea" but makes no statements to support that view. I would say the One Skipper idea has been the habit of centuries but that does not make it always right for the Twenty-first Century, or for the late twentieth century.

If Lindsay alone was the Skipper, I would rate him a 3 out of 10. The vessel did complete the voyage I suppose but he does not deserve all the credit for that. If Joanna was the crew, (she must have been if Lindsay was the sole Skipper) then I would rate her 10 out of 10 in the areas of competence and contribution to the success of the voyage. As a person, she went way, way out of her comfort zone and proved her sterling qualities to anyone who cares to see them. I only wonder if she knows this herself?

Things Joanna achieved.


Found and assembled emergency tiller p29.
Rigorously cleaned dirty and hard-to-access spaces. Takes it for granted that Skippers won't clean toilets.
Cooked ahead of time, made fresh bread at sea.
Understands his feelings p39. (Did he express them other than by complaining, blaming and sneering?)
Supports him in his "cranky mechanic" mode, humouring him without complaint, fetching and carrying, refraining from criticizing his lack of preparation for the task.
Learned to tie knots if not shouted at. (Very effectively. Her ability to replace mooring lines saved the vessel during a storm. Lindsay had absented himself at the time.)
Learned to be diplomatic with officials (p79).
Worked out how to get fish aboard, kill and clean them without mess and injury. (Her reward - to always have the job).
Was always successful in Man Overboard drills p105, (and yet states her faith in his skills, and lack of confidence in her own).
Behaved with courage. ("I would always be nervous but not disabled" p67.)
Kept her head in dangerous situations. "I knew what had to be done and I did it." (There were a number of these episodes, some of them caused by Lindsays want of prudence, acting on impulse, and plain lack of consideration.)
Planned and prepared for the Red Sea passage, lessening the risks.
Did the chart navigation. This "had been my job since departure" (p27), after negotiating the length of the east australian Great Barrier Reef, crossing the Gulf of Carpentaria, and coasting the Northern Territory. Navigation is a skipper-level responsibility.
Persevered in spite of her feelings.
Overcame her mental reservations and completed the project.

Joanna had some frightful situations to deal with or to endure, yet she puts an amazing positive spin on what other people do, and reserves recriminations for herself. For example she feels bad about her inability to "talk Yachtie" at the same level as Lindsay and some visitors. This is quite unneccessary. Sir Chay Blyth himself has commented that the use of "arcane yachting language" serves no useful purpose. It's good as a put-down of course. She recounts that "two mechanics helped the Skipper repair the gearbox". Strange that. When most people hire mechanics, the mechanics repair things, sometimes with the unskilled help of the hirer. The Skipper got fed-up with repairing the engine. Was he really that good at the job? While doing one job, he and two male helpers went to the yacht in the dinghy, leaving her on the beach in a third-world Muslim country where it was known that lone women are a target for harrassment and abuse. She sought shelter in a household of local women.

He lacked humour when the wind got up (p316). When she played taped music to take her mind off storm noise, he complained,so she stopped playing the tapes (p374). He couldn't manage mediterranean mooring without straining their relationship (p194). He said "we've lost it![the sail]" when it blew out. He was the one on watch at the time. Skippers are good at collective responsibility for mishaps.

The situation I found most appalling was when he impulsively jumped onto another yacht to help its owner when a storm was coming up, leaving Joanna to mind theirs. The other yacht left the spot, Joanna had no idea when he would come back. She prudently prepared for a possible departure. The waves were violent enough to cause their mooring-line to pull a huge concrete block off the jetty. She replaced that and another stern line. She had to launch the dinghy and climb on and off the jetty in wind and waves, and tie knots under strain. (p329)

By any standard, Joanna is a bloody good sailor. And yet, one reviewer says ".. the Skipper's skills got them through." To my mind, she did better than he did. This book can certainly be read as a fascinating account of travel to exotic places, I enjoyed it for that. As a study in human dynamics, people can be inspired by the resources a person found in herself. Some "One Skipper" types, mostly male sailors I am afraid, should have a damned good look at themselves and decide if their own skills and personal qualities justify their exalted position.

posted 23Nov04
first published on web 12/03/02

Life as a dog
Topic: Relationships
Using Dog Behavior to Enhance your Relationship.

Many years ago, I read a story in "Mad Magazine" about the cartoon characters created by Walt Disney. Mickey Mouse, Donald and all the Ducks, Black Pete - they are wonderful extreme examples of anthropomorphism, where animals are changed to take on human characteristics. The animals, with one exception, have all the qualities, failings and abilities that humans have. The "Mad" piece gave them heaps of neuroses as well. The exception is Pluto. He alone chose not to have the power of speech. He felt he was better off that way. This idea slumbered in my sub-conscious for decades until I read a sneering article in which a feminist suggested that men were so silly that women could manage them a lot better by treating them as they would treat their animal companions, dogs.

If you compare the Man/Woman relationship with the Woman/Dog relationship, you will pretty quickly realize which one is the best for you. To achieve it, only a little sublety is required, the decision to behave in many ways, like a dog. If you do, I'm sure you will soon have the best relationship possible.

By "best relationship" I mean one in which I am fed regularly, petted often, allowed sex, treated for my ills and looked after in my old age. I want to avoid a lot of the problems men are regularly burdened with. Have a look at Pluto. He doesn't have to bother with clothes, buying an elaborate house or indeed any of his needs, and certainly doesn't waste time seeking paid employment.

Let me discuss a few of the qualities women demand from men but don't worry about with dogs.

Cleanliness. Observing dogs leads me to believe this is not neccessary. It is possible, indeed desireable ,to be somewhat smelly most of the time. Women who have dogs don't notice. Occasionally, you must go and roll in something really vile, making a complete mess of yourself, or she will become complacent. At the time, she will put on an impressive display of anger, but it's not real. For how to deal with anger, see below.

Talking. This is where Pluto got it absolutely right. The problem we face is that women constantly ask us to "talk to them". They do this so much that I think they sincerely believe that that is what they want. Whether or not it is good for them is debateable but it is certainly not good for men. With their superior ability to process verbal data, women will always be at an advantage in a gabfest - or a gabfight. Observe a woman-dog relationship however and you will see that the dog is able to get what it wants perfectly well without speaking at all - and the woman is happy to communicate without demanding a conversation from the dog. If she really wants talk (most of the time), she will supply it all herself.

A man must therefore, retain the initiative in the relationship by communicating on his own terms as much as possible, and as little as possible on her terms.

Bad Behaviour. Anyone who has studied a little psychology knows that it is the unusual behaviour which is noticed, not the usual. Being a good boy all the time means that your slightest misdemeanour is noticed and punished. On the other hand a moderate naughtyness most of the time means that your occasional good behaviour will be noticed and rewarded. Watch a woman when her dog has been "bad". She wags her finger, says "You naughty, naughty boy!" and her eyes are positively shining with love.

Positive Dog Behavior.

Playing with their children is one of the best ways to win their heart. This is no hardship, because children are much more forthright, assertive, generous, sensible and physically active than women themselves. So it is easier, as well as more fun, to please the woman indirectly by amusing the children, than it is to deal directly with the woman herself. It's also less expensive.

Watchdog. Women often rely on dogs for security of their person and property. We must take advantage of this by fulfilling this role to the best of our ability, but always remembering to minimise risk to ourselves. Often dogs who use actual violence against humans will be terminated with extreme prejudice, and at the very least their owners will be held responsible for whatever injury the dog inflicts.

So deter intruders with noisy, aggressive, posturing behaviour but not an actual physical attack. You'll only get yourself and thus your family into trouble if you do.

When things go wrong. There will always be times when you do the wrong thing. You will make some mistake, forget something she considers important, or go too far in an episode of the general naughtiness which stops her from becoming complacent. No matter. Don't waste time trying to understand what she "really wants". Such a thing has never been explained to my satisfaction. You must soulfully raise your eyebrows, start crawling and abjectly begging forgiveness. An intention never to do it again must be expressed, shamelessly faked if need be. Ignore all the things she says, do not try to explain or justify what you have done. Keep begging and crawling.

The "making up" phase is very important for your and her long-term happiness. Remember, no matter how angry she is, a good licking session will always bring her round.

Co-skippers
Now Playing: huh?
Topic: Co-skippers or One-skippe
Examination of ideas.

The Co-skipper Idea vs The One Skipper Idea

http://www.alaska.net/~sailak/bio.htm http://www.sailsail.com/news/news-article.asp?Articleid=6658 English deep blue water cruising sailors Tom and Vicky Jackson ... world cruise ... sloop Sunstone [at] Race Week Regatta at Hamilton Island.

The =smallest yacht in the fleet is Invincible raced by the husband and wife co skippers Harold and June Clark of Hobart.

The one-skipper concept reflects a capitalist environment of sea activity. The skipper was held responsible by the owners of the vessel for its safety and the success of the voyage. Not that the owners would have any sentimental attachment to the ship. It is simply economic good sense to look after the means of carrying out your enterprise.

The case of the cruising couple/family/group/partnership is somewhat different. The mode of ownership of the vessel is a very important factor. To take the case of a couple, presumably they are co-owners of the boat. In many parts of the world a married couple are legally co-owners regardless of which one earned the income which paid for the property.

If a couple can have a relationship ashore which is an equal partnership, and in western society most at least aspire to this situation, then there is no valid reason why they should not have the same at sea. If one partner is much more competent in some area they will be making most of the decisions, but the other should be developing their autonomy all the time.

Ian