A collection of short stories by bestselling historical novels and maritime historian Richard Woodman. Rich in strong characterisation based upon years of experience at sea, the anthology includes:
The Channels
‘The Channels’ are a kind of affliction of high spirits affecting those aboard a ship approaching her home port at the end of a long voyage. But the onset of this curious state of mind aboard the fast cargo-liner Duke of Rutland as she approaches her home port, suddenly turns sour for two of her company, leading to an unpleasant and vicious confrontation.
The Captain’s Tiger
A chance encounter brings together two former shipmates with little in common. The Captain and Steward of the humble collier Owen Glendower try and forge a new relationship, but the cruel past catches up with both men, resulting in a fateful and fatal culmination.
Captain Butternutt’s Achievement
From his humble start in life as a foundling, Captain Matthew Butternutt has made of himself a ship-master of unusual probity and dedication. But he nurses a secret desire to make a name for himself by some outstanding act, an objective that eludes him. Then, as master of the Coriolanus, ordered to Costa Maya with a cargo of plant for the newly opened zolonium mines, he finds himself unknowingly at the epicentre of an international ‘incident’. In his devotion to his employers’ interests he gains a reputation as the man who out-witted the might of the United States Navy.
A Dish Eaten Cold
When, through private channels, the officers of the ageing steamship Duke of Kingston learn that their ship is to be scrapped and the owners of the Duke Line of Liverpool intend selling their entire fleet, they decide to take revenge upon the perpetrators of this heartless decision.
Wellbeck’s Epiphany
Old Captain Wellbeck is popular among the staff of the care-home for mariners on the banks of the River Mersey, particularly Jenny Adams. In the course of their relationship Wellbeck reveals to Jenny that he was once an alcoholic. His drinking, he tells her, was attributed by his colleagues to his experiences during the Second World War. However, it was not the late war that caused his drinking, but something darker and more personal. In the last days of his life, Wellbeck tells Jenny of an event of horror and tragedy that has haunted him for years. Then, as Jenny discovers, the old man experiences a great revelation as the spectre of his past visits him.