“The best historical novels ever written” (Richard Snow) – a hard act to follow!

Apart from being a narrow genre with a limited readership, writing nautical fiction, set in the age-of-sail, is far from plain sailing for an aspiring author.

Portsmouth Harbour 1770

While all forms of historical fiction demand high standards of prose, readers of this sub-genre, particularly those weaned on the stories created by Patrick O’Brian (POB) and CS Forester, are a very discerning group. It is not unusual for the aficionados to revisit all 21 volumes of the Aubriad in a never ending literary continuum. From a writer’s standpoint, the challenge of presenting one’s work to such a knowledgeable and demanding crew can be daunting.

Without statistical evidence, I would assess that the demographics of classic age-of-sail (particularly POB) readers fall predominantly into the category of middle-class, English-speaking, Caucasian males with a reasonably high level of education. These readers know exactly what they want and they are quick to express their disappointment if a work of fiction fails to fall within the parameters of their expectations.

So what are the literary prerequisites needed to satisfy such astute readers?

Firstly, the story must be strong and engaging with liberal servings of conflict and tension that increase as the story rises to its final denouement. Both POB and CS Forester were inveterate storytellers whose faultless prose will continue to be enjoyed by future generations of readers.

In addition, the protagonists must be credible and their behaviour patterns dependable. Dialogue should be appropriate to each man’s background and his station in life. Descriptive passages, necessary to convey scene and atmosphere, have their place but must not be excessive. Action, either on the guns or as hand-to-hand combat should be exciting and should draw the reader into the heat of the battle. Where the story is enmeshed in a famous naval encounter, the facts should be recounted faithfully. Anachronisms are not readily forgiven.

But, unfortunately for the writer, not all armchair critics agree on the balance of the above parameters. There are those who desire sea battles to be the greater part of any nautical adventure. For them, time on land is regarded as an interruption to the progress of the story. Yet it can be argued that the age of fighting sail was halted at various times by periods of peace and at times captains found themselves languishing on the beach awaiting their next commission. Furthermore, most captains were married men who had homes, wives and sweethearts who they spent small amounts of time with.

The question of romantic interludes in nautical fiction is also argued for-and-against. Illicit affairs of the heart are accepted by some readers as roguish behaviour that adds spice to the story. Others condemn such actions as scandalous, signalling a flaw in the character’s nature.

The aim of the nautical fiction writer is to immerse their readers in a world of fighting ships, of unforgettable sea battles and voyages to exotic locations. As with any historical novel, it must be both engaging and credible allowing the reader to slide effortlessly into the era. To achieve this, extensive research is necessary.

Battle of Santa Maria

This raises the question: how much historical fact should be included in the story? Descriptions of ports, harbours, seascapes are introduced to create atmosphere. They provide a backcloth albeit in the vibrant colours of an exotic location, or the drab stinking cobbles of an English fish market running with brine and bleeding fish-guts. Some readers enjoy such passages, others comment that excessive description slows the story. So just how much is enough?

Despite the readers’ expectations, authors are basically storytellers who cannot be experts in every field. Therefore to pen a manuscript to the satisfaction of every reader is not an easy task. However, feedback from readers, in the form of on-line reviews, is a useful tool that is both welcome and helpful. Honest critiques allow the author to recognize the demands placed on them and, when writing a series, constructive criticism allows them to bend to the readers’ demands in a subsequent title – if appropriate.

But the primary requirement of a novel in any genre is undoubtedly solid characterization. Whether the protagonists are of aristocratic birth or pressed men taken from the streets, they must present as strong, well-rounded characters who will continue to grow throughout the book or series. But aside from displaying ambition, courage and leadership qualities, they should also exhibit some human failings.

Richard Snow (New York Times Book Review -1991) regards the works of POB as, “The best historical novels ever written”, but comments: “In the end it is the serious exploration of human character that gives the books their greatest power.”

For today’s author, the challenge to create characters as lasting as Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin or CS Forester's Horatio Hornblower is a formidable and seemingly impossible task. And with informed reviewers drawing comparisons with the great Bards, perhaps this is one reason few authors take up the pen to compete in this arena.

This article by M.C. Muir was first published in QUARTERDECK - Winter 2014 (Jan)

Yorkshire Grit

Three gritty stories, set in the north of England, from the pen of author, Margaret Muir.
Though the author now lives in Tasmania (Australia), her roots were firmly set in Yorkshire soil.
Her historical novels, set in the difficult days of the late 1800s, reveal the darker side of family life and the struggles that confronted young women at the time.

Book 1 – SEA DUST – Tells of Emma’s torrid life in Whitby with a cruel husband. The escape she plans for herself and her young son and an eventful voyage to the far side of the world.
Book 2 – THROUGH GLASS EYES – A family saga, much of the intrigue revolves around the theft of an expensive doll.
Book 3 – THE BLACK THREAD – Set on the Leeds Liverpool canal – a story of treachery, deception and murder.

The three e-book set is available at a greatly discounted price on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Set of three E-Books - Oliver Quintrell Trilogy

With the continuing success of the Oliver Quintrell nautical fictions series, the author has released a Box-set which combines the first three e-Books in one. Though each book is a stand-alone story, it is good to read the early adventures in sequence. The Box-set is available from Amazon Kindle.

Book 1 - FLOATING GOLD - a seemingly impossible mission, cloaked in mystery, takes the ship deep into the frozen waters of the Southern Ocean where intrigue, murder and near-mutiny threaten the lives of everyone aboard.
 
Book 2 - THE TAINTED PRIZE - heading south again to locate a missing Royal Navy frigate, Captain Quintrell navigates the Magellan Strait and makes a shocking discover before heading north to the coast of Chile and Peru. Aside from several encounters with the enemy, unexpected and disturbing occurrences make this an unforgettable story.

Book 3 - ADMIRALTY ORDERS - Captain Quintrell is ordered to Gibraltar to give assistance to the garrison and colony. Hemmed in by strict quarantine regulations, the dangers which unfold are more insidious than either the French or Spanish fleets. What Book 3 lacks in battle action it makes up for in its handling of the human toll from the colony's battle with an unseen enemy - malignant fever. 

Jebel Musa - the southern Pillar of Hercules on the Strait of Gibraltar.

Following on from the Trilogy, THE UNFORTUNATE ISLES is Book 4 in the series.
When given permission to leave Gibraltar, Captain Quintrell heads across the Atlantic. Putting into the Azores - better known as 'the Fortunate Isles' - to careen the ship, captain and crew have the misfortune of crossing tracks with a sadistic and tyrannical pirate who follows him across the pond. Can they escape the villain and finally serve retribution on him for his evil deeds?

Having reached Rio de Janeiro, the captain awaits sailing orders. Unexpectedly, he is ordered to return to England in the company of a British man-of-war. THE SEVENTY-FOUR is Book 5 in the series. While the enemy sails the seas, Captain Quintrell soon discovers that danger also lurks below deck.

All books are available individually as E-Books or paperbacks from Amazon.

Sailing full and by - an author's voyage into the world of nautical fiction

A full head of sail - bark Europa

Surprisingly, neither the young Richard Patrick Russ nor Cecil Louis Troughton Smith served aboard naval vessels, yet they became the most prolific and well-respected exponents of nautical fiction of all times. Writing under the pen-names, O’Brian and Forester, they shared a seemingly intimate relationship with the sea that flowed freely across the pages of their classic adventures. It is, therefore, hard to imagine where the salt in their veins stemmed from.
Today, several latter-day authors have a distinct advantage in that they can proudly boast a career in the modern navy seeing active service. Other writers, having grown up living by the sea, have salt in their veins. But, there are those who live hundreds of miles from the ocean and have little chance to savour the experience first hand.

HMS Victory - Portsmouth naval dockyard

Today, the opportunity to step aboard an original fighting ship from the age-of sail is slim. HMS Victory, Nelson's ship at the Battle of Trafalgar, is still in commission but is in permanent dry-dock. Nevertheless, to walk the decks is enough to inspire the imagination of anyone who visits Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Across the pond, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship still afloat and very occasionally her canvas is loosed and she sails out from her berth in Boston harbour. But very few people have the opportunity of sailing aboard her.
So, without the advantage of a seafaring background to call on, what does the aspiring lubberly writer do to become acquainted with the changing moods of the sea?

For one author, the only answer is to sail aboard a tall ship.
“To cross the ocean beneath a press of square sails, to stand on a heeling deck in the beating rain as the sea rushes in through the scuppers; to take the helm in the blackness of night wishing and waiting for the moon to rise; to watch the masts drawing infinite circles on the star-studied heavens; to listening intently for the luff of the t’gallant when the ship heads too close to the wind; to marvel at the endless array of sunsets; to sway to the rhythm as the deck pitches and rolls, is an unforgettable experience.”

Sailing the Australian Bight

Over the last eight years, the writer, has sailed on numerous voyages on sail training ships and replica vessels. In August 2013, this aspiring nautical fiction author embarked on a 23-day voyage of 2500 miles along Australian Bight aboard the 100-year old Dutch ship, Bark Europa.

Sailing close hauled under a press of canvas, in a latitude just one degree north of the band of the Roaring Forties, the bow of the 3-masted bark sliced through the waves making a very commendable nine-and-a-half knots. Apart from the chill factor, the winter cold fronts were not unkind and the voyage was uneventful. Only two weeks later, however, as Europa headed north towards Sydney, the 303 ton ship was hit by a sudden 55-knot squall (reported as Force 10) and lost its mizzen topmast.
Muir was not on board to witness this, but remembers an Atlantic crossing a few years earlier aboard the 2,200-ton modern passenger barquentine, Star Clipper.

Europa displays a pyramid of sail

“It was the tail-end of the hurricane season and we were nearing the islands of the Caribbean when Star Clipper was hit by an unexpected tropical squall. As most of her sails were still flying when the Force 9 hit, suddenly everything went over. Crockery and glasses crashed to the floor and passengers were thrown from their beds (modern facilities). The screech of the wind and the noise of the rain dancing on the sea were horrendous, obliterating any chance of conversation.” Such an experience left the writer with an indelible memory.

The endless ocean, in all its guises, is a formidable element of nature and is regarded by some authors as the primary player within a work of nautical fiction. And it was their stories set against the ever-changing backdrop of sea that made the novels of Patrick O’Brian and C.S. Forester so evocative, timeless and appealing, and has carried their readers on the crest of each new adventure to the far side of the world.

M.C. Muir is author of the Oliver Quintrell series of nautical fiction adventures set in the age-of-sail.
This article appeared in Nov/Dec issue of ‘Quarterdeck’, 2013.

"Neptune" - Roman Polanski's Pirate ship in Genoa

On my recent visit to Italy, I paid a special visit to "Il Galeone Neptune”.
She is berthed in the harbour at Genoa.

This remarkable ship was built in the early 1980s in Tunisia as a movie ‘prop’ for the Roman Polanski film, “Pirate”. The movie starred Walter Matthau but a DVD edition was never released due to Polanski's personal/political problems.

Though suffering from neglect (though some restoration work is going on below decks) the intricate detailed carving of her bow and sterncastle galleries are breathtaking.

Weighing 1500 tons, 65m long and 16.4m beam, the ship is impressive as it is larger than an actual Spanish Galleon.

'Neptune is a fully rigged ship but beneath her elaborate wooden facade she has a steel hull and is equipped with a diesel motor.
Internally she has spacious gundecks and cabins. And some restoration work is being done below decks.

It cost only 5 euros to step aboard but few people seemed to be taking advantage.
Of for few coats of paint and varnish!

'Santa Maria' replica of Christopher Columbus's famous ship

This replica of the Christopher Columbus’s 15th century, ‘Santa Maria’, was commenced in 1997. It was built by Dutchman, Rob Wijntje, a resident of the island of Madeira.
As no original plans existed, Rob sourced information from books in an effort to construct a replica as close to the original as possible. The resulting ship is 22 meters long, has 3 masts - the tallest being 16 meters high, and built entirely of mahogany.
Today the ‘Santa Maria’ sails regularly out of Funchal, taking passengers along the rugged south coast of Madeira.

Historically: ‘La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción’ or ‘La Santa María’ was a medium sized carrack and was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. It was the flagship of his expedition which sailed to discover a new route to the spice islands of the east.

The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the smaller caravel-type ships Santa Clara, remembered as La Niña ("The Girl"), and La Pinta ("The Painted"). All three ships were second-hand and were not meant for exploration.

The ‘Santa María’ was built in Spain's north-east, having a single deck and three masts.
She was the slowest of Columbus's fleet but performed well in the Atlantic crossing. However, on Christmas Day, 1492, she ran aground on the coast of Haiti.

As the ship was beyond repair, Columbus ordered his men to strip the timbers from the ship.
These were later used to build a fort which he called La Navidad (Christmas).

Royal Galley - spectacular exhibit in Barcelona's Maritime Museum

One of the highlights of my recent holiday was a visit to the Maritime Museum in Barcelona. I went there specifically to see the magnificent replica of the royal galley of Don John of Austria.
This amazing vessel was the flagship of the fleet of the Holy League which comprised Spain, the Venetian Republic, the Holy See and Malta. On 7 October 1571, this powerful naval force confronted and defeated the Turkish League under the command of Ali Pasha at Lepanto.

Before the replica was built in 1971, a small model was constructed. In the picture the position of the oars and the sail configuration is included.

The oars were manned by 290 galley slaves/rowers. (This image photographed from a simulated video playing in the museum). Imagine what an arduous job it would have been to power such a vessel.

The following details are from Wikipedia:
“The ship was 60 metres (200 ft) long and 6.2 metres (20 ft) wide.

It had two masts, and weighed 237 tons empty. It was equipped with three heavy and six light artillery pieces, was propelled by a total of 290 rowers and, in addition, carried some 400 sailors and soldiers at Lepanto.
Fifty men were posted on the upper deck of the forecastle, 50 on the midships ramp, another 50 each along the sides at the bow, 50 each on the skiff and oven platforms, 50 on the firing steps along the sides near the stern, and 50 more on the stern platform behind the huge battle flag.

To help move and maneuvre the huge ship, it was pushed from the rear during the battle by two other galleys.
Befitting a royal flagship, it was luxuriously ornamented and painted in the red and gold colors of Spain.

Its poop was elaborately carved and painted with numerous sculptures, bas-reliefs, paintings and other embellishments, most of them evoking religious and humanistic inspirational themes.”
A cut-away section revealed the interior with ample room for storage of provisions and weaponry.

The maritime museum which houses the great galley has just undergone a period of 3 year's restoration.

The Barcelona Royal Shipyard (Drassanes Reials de Barcelona) houses the Barcelona Maritime Museum. Construction of the yards started during the 13th century under the rule of Peter III of Aragon. From the 13th to 18th century numerous war and merchant ships were built under its grand vaulted roof. The shipyard's restoration was finished in early 2013.
From 1381, the building had eight naves, 8.4m high and 8.4m wide. The naves were, approximately, 60m long, consisting of 17 columns 77 cm wide and 6 m high.

The purpose of the shipyard was to build galleys for the Aragonese Armada and during the rule of Alfonso V of Aragon, the shipyard experienced its highest activity.
In 1423, twelve galleys were built simultaneously. In 1571, the Royal Galley of John of Austria, commonly known as the Real, was built at the shipyard. This galley was the flagship at the Battle of Lepanto.

In 1935 the building was given to the Barcelona city who decide to use it as a maritime museum. It was opened in 1941. The 1976 the building was declared a Cultural Site of National Interest.

Pics by Margaret Muir

Festival of Golden Words to remember the life of RICHARD CARLTON

The writers festival set for March in northern Tasmania, will remember RICHARD CARLTON the veteran TV journalist who died on assignment while covering the BEACONSFIELD mine rescue in 2006.

Last week saw the launch of the Festival of Golden Words, a writers’ event to be held annually at the historic gold mining town of Beaconsfield in northern Tasmania. It will feature 70 well-known authors from around Australia including Nick Earls, Steve Bisley, Maggie Beer and Dr Philip Nitschke.
The event will also host the inaugural Richard Carleton address as a tribute to the journalist who died while reporting the mine disaster in 2006. Richard’s family will be present for the lecture.

Pic:Officially launching the event was Tasmania’s Premier, Lara Giddings, seen here with Mayor of the West Tamar Region, Barry Easther, and the Convenor of the Festival, Stephen Dando-Collins and his wife, Louise.
Pic 2: The historic mine with the latter-day shaft in the background. The mine is now closed but attracts tourists to its museum.

ADMIRALTY ORDERS released in paperback

ADMIRALTY ORDERS by M.C. Muir is now available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk in paperback.

Book Three in the Oliver Quintrell nautical fiction series, sees Captain Quintrell facing life-threatening events over which he has no control.
Ordered to sail to Gibraltar in the late summer of 1804, his ship soon becomes hemmed in, not by Spanish gunboats or French ships of the line, but by the Quarantine Regulations which close the port around him. Unable to halt the loss of life from a raging epidemic, he strives to do his part to help save the Colony when it is at its most vulnerable.
This seafaring adventure, set during the Napoleonic Wars, is based on actual events which took place in and around Gibraltar between August and December, 1804, including a major sea battle.
It shows how ignorance and prejudice can exist in a ship, and presents a startling portrait of life at Gibraltar - a British settlement ruled by a military garrison where naval power was only an incidental force.

I took this picture inside the Windsor Gallery which was the original tunnel dug into the Rock of Gibraltar.
It is where the 32 pound cannon were installed to defend the Rock against the Franco/Spanish enemy.

The e-book edition of ADMIRALTY ORDERS is available from Amazon at $2.99.
The paperback is also on sale through www.lulu.com.

EUROPA looses mizzen topmast in squall off coast of Australia

In August, 2013, I joined the Bark EUROPA in Fremantle and sailed along the Australian Bight.
Choosing to sail in that latitude in winter was questioned by a few hardy sailors I know.
Low pressure systems and storms roll in from the west together with icy blasts coming directly from Antarctica.
Yet, despite the forecasts, the weather was perfect for the fleet of tall ships who were heading for Melbourne and later Hobart and Sydney as part of the Tall Ship’s Festivals and Races. It was cold, but there was little rain and the winds were coming from the right direction.

At times, EUROPA creamed along at 9.5 knots. It was an unforgettable and uneventful (as far as mishaps is concerned) journey.
Not so, however, the conditions which EUROPA and the other ships were confronted with when they crossed Bass Strait heading north from Hobart and neared the south east coast of Australia.

A ferocious squall blew in, bringing EUROPA’S mizzen topmast crashing down and breaking two booms on OOSTERSCHELDE.

Here is the report of the incident which appears on OOSTERSHELDE’S website.
1 October 2013 - Oosterschelde in a squall of coast of Australia.
We decided to wait for the front that was coming our way and then sail to Sydney with wind coming from the west. With a nice sun and barely any wind we lifted the anchor and sailed slowly to Gabo Island, the southeast cape of Australia. The ‘Europa’ joined us and together we passed by the cape. Slowly, because we prepared the ship by reefing all the sails. The dark sky behind us foretold the ominous change of weather.
The next thing we knew it was chaos. Out of nowhere a huge gust of wind fell over the ship. One moment we had wind from the northwest of 5 knots and the other moment it was southwest with 55 knots! Before we could say anything the preventers of the foresail and the mainsail snapped and with a big bang both sails jibed which caused both booms to splinter. The sea, even so close to shore, builds up quickly and with big waves we swing from side to side. Despite the broken boom we did not dare to take down the foresail. Luckily the sail did not tear and we all pulled together and managed to take away the main sail and secured what was left of the booms. With only the foresail we did 9 knots. The wind is now over its peak. We have a storm jib and a very small mizzen due to three reefs, the sun started shining and we are licking our wounds. No one got hurt and in the end it could have been worse, but we will have a lot of work to do in Sydney making two new booms.

Fortunately, despite the damage, all vessels made it safely into Sydney Harbour and arrived in time for the impressive sight of the arrival of 18 tall ships.

During the time in port, repairs were undertaken and two days ago the fleet left Sydney heading for New Zealand.
From there, some of the more hardy vessels, including the three Dutch Tall Ships, will set sail for the mammoth voyage to Cape Horn. After doubling the Horn they will sail to the Falkland Islands as part of their circumnavigation of the globe.
Bon voyage and a safe voyage to all the intrepid voyage crew on board.
Pics of Europa and of damaged ship from a crew member of Oosterschelde.

THE CONDOR'S FEATHER by Margaret Muir

THE CONDOR’S FEATHER is an unconventional historical equestrian adventure.
It features an unconventional protagonist.
And much of it is set in an unconventional location – the Pampas of Patagonia.

It has been written that this land was the last place on earth which God created. That he used all the pieces He had left over, the deserts, plateaux, mountains, rivers, lakes and glaciers. Not wanting to waste anything He threw them all together and created the tail end of the earth.

“This is just one of Margaret Muir’s evocative and memorable descriptions of Patagonia, a land about which so much has been written and repeated. Muir spends a great deal of time creating a sense of the Patagonian landscape in all of its beauty and, at times, savagery. She evokes the constantly changing colours of the Patagonian sky but also takes moments to cover the vast open steppe with its violent winds and sandstorms that rake the land, so the reader is left in no doubt of the formidable wild frontier that Patagonia once represented to most, even until the fairly recent past. She also clearly has a love for animals, vividly describing both domestic animals such as the dogs and horses that travel with their masters, and the wild guanaco, pumas, ostrich-like ñandus and condors that the travellers meet on their journey.”
From Amy Turner, Cascada Expeditiones/Cascada Travel, Santiago, Chile.

THE CONDOR’S FEATHER was first published in hardback by Robert Hale in London. It is now available as a kindle e-book for $2.99

(FREE for 5 days on Kindle on 10 Oct.2013)

Pic – Lady Florence Dixie whose real life adventure on the Pampas inspired this story.