Spuddy
Active member
I'm sort of addicted to print and usually have some undemanding fiction handy. For a while now this has included the tales of Napoleonic naval carrying on. Some good, some average, some indifferent. Many of the technical details seem to be just copied from author to author but some stuff is just downright clueless. Couple of examples stand out but can't remember which books:. Something like a naval sloop needed to get down a river sharpish in a calm so captain had built an underwater fin from spars and sails to lower over the side;. this was so that it could grip the tide and so ship would be whisked along faster than surrounding enemy. Something to tell the racing guys about,. They've been missing a winning trick.
The other one was No 1 taking a noon sight and reporting latitude to captain who looked over his shoulder at sextant reading and said, 'Correct'.
I don't mind the landfill fiction too much;. formulaic but usually with a few twists. But the pudden-headed lazy stuff does annoy.
The other one was No 1 taking a noon sight and reporting latitude to captain who looked over his shoulder at sextant reading and said, 'Correct'.
I don't mind the landfill fiction too much;. formulaic but usually with a few twists. But the pudden-headed lazy stuff does annoy.
) too short to waste on poor writing... for Napoleonic naval I have four "go to's".. they set the bar high... Sean Thomas Russell/the inestimable Patrick O'Brien/Julian Stockwin and of course.. Forrester..