There are a number of naval fiction books that feature the Battle of the Capes where the French Fleet under the Comte De Grasse defeated the British under Admiral Graves. Invariably they refer to the surrender of the British Army under Cornwallis at Yorktown as resulting from this action but little detail is given.

This new book George Washington's Great Gamble by James L. Nelson explores both the land and sea events that led up to the battle. Starting with the arrival of the initial French forces and the defection of Benedict Arnold it follows the manouveres and disposition of the forces on both sides. It is clear from the quoted correspondence that Washington was clear throughout that the British could not be defeated while they had naval superiority and could move there forces by sea and that therefore the intervention of a French fleet would be vital.

Today people volunteering to save part of our heritage is accepted and you often find restored sailing vessels. As far back as December 1954 the famous clipper Cutty Sark was being put into dry dock at Greenwich. A Ship's Tale is the fictional story of an earlier attempt, in the immediate aftermath of WWII, to save the barque Bonnie Clyde from officialdom who wish to scuttle it.

The book follows the story of a disparate group of people who firstly come together to obtain everything neccessary to make her seaworthy again and then set off on an epic voyage to a new port where she can be preserved. With the press interested in the story,  the police and Admiralty tasked with stopping them and the weather being far from co-operative it is not an easy journey.

This novel starts in traditional HNF style with Lieutenant Peter Thornton and his friend Lieutenant Roger Perry attending the Admiralty and recieving orders for the Frigate Ajax. However from that point onwards the narrative is very fresh. Firstly the captain of the Ajax is rather inept and not the usual 'Mr Nice Guy'. He takes a dislike to Thornton and finds every opportunity to berate him. When they encounter a sinking Spanish Galley in need of assistance the Ajax saves the Spanish crew but Thornton and two crew members are left behind with the slaves. His lack of familiarity with this type of vessel soon leads to one of the slaves, a corsair, taking command.

The rest of the narrative explores the relationship between these two whilst giving us a strong insight into the world of galleys, lateen rigged vessels and the world from the corsair point of view. Thornton 'takes the turban' and helps in the formation of a Sallee navy.