Gofaster..I will pick up a copy, thanks.
One of the reasons I like the whole "Age of Sail" genre results from some experiences I had in boarding school in England. (No not "those experiences
).
The school was very strict. Talk when you weren't supposed to...meant the cane. Do "anything" you weren't supposed to do...meant the cane. I got caned alot.
But, we had one teacher who suffered from the early stages of Parkinson's diease. He was a former merchant marine and was the strictest disciplinarian in the whole school. His illness meant he was not allowed to hit any kids with a cane, as if he missed and hit us on the back, for example, he could have done serious irrevocable damage. Instead he used a gymshoe or his hand.
He taught science classes and everyone DREADED them. He had one rule, for example, where he would look up, pick one student and ask them to repeat verbatim what he had just said. If the student couldn't do it he got a beating..either with the hand or with a gymshoe (sneaker). If he did it twice in one class and both students couldn't repeat what he said the whole class would be subjected to "dictation" where we had to write everything he said verbatim. He would then select at random any students who he deemed deserved it and would ask them to repeat what he said...no way you could, he talked too fast. Beatings all around when this happened.
Anyway...outside the science rooms was a huge poster all about the Age of Sail...focusing on the Battle of Trafalgar, conditions on board the ships, punnishments dished out and accounts of various battles.
I used to read it before every science class, mostly because I was pretty scared and I felt better knowing that at least I wasn't on board a British Navy ship in those times.
