My new book – COMING in 2026!
During the early 19th century, Spain was losing its grip on her American colonies, resulting in an explosion of privateering and West Indian piracy. British Royal Navy ships hunted and destroyed pirates wherever they could be found, especially along the Cuban coast. The climax of long days, weeks, and months of running down these villains was the capture of the notorious Captain Cayetano Aragonés in his piratical schooner the Zaragozana. Groundbreaking research gathered from eight nations, delves into both the history and genealogy of Cuban piracy. Accompanied by dozens of vivid images, its fast-flowing narrative follows the swashbuckling action in sunkissed waters, tense trials and somber executions.
Discovering the North-West Passage
From 1850 to 1854, the ambitious Commander Robert McClure captained the HMS Investigator on a voyage in search of the missing Franklin Expedition, which sailed from England into the Arctic in 1845 to map the last uncharted section of the North-West Passage. The Investigator and her consort the Enterprise were to pass through the Bering Strait from the west but a Pacific storm separated them, never to meet again. Obsessed with traversing the passage, McClure pressed on and HMS Investigator spent three years trapped in pack ice in Mercy Bay before the crew abandoned ship on foot.
This book chronicles the voyage in detail. McClure and his relationships with his officers are at the heart of the story of the arduous journey, vividly illustrated by the paintings of Lt. Samuel Cresswell.