Weymouth Bound

by Paul Weston

A story set in 1800. Jack Stone, a Portland smuggler’s son and apprentice on the merchant ship the Cicely, takes to the seas. The capture of the Cicely in the English Channel by the brilliant and ruthless Captain Morlaix leads to a desperate struggle, not just for Jack’s survival, but to prevent the French striking a damaging blow to the heart of the British Establishment.

This debut novel by Paul Weston takes you on an exciting historical journey from Weymouth, along the south coast, to London, Holland and France. Paul has extensive sailing experience, including a trip from New York to Lymington in a home-designed and built 26-ft boat.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Paul Weston is the author of five books - Weymouth Bound, Not by Sea, Cape Corse, Gulf of Lions and Diamon Rock. The books are set in the time of the wars against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and have lively, credible plots, with accurate historical detail and realistic accounts of ships and the sea.

Paul spent eleven years as a merchant seaman, on tankers, offshore, and on ferries. After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree, Paul worked for the Bermuda Electric Light Company and Lloyds Register Technical Investigation Department. He started Weston Antennas Ltd, designing, manufacturing and installing large satellite earth station antennas worldwide. Paul works as a mechanical engineer Yunex Traffic in Poole. A prolific inventor, he has several patents to his name.

Reviews

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Stone has a dream. He wants to be a sailor, to travel the seas in search of adventure. His father, a fisherman and smuggler, wants Jack away from the dangers of illegally trafficking goods. To that end, he arranges for Jack to apprentice for seven years with the captain and part owner of the Cicely, a merchant ship that carries cargo from one port to another.

May 1800 finds Jack learning the ins and outs of Cicely and seafaring. With the keen eyes of a youth, he often finds himself aloft as lookout. He gets on with most of the crew, but the one man to steer clear of is the mate, Dennis Vasey. Rumor has it that he frequents opium dens and he’s got a temper. His father is part owner of the ship, so the captain cannot fire him. Nor does Vasey do much even when he is aboard.

One evening, while the rest of the crew is ashore, Jack remains aboard. He’s aloft watching the stars and the area around the ship when he spies Vasey nearing the ship. His movements are furtive, as if he doesn’t wish anyone to know he’s around. Terrified of the mate after almost dying because of one of his orders, Jack remains hidden. Soon after Vasey comes onto the Cicely, he’s joined by a stranger. He’s even more scary, especially since he wears a coat of the Royal Navy and has a scarred scalp. Jack knows he should tell the captain, but he holds his tongue. Doing so turns out to be extremely dangerous, not only for the crew, but also for England. Jack is the only one who can remedy his silence to warn his homeland and the king before it’s too late.

Weymouth Bound is an alluring tale that slowly weaves its spell on the reader. Although written for adults, even young people will enjoy Jack’s ingenuity and courage as he gets far more adventure than he craves, some of which is nerve-wracking and tense. Readers who enjoy nautical tales of accidents at sea, revenue agents, privateers, and shipwrecks will enjoy this first volume in a new trilogy written by a merchant seaman.


(This review was originally published at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adult-hist...)

[John Nino · Rating 5 out of 5]

trials and tribulations

A well written book with two interestingly conceived plot lines. Character development a bit skimpy. Good action sequences. A recommended read if you follow the 19th century British Navy.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's supposed to be an adventure novel but the main character fails or loses at virtually every turn.

[Mary Pomfret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting historical naval adventure with close ties to the West Country and an author from Swanage.

[Natalie Rix · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable tale about a young man who becomes a sailors apprentice upon the ship Cicely. I bought this from a shop in Weymouth which had a local authors section. I holiday there twice a year so it was enjoyable to read a story set there. There was quite a lot of technical information woven into the drama of the story, which made it seem more realistic. The characters were vivid and it almost read like an autobiography. I could imagine that those characters and their life stories actually existed. I really enjoyed the book.

[Annette O'grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

found this book quite interesting to read