The Cruise of the Commissioner

'Richard Woodman reminds us of the importance of merchant ships and our debts to the seafarers - men and women - who manned them.' - HRH Princess Anne Captain James St John Stanier is back, and he has a score to settle ... Once Porth Ardur's Harbour Master, the ever-ambitious Stanier has been newly elected as the Commissioner of Celtic Lighthouses. He sees his elevated position as the perfect tool for getting even with Septimus Macready, captain of the Caryatid, a man with whom he has a personal quarrel. When Macready's ship literally steam-rollers the bakery on Bishop Island, it seems that Stanier has been presented with the heaven-sent opportunity he craves. But in his quest for power and influence, Stanier's personal vendetta begins to cast a shadow over the rest of the islanders. Macready finds himself up against the higher authorities, fighting for the survival of the traditional maritime community whose livelihoods are inexorably entwined with that of the Caryatid. With old loyalties put to the test and tensions mounting, will they be able to endure the stormy seas that lie ahead? In his captivating sequel to Captain of the Caryatid, 'The Cruise of the Commissioner', Richard Woodman skilfully weaves plot and counter-plot together as a new drama unfolds amid Bishop Island's colourful community. Born in London in 1944, Richard Woodman crewed in a Tall Ships race before becoming an indentured midshipman in cargo-liners at the age of sixteen. He has sailed in a variety of ships, including weather ships, lighthouse tenders and trawlers, serving from apprentice to captain. He is the creator of Nathaniel Drinkwater and in 1978 he won The Maritime Society's Barbara Harmer Award for a work of original maritime history and is the author of seventeen novels. A member of the Society for Nautical Research and the Navy Records Society, in his spare time Richard sails an elderly gaff cutter with his wife and two children.