ricky

Fascinating! The more I learn the more I'm getting into it. I have fallen in love with the knowledge of the period and the lifestyles. I can't wait to find out more about Winkler and his cadre. It really IS a microcosm of society afloat in a dangerous world. Thank you for sharing your gift of knowledge on this wonderful subject.

Hi PatrickG248! Be welcome!

Loved both of the last two chapters. Glad the hag is going to be deposited soon though. They need another good battle to get us back in the mood of shipboard life.

Welcome Rockette and Dampies! A great place to read and to meet people. Be Welcome!

Sorry David. This one seems like you're giving absolution to a pedophile. In my opinion, there is none and if there were, it's not yours to give. I'll be avoiding this portion of your series.

Hi Kaleidoscope and Northerner. Be welcome!

Welcome rainbow_Yeti! A great place to be happy. You deserve to be happy but you may have to work at it a little. So kick back and be happy. Enjoy. And if you're looking for some hormone burning reading material try my Roll Call. Enjoy!

Be welcome Oh great Monolithic One! (But beware the man behind the black curtain!)

Be Welcome Starblind! This is a great place to get happy. You deserve to be happy. But you may have to work at it a bit. ;-)

Ok, looks like we're doing it by the numbers today. Welcome Tony123 and zzz4334 you've landed in the land of great writing. Most of it hot, some of it not. So be a good couple of 12's and get 10-6 at this location for a bit. And if ya need a little help in the 10-200 department you're outta luck cuz this is virtual. lol Be happy and be welcome. Hugs r

Oh just twist the knife why don't ya. I can't help that I/we live across the great muddy pond. You're going to have to do the deed for us now that you've mentioned it. Better get a larger SD card for that camera. And we'll want to see those replica midshipmen and lieutenants too. And while you're at it we'd like to see some of your seamen. Wait, that didn't come out right. Or maybe it did.

Well done David. All neatly woven together. I hope we will hear much more from this world. You have such a gift. Thanks!

Welcome Rex! And Cheers!

A brilliant Battle. I like it better when Granger is getting into the mix. And it's nice that he got richer without firing a single shot himself. Speaking of which, I have a question that I am sure one of our experts can enlighten me on. At the end of a battle, they are sitting with a butt load of loaded cannons when the command to cease fire arrives. Since these cannon are not breached then how do they empty the round? It can't sit there because of many reasons. The powder may get wet for one and the powder is very corrosive for another. So how do they dislodge the contents? Now back to the story. One thing that puzzled me. In the letter to Caroline, he asked that half the prize money be set aside for his personal use. I found that quite odd. I mean it's not likely she would rush to invest it and even if she did, surely assets could be liquidated for cash to sate his desires. So I had to wonder if that was a snub to Caroline. Or even a vague threat. I could see no other reason for it. Any thoughts? Well done Mark. This is a beautiful example of why I tell people you are the best author I have ever read and why it shines so brightly as the truth.

I always love your battles Mark. You seem able to place me squarely on the deck in my minds eye. I was a bit saddened by the fact that the Valliant didn't get off a shot. I much prefer it when Granger is able to show his cunning by anticipating his opponents intentions and waging it against hie knowledge of the seas, his ship and the wind. Now if he could just rid himself of this woman who reminds me why I'm gay! (heehee, well one reason anyways.) I am amazed that Lord Elgin has not paid a seaman to accidentally bump her overboard. And I'm equally amazed that Granger hasn't offered to do it himself. Such restraint! A credit to your writing abilities that almost every review mentions how much Lady Elgin is loved. Or not.

Ya but you'll have to admit, that was almost as good.

Well done. That was hot. And Dad, gotta get over this crap. He can't bar them from seeing each other. Better to go with the flow then to fight the current. Mom got that. But her idea for a one time thing in the cabin, although wonderful and memorable will not solve the issue. Unless the cabin is really close anyways. But sending the boys there for the summer might help. Stealing the Rotor out of the distributor was the common way to quickly disable a car. But now, most cars don't even have a distributor! Loved the chapter. But we still need resolution regarding CJ and his dad. Thanks!

ok, this is hard. David, usually there is some serious substance to your stories but I feel lik we've been left in the middle of a story. They achieved an objective but did not see anything through to completion. There simply was no bigger picture. And thus there was really no story here, just a lot of encounters. Some nice, some no so much. And by the end notes it seemed like a treatise aimed at showing how well read you were in Sun Tzsu. Who may have been a great stratatition or may have been a complete failure. I don't know except to say he is long dead and I am not. I would have liked to have seen some acknowledgement of accomplishment or some reward rather than just ending in the middle of I'm still not sure, a skirmish? A battle? I confess i just don't see the core value of this piece. Sorry but I'm used to much more from you as you are incredible as a writer. This just seems like you tired of it and threw it up here and said, "That's it, I'm done." Hugs, Sorry, r

Welcome Zaf89! You're correct, this is a site to be loved. Enjoy!

I almost stopped reading this. But I know you as a writer and that just deserts would ensue. But . . .this was not one of the more enjoyable ones.

The plot thickens. The mistral may never be able to sit a horse but what about a dragon? Hmmm, I think like a writer and a detective. Everything is a puzzle. A great chapter David. But I worry over the disharmony in Phillip. Will it be sorted when they get there and Argon does not "wish" to return home? Hmmm, more questions. He's already hinted at it. A great story and of course, told like a rune seeker.

SPEAKING of losing ones marbles . . . I can't wait to see what miseries await Lord Granger as he delivers the Elgins to their much too distant new home.

Wow. Queen of manipulation. Almost worthy of Davina! And for her to deal with it as she has once confronted . . . wow, I'm speechless. So glad that Freddie showed up to make amends. I think Granger's assertions to the gov's of the kids was not a good move. It shows discord between Caroline and George. This is going to get ugly. It already is. I wonder how long before George feels William will be better off with his father the Duke! And Davida and Co have not been heard from in some time. I wonder what George's return will be like.

An interesting open. I wonder what else they'll find down there. 0.o I can't wait to find out. :-)

Another fantastic chapter. I love this story. And it's growing in leaps and bounds. This chapter was bittersweet.