Book
Ebb Tide
First published 1998
In 1843 Nathaniel Drinkwater is drawn from retirement for a final voyage aboard the paddle-steamer *Vestal*, which is inspecting lighthouses along the west coast of England. The task appears modest beside the wars that shaped his naval career, but a tragic incident forces him to confront responsibilities and memories he believed were settled.
The quieter mission reflects a maritime world changing through steam power, new navigation and peacetime administration. Without an enemy fleet to define his duty, Drinkwater must measure his life against the consequences of earlier choices. The conclusion treats retirement not as an escape from the sea but as a final reckoning with the career it gave him.
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