No mythic journey, this tale of adventure on the high seas is completely true, told by a writer who spent World War II in warships of the Royal Navy. The story is based on the real-life adventures of George Shelvocke, commander of the 22-gun privateer Speedwell that set sail in 1718 to steal treasure from Spanish ships in the South Seas. Filled with pirates, mutinies, sea battles, violent storms, and shipwrecks on exotic islands, the fast-moving narrative...