One of the highlights of my recent book-signing tour for CONQUEST was my day with The Falmouth Bookseller - where I was serenaded by The Falmouth Shout shanty singers!

Here I am with Devon-based professional modeller Malcolm Darch and his magnificent 1:64 scale HMS Minerva. Three years in the building it was commissioned by an American collector and I was privileged to have a private view just before she left for her new home in the States.

Captain Kyd, RN Commanding officer of HMS Ark Royal standing on the ship's flightdeck with HMS Victory in the background. This fine picture was taken just before Ark Royal was decommissioned.

On a recent research visit to London I took the opportunity of visiting the Golden Hinde, a full-scale replica of Drake's famous ship. She has actually sailed 100,000 miles around the world (many more than the original!) and is now is open to the public, berthed at St Mary Overie Dock, London.

The Royal British Legion does fantastic work supporting Service men and women. I was honoured to be invited to launch the 2010/11 Poppy Appeal in Ivybridge. And this magnificent hard-tail custom motor-cycle was the raffle prize!

At One Tree Books in Hampshire, preparing for a Victory signing with store owner Tim O'Kelly, who had just won an award for Independent Bookshop of the Year

At the Cape of Good Hope on location research. This is the very tip of the African continent and here the legendary Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 rounded the cape to establish a route east to India and the Spice Islands, thereby freeing Europe for ever from Asian middlemen, followed only later by a voyage to the west by one Christopher Columbus

It’s always a pleasure to meet booksellers and here are the doughty crew of Ellison & Hawker. These are Megan, Emily and Sooz who gave me such a warm welcome in their High Street store of Hobart, Tasmania

Here I am, on deck of the very fine replica sloop Norfolk housed in the Bass & Flinders Centre in George Town which was the basis for my Suffolk in Command. She commemorates the pioneering voyage in 1798 that finally proved Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) to be an island

A highlight of my recent trip to Australia was being invited to take the helm of the brig Lady Nelson as she sailed the magnificent harbour at Hobart, Tasmania, the goal of the legendary Sydney-Hobart ocean yacht race. The original Lady Nelson played a central role in the early exploration of New Holland (Australia)

As a former Sea Cadet myself I was delighted to donate some prizes for excellence in various training courses. Petty Officer Cadet Ben Chandler of the Walton on Naze Unit receives his award from Lt Cdr Nick Moulton

Lord Nelson (aka James Cox from Waterstones, Bath) joins me for a book signing of Invasion. Bath has a number of special connections with Horatio Nelson

Japanese translator Ms Yoko Ohmori gives an illustrated talk in Yokohama about the Kydd series to The Rope, Japan’s oldest ship model club

This time a special research location on board the most famous Wooden Wall of them all – HMS Victory herself! Here with Keeper and Curator Peter Goodwin who was a petty officer in the Navy at the same time as myself

On location research in Deal, Kent, I came across this wonderful old Navy anchor from Kydd's day, recovered by “hovellers” from the treacherous Goodwin Sands, where thousands of ships met their end. Although now no longer in existence, the Navy Yard in Deal was very important during the Napoleonic Wars

Kathy and I arrived at the Appledore Book Festival in splendid style in a carriage drawn by two horses, and escorted by 18C officers and soldiers to be met with a salute from the artillery

I'm pictured at a special Ivybridge Library event to celebrate the launch of The Admiral's Daughter on October 18, 2007. I brought along with me some of my sea artefacts which are always of special interest!

Old friends from Hong Kong days Lt Cdr Howard Libauer USN and wife Darian with Kathy and myself at a naval reunion held at HMS President in London on July 1st 2007, marking the 10th anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong (where we served together) to China

Commander Richard Morris kindly invited Kathy and myself to join him and his ship's company aboard HMS Southampton for two days at sea. Here, we are on the starboard bridge wing as we heave in our anchor and set sail for Portsmouth

Kathy and I are standing in front of a magnificent portrait of the famous Admiral Saumarez hanging in Government House, Guernsey. We were honoured to be invited by Sir Fabian Malbon to view the painting during our visit to the Channel Islands on the location research for Book Nine

Imagine my surprise to be invited to sign paperbacks of Tenacious aboard the ship of the same name! She is one of the vessels of the Jubilee Sailing Trust which enables people of all physical abilities to experience the wonder of tall ship sailing

It gives me great pleasure to receive the various foreign language editions of my books as they are published, and the Japanese editions are particularly appealing (even though I don’t read Japanese!). This photo is Ms Yoko Ohmori, who translates my books for Hayakawa Publishing, and who I met in 2004 when she visited England

As I gazed out at this tranquil scene in Polperro harbour, the plot for The Admiral's Daughter began to unfold...

At sea with Polperro's Bill Cowan during Cornish location research for book eight, The Admiral's Daughter. Bill, a sprightly 80‑something, seemed to have better sea legs than me!

Newly signed on crew: able seamen kittens Chi and Ling helping with the final edit of Tenacious in 2005

During a visit to Malta on location research for Command, it was my pleasure to present a copy of Quarterdeck to British High Commissioner His Excellency Mr Vincent Fean

Standing at the magnificent entrance to the harbour at Malta with Captain Reuben Lanfranco, director of the Maritime Institute of Malta

Having fun with the children of St Mary's primary school on World Book Day in Portsmouth

A bronze cannon dating from the reign of William & Mary (1689) captured from the English on the island of Minorca, outside the military museum. I was there on location research for Tenacious

The launch of Mutiny was held at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. I am seen here with Commodore Tony Johnstone-Burt

I was delighted to be invited to give several talks aboard Cutty Sark and was ably assisted by members of the Sea Cadets

Taking time off during the 2002 Author Tour of the east coast of the United States to enjoy the seashore at Martha's Vineyard

No lover of the sea should miss a pilgrimage to Old Ironsides in Boston

On the famous New York waterfront at South St Seaport, genuine square riggers returned to their rest

Along the River Erme at the spot where Thomas Kydd comes ashore, while on a mission for Captain Dwyer of the Achilles in Mutiny

In the course of research for Mutiny I revisited the windy grey shores of Sheerness. This is the Great Nore anchorage today, where the drama of the mutiny took place

Treasured possession a beautifully crafted half-model of Artemis presented to me in Halifax, Canada by Shipmate Robert Squarebriggs. On the table in front are some of my cherished 18C sea artefacts; cable, tankard, cutlass...

A moving moment at the Trafalgar Cemetery in Gibraltar; the inscription here quotes Admiral Collingwood's famous despatch after the battle telling of victory and grief at Trafalgar

The Rock of Gibraltar is a truly awesome sight. Gib was vital to Britain's maritime success, lying as it does so strategically athwart the entrance to the Mediterranean. Nelson's great victories would have been impossible without Gibraltar

Even in Barbados, with another glorious Caribbean evening tempting, the boss makes me write up my research notes for Seaflower at the end of the day...

A uniquely preserved jewel of history –Nelson's dockyard at English Harbour is the only remaining Georgian dockyard in the world. I am here at the careening capstan

This is a picture of a television program about Sir Peter Blake's 2001 expedition to the upper reaches of the Amazon. The expedition doctor takes in a good book...

One of my most pleasurable memories of 2001 was sailing from Ireland to Liverpool aboard the Earl of Pembroke, a barque full-rigged in eighteenth century style with the distinctive single topsails of Kydd’s day

A wardroom goodbye for Kathy and myself from the Naval Control of Shipping Group in Hong Kong, prior to returning to England to live

A very proud day for Kathy and me. My appointment to the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace, presented to me by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Now I’m an officer! Lt Julian Stockwin on the starboard bridge wing as a boarding officer during the Cold War - somewhere in the South China Sea...

A grim time Out in the boats rescuing survivors from HMAS Voyager in which we’d just been in collision. I grew up a lot that night

Old ships! The fleet carrier Melbourne in which I served as a petty officer for two years in the South Seas and Vietnam. I got to know a lot more about the Far East than tourists ever get to see!

On the ran-tan in 1960s Sydney, Australia, with chum, engineer apprentice Dave Nothrop. At that stage we were both at HMAS Nirimba, now sadly no longer training men for the Royal Australian Navy. Old shipmates recently got together for a 50th anniversary of the founding

My first boat She was a little Tamar class dinghy and my pride and joy! On shore leave in Tasmania I sailed her where Bligh had been two hundred years before

Here I am, with a group of my fellow boy seamen at TS Indefatigable. Can you spot which one is me?

(click here to see if you're right...)

A young sea cadet desperately trying to be mistaken for a real sailor! We were living in Coventry, an English city a whole 100 miles inland when this picture was taken. I suppose I was about eleven

On my mother's knee, aged three months. This picture was taken in early 1944 when the country was still very much at war and my father was an officer in the army