<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T H E B O S U N ' S C H R O N I C L E All the latest news/views for fans of Julian Stockwin ++ always sent in plain text: guarantees no virus/malware on your computer ++ <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> April, 2010 This month there's a fascinating look behind the scenes at the making of the audiobooks of the Kydd series, an inspirational youth sail training programme in Canada, a new book on the fascinating artefacts from HMS "Invincible" - and we've some superb prizes on offer... 1 DISPATCHES 2 THE SPOKEN WORD 3 BATTLE OF THE SAINTES 4 A CALLING ON THE WAVES 5 CONTESTS 6 SHIPMATES, AHOY! 7 ASK JULIAN 8 MARITIME PARADOX 9 BOOKSHELF ==================== 1 DISPATCHES + Paperback out next month! The paperback of INVASION, the tenth book in the Kydd series, is published by Hodder in the UK next month. ISBN 978 0 340 961117 9. McBooks Press will follow in the US in October. + Sharpen those quills! We've added a new page to the website - Readers' Letters. Please send submissions to Julian@JulianStockwin.com or via snail mail to PO Box 76, Ivybridge, Devon, PL210XH, UK, marking them "Readers' Letters"; we'll publish a selection each month. And we'd also love to have more items for the Shipmates Ships and Shipmates Album pages. + "Mighty Mo" back on Battleship Row After a US$18 million refit, USS "Missouri", the veteran warship turned floating naval museum, recently returned to "Battleship Row" at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base, next to the USS Arizona Memorial. + Collector's Set bonus for early payment Just a few days to go for a chance to win a Stockwin goodie bag. All payees for the Collector's Set of VICTORY before midnight GMT March 31 will go into the hat... ==================== 2 THE SPOKEN WORD Christian Rodska is now somewhat of a veteran of Kydd audiobook readings, having all ten titles to his credit so far. When we interviewed Christian for the July 2004 issue of the Chronicle he summed up the continuing appeal of the audiobook: "There's little to beat a good story, well told. Something about the simplicity and intimacy of having a piece directed solely at you, the individual, makes it quite special." We got in touch with Christian again recently; he'd just returned from Paris playing Winston Churchill in a film for France 2 and was busy recording "The Storm of War" by Andrew Roberts in London. We did manage, however, to get in a quick question and ask what his favourite Kydd recording has been and he told us that it was TREACHERY. "What happens to Kydd is so unexpected, forcing him to deal with a whole new set of circumstances that take the listener on a different journey, including that of privateering." Christian also added that while of course the hero of the series is Kydd, he was intrigued by Renzi, and looked forward to seeing more of him. Then it was on to Kiran Katia, commissioning editor, Chivers audiobooks - for a fascinating account of just what goes on behind the scenes... "First the text is timed to see how long it will take to record in studio. This is done by reading aloud some sample pages and then averaging it out across the whole book to see what the approximate eventual running time would be. This is then multiplied by two to get the actual number of studio hours required to record it, and divided into 6-hour days. So, for example, a book with a running time of 10 hours would take 20 hours in studio, and therefore approximately 3? days to record. This allows time for fluffs, re-takes, discussions about characterisation, intonation etc., and also for food, water, coffee and air breaks during the recording - to preserve the sanity and health of reader and producer. Then the studio administrator approaches the reader and looks at availability of dates, and the recording is booked in. At that point a producer is allocated; we try as far as possible to put together a reader and producer who are likely to work well as a team as they are going to spend several days closeted together! The text (either a book, or a blown-up A3 photocopy) is sent to both reader and producer, who do advance preparation of the text. The reader will look at characterisation and how he will perform the different characters; research and practice any regional or foreign accents required; differentiate voices (so that you can tell who is who in a complicated scene). The producer will be looking out for foreign or unusual words where pronunciation should be checked, and will check for any inconsistencies in the text. The reader will also look at pronunciations. Some readers colour-code different characters but others don't like reading from a messy text so will just make a note in the margin on pages where the characters' names aren't prominent. Sometimes reader and producer will discuss any tricky points over the phone, and then the day comes when they arrive in the studios, both equipped with an identical text. The recording booth has two compartments - the producer is in the outer one with the recording equipment and controls. There's a heavy door to the corridor which blocks out sound from outside. The reader sits in an inner booth, behind a further two doors! There is a glass window between them so they can see each other (though there is a blind that can be drawn if the reader prefers). Reader and producer can communicate with each other through a speaker system. The reader has the recording mike on a table in front of him, a stand for the text, a comfy chair to sit on, and a glass of water. The sound engineer will set the levels at the start of the recording, then leave them to it. We run a 'self-op' studio; the producer runs the recording equipment, which records everything onto a large, removable hard drive, creates files and folders for the different chapters, marks up re-takes etc. At the same time, he annotates the text with take numbers, re-takes, noises (such as tummy rumbles, page turns etc.). There shouldn't be any page turn noises audible on the final edit, as most readers take care not to turn a page while reading. Either they stop on the last word, turn the page, and start again. Or, preferably, they will have written the last few words from the next page at the bottom of the previous one. This means they can get to the end of the sentence and THEN turn the page before resuming. The page turn can later be edited out. (It's a rare person who can do silent page turns!) At the end, the producer will ask the reader to do any 'pick-ups' - things that weren't quite right first time round, perhaps a name that has been pronounced inconsistently in different places, record the title, author and reader's name, and any other bits and pieces. The hard disk is now passed over to the Post-Production department where the entire soundtrack undergoes detailed editing. The producer's marked up text is used to navigate through this and all the extra takes, mis-takes, extraneous noises, and bits of conversation between producer and reader are edited out. This is the first edit, which is then listened to throughout by an experienced proof-listener. He is looking for things that may have been missed - noises or extra takes that have been left in, or bits of text that may have been edited out by mistake (which can happen if two consecutive lines or paragraphs begin in the same way). He's also listening for changes in volume, missing chapter headings, speech read in the wrong character's voice, coughs, stumbles etc. As he is following along with an identical copy of the text, he will also flag places where the recording seems to differ from the printed text. Sometimes it doesn't matter too much (for example if 'can't' is read for 'cannot' - the sense is the same and it often sounds more natural); other times it is crucial, such as, if 'I did not see him do that murder' is rendered as 'I did see him do that murder' - the missing 'not' makes a big difference! Then the proof-listener's comments go back to the studio. Anything that can be fixed, is attended to (a missing 'not' can often be copied from elsewhere in the recording, or maybe another take of the same line). If it can't be fixed from existing material, then re-takes may be needed. This stage is 'fine editing' and if all is finally well, the recording is mastered. We have different versions for cassette, CD, and digital and these are then sent off to the duplicators, or to the download retail sites. Meanwhile, we've been working on the packaging. Usually we use the book publisher's artwork as this means that customers recognise it's the same book in audio format. We also do a blurb and a short biographical note on the reader. The printed sleeves meet up with the cassettes and CDs at the duplicators, who then put everything together and deliver them to our warehouse in Bath. --- All the Kydd audiobooks available to date can be purchased through the Audio Book Collection on +44 (0) 1225 443400 (UK office hours). Email inquiries to info@audiobookcollection.com. INVASION is out this month on cassette and in May on CD. For a chance to win a copy see CONTESTS. ==================== 3 THE BATTLE OF THE SAINTES Although no American ships were involved, this battle was to prove pivotal in Britain's recognition of American independence. Fought from 9 April to 12 April, 1782, off Dominica in the West indies, the battle was named for the Saintes, a group of islands between Guadeloupe and Dominica. Admiral Sir George Bridges Rodney achieved a decisive victory against the French commander Comte Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse. British losses were 243 killed and 816 wounded. Estimated French losses were in the region of 8000. During the battle British ships passed through a gap in the French line, engaging the enemy from leeward - in effect "breaking the line" but there is some controversy whether this was an intentional tactic, or whether merely the taking advantage of a shift in the wind breaking the enemy line. Rodney met with acclamation on his return to England. He was created a peer and given a ?2000 a year pension. Charles Fox moved a vote of thanks in the Commons in May 1782 for "the most brilliant victory that this country has seen this century." The battle decisively frustrated French and Spanish hopes of capturing Jamaica from the British. With Jamaica safe, the way was open for reconquest of the other British West Indian possessions, and in England, with the mood of the British public high, there was little outcry when American independence was recognised. A magnificent statue was erected in Jamaica, in Kingston's Spanish Town Square, by the grateful government. Rodney is in classical pose, dressed in a Roman robe. Julian and Kathy viewed the monument while in the Caribbean on location research for SEAFLOWER. ==================== 4 LIAM AND HIS SHIP Julian recently received an email from 18-year-old Liam Fraser: "I just wanted to write to let you know how much I enjoyed your Kydd books. I'm a sailor myself, as an officer on board the TS 'Playfair', a 72-foot youth sail training brigantine out of Toronto. These days it seems that if I'm not down working on the ship, I'm reading about them... I find that of all the naval fiction I've read, your books are the best page-turners... I've also got a copy of your Maritime Miscellany and I love all the little facts and bits of nautical history." TS 'Playfair' is one of the two ships of Toronto Brigantine Inc., a non-profit sail training program that takes youngsters between 13 and 18 out on the Great Lakes to give them a traditional sailing experience. It started in 1964 and has introduced some 18,000 men and women from all over the world to the unforgettable experience of tall ship sailing. We got in touch with Liam to ask him more... "I signed on as a trainee for two weeks in the summer of 2007. They were two of the most exhilarating weeks of my life and I was instantly hooked. I came back for the winter program the following year, accumulated 350 hours and made the step to Petty Officer. This winter I was promoted to Junior Watch Officer on TS 'Playfair'. Playfair has a compliment of 29; a captain, an executive officer, three watch officers, a cook, a bosun, four petty officers and 18 trainees. As a brigantine our standard press is a jib, large course and tops'l on our foremast, a main stays'l, and a large gaff rigged main. A fun thing to do on a day with little wind is to try to rig as many new sails as we can. Some of the more popular ones include a water-catcher under the main, a sprits'l or jimmy green up forward, and even a square main tops'l. When I'm not working on 'Playfair' I take a great interest in history, naval in particular, and enjoy snowboarding. I hope to take a Marine Navigation Course at Georgian College. With this I'll be able to go anywhere I want in the world of boats, whether on a freighter, a tug or a tall ship. Toronto Brigantine make me realize my calling on the waves, changing my life forever." --- We'll have more features on youth sail training ships in future issues of the Chronicle. Do get in touch if you'd like to nominate one. ==================== 5 CONTESTS Some splendid prizes this month... + The VICTORY Tote In the run-up to the publication of VICTORY in June we've got two special prize bundles on offer this month and next - an exclusive Bound Proof Copy of VICTORY (which means you get to read the book before it hits the shops), "The Authentic Nelson", a superbly illustrated book that tells the great hero's story through his personal effects and a pack of Trafalgar notelets - all in a handy Julian Stockwin tote. To enter the contest, email the Bosun with the name that Nelson was called as a young boy. Deadline for this month's prize: April 25. There'll be another opportunity to enter next month! + A Kydd Collection Limited Edition Print! For a chance to win the magnificent print of the crack frigate HMS "Artemis" in the Great Southern Ocean, painted by Geoff Hunt PPRSMA and published by Art Marine, email Bosun@Julianstockwin.com with the answer to this question: "What is the image size of the print?" If you win, if you prefer, you may choose any other signed and numbered print on paper in The Kydd Collection - or one of The Hornblower series, Geoff's new offerings celebrating Forester's hero, Horatio Hornblower. Deadline: April 25th - first correct entry drawn wins. Please include your full postal address and the name of the print you would like to win. + Audiobook To go into the hat for an unabridged audiobook of INVASION, read by Christian Rodska, email the Bosun with your full postal address and "Audiobook" in the subject line. We have two on offer! Congratulations to Daz Ryan, winner of last month's prize. ==================== 6 SHIPMATES AHOY Meet Carolyn, Bob and Brad... Carolyn Johnson, who lives in Oregon, was fascinated to find she had an ancestor in the British Merchant Marine who'd died at sea, and like poor old Buddles in KYDD, his possessions were auctioned to the crew to raise a few coins to give to his widow. William Vinnicombe Jarman was a cook aboard "Ann McLester"; he drowned at sea in 1855 en route to Quebec. His effects included a pair of pantaloons, a new pair of shoes, a shirt and a neckerchief, and these raised the grand sum of one pound four shillings and eight pence. Another of Carolyn's ancestors, by the name of Beer, lived in Stonehouse, where of course Kydd and Renzi leased a half-mansion in THE ADMIRAL'S DAUGHTER. --- Bob Wilson loves to listen to audiobooks of the Kydd series while working on his ship models. Bob can boast over 30 years at sea, and served in 19 ships ranging from colliers to passenger liners. In 1984, his ship "St Helena" suffered a bad engine-room fire and he sent the last SOS message in morse code from a British passenger liner ("Titanic" sent the first in 1912). She was his favourite ship and Bob has written about his time in her, and her successor of the same name, in the book "RMS St Helena and the Atlantic Islands". It is currently out of print but you can often find copies available via second hand booksellers. Meantime, take a look at his wonderful models... www.miniatureships.blogspot.com --- Brad Krones is a former US Senate staffer and professional campaign operative, now in the insurance business in Florida. He also was involved in marketing cable television for a time. With a MA in history, Brad has enjoyed Napoleonic "sea-dog epics" for many years. He just finished INVASION: "Excellent, as always. The only downside was that having reached the last page, there were none following. I can barely wait for VICTORY. It goes without saying that Trafalgar is the event that we have all been waiting for these past several years, although the getting to has been a treat." ==================== 7 ASK JULIAN K Evans wanted to know: "Can you tell me where I might see some of the scale models of the great sailing ships of the British Navy that were built before acceptance of a contract for construction?" Julian replies: "The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich has one of the finest ship model collections in the world with around 3200 in number. The Museum collection contains all types of models from ethnographic, Navy Board and half-block models to builder's, design, waterline and full hull models. Navy Board Models (sometimes called Dockyard or Admiralty Models) were produced from 1655-1715. These are considered by many to be the ultimate expression of the model shipwright's craft. These models always had exposed stylised framing beneath the lower wale and much of the deck planking was omitted. There are fine exhibits in other countries, too, including the Henry Huddleston Rogers Collections at the United States Naval Academy Museum. For those wishing to find a book to explore these fascinating models further, Brian Lavery's 'Ship Models, Their Purpose and Development from 1650 to the Present' is highly recommended." =================== 8 MARITIME PARADOX There are around 80,000 vessels in today's maritime marine, which account for an estimated 3 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide (aviation contributes about 2 percent). Shipping however delivers over 90 percent of the world's trade. In July this year the world's shipping lines will begin to apply sulphur-emission-cutting measures that will save tens of thousands of lives a year from lung and heart disease. Yet this will bring an environmental paradox - sulphur dioxide has a cooling effect. The net effect of the warming (from CO2) and cooling influences (from SO2) of shipping currently neutralises seven percent of human-produced global warming. Various ingenious schemes are being investigated to lower carbon dioxide emissions. One plan involves cutting big holes through the bottom of cargo ships and tankers, through which compressed air can be shot. The airflow creates a buffer of bubbles, reduces drag and can cut fuel consumption by 10 percent. Some schemes propose aerodynamic paint and rubberised propellors. Other new technologies such as giant kites fitted to the bow of a ship might also offer ways to a greener future. With the right conditions one Hamburg-based company maintains they can reduce annual fuel use by 10-35 percent. Or it might be as simple as putting on the brakes a bit. Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, found that by cutting speed it had cut fuel use, and hence carbon emissions, by 30 percent. Who knows, we may one day see the glorious sight of tallships once again carrying cargo around the world, powered by just the wind and water... =================== 9 BOOKSHELF "The First Invincible" by John M Bingeman Oxbow Books. ISBN 978 1 84217 393 0 Among Julian's most treasured possessions are several artefacts from HMS "Invincible", sunk off Portsmouth in 1758, en route to Canada. The ship was re-discovered in 1979 by a local fisherman, Arthur Mack. He, and John Broomhead, an old friend and amateur diver, conceived of an ambitious project - to survey and excavate the ship. They were joined by Commander John Bingemann, a serving naval officer, and others. Excavations continued until 1991. In 1988, the eminent naval historian Brian Lavery wrote a fascinating account of the discovery of the wreck, highlighting the rich historical and maritime significance of the find in "The Royal Navy's First Invincible". Now, John Bingemann continues the story with "The First Invincible, 1747-1758. Her Excavations, 1980-1991". John has been associated with the project since the ship's discovery and remains the wreck's Licensee. The book is a truly a labour of love and contains a wealth of information about the actual artefacts and the challenges of the excavation. Among the hundreds of fascinating finds documented and described are "writing kits", whole miniature barrels, that would have contained sand (for blotting) and black dry powder or powder cake (for making up into ink). As well as being illustrated with hundreds of photograph and line drawings, the book is accompanied by a data base on CD-ROM, compiled by John Broomhead, which contains the complete scheduled list of the recovered artefacts. Bingeman also sheds light on French shipbuilding in the eighteenth century ("Invincible" so impressed Their Lordships of the Admiralty when she was surveyed on capture from the French that she became the prototype for a whole new class of British warships). Chatham Dockyard and other museums have displays of "Invincible" artefacts and research on the finds is ongoing. A limited number of surplus duplicate artefacts not required by Chatham are available from John Broomhead. === Coming next month: It's the VICTORY issue! All about Julian's much-anticipated eleventh book in the Thomas Kydd series. Yours aye, THE BOSUN ++ Download back issues from the WebSite ++