Those who have followed my Facebook posts lately, know I’ve been up to my shins (sans rickets) researching sailing during the American Revolution. I have planned a sea-faring battle scene for my new book about the Declaration of Independence, and I frankly know less about sailing than  stowaway rats.

So, I hit Wikipedia and I freaked out at complicated diagrams of boat parts. I read books and ordered one by Alexander Kent (which Ted stole it for himself). A friend even suggested looking at video games like “East India” where you engage in battles.

I also unearthed a New York Times story from 2011, which described the unusual surprise of finding an 18th century sailing vessel below Ground Zero in Manhattan as they dug it out to begin construction. The article provided much needed details from the real deal. I gleaned the ship’s size, what it carried, and David W. Dunlap who wrote the article was kind enough to use ship terminology simplified for the average Times reader.

Research also helped me name one of my fictional ships. My British ship will be loosely based on the Swedish replica of the Götheborg, and this existing replica allowed me to find details that are more realistic. However, my ship needed to be British, and I had trouble finding a direct translation of “Götheborg.” Finally, I did a little Google map search and settled on calling it HMS Montagu. The Swedish embassy in London is on Montagu Street.

Wikimedia Commons, which contains Public Domain images, also was a great resource. I found this painting by Francis Swaine featuring an 18th century sloop. I made the desktop image on my laptop to help inspire my writing.
Wikimedia Commons, which contains Public Domain images, was also a great resource. I found this painting by Francis Swaine called “An English Sloop Becalmed near the Shore,” featuring an 18th century sloop. I made the painting the desktop image on my laptop to help inspire my writing.

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