Many ships faced harrowing voyages on the high seas, but this one stood out more than others. The author of 17 books that have largely focused on maritime history, he is a talented researcher and natural storyteller. ‘The Mentor,’ he writes, ‘is not just another example of a shipwreck during the Age of Sail. Barnard convinced the remaining ten men to join him in the whaleboat, carrying supplies including clothes, gunpowder and pistols. The Wreck of the Mentor is a fascinating adventure story – one which the Age of Sail produced few quite like.