Pirate's Passage

Off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1952, fierce winds force a small boat into port. The boat's pilot, the eccentric Captain Charles Johnson, takes up residence at the small inn run by Jim and his mother. With each day, the captain's presence becomes more valuable to the family as they struggle to keep the inn open for business—and his background becomes more mysterious as Jim discovers how much he knows about the lives and battles of the old-time pirates.

Who is this man whose compelling stories bring to life in such detail the day-to-day experience of sailing on a pirate ship? And how can he possibly know so much about how it feels to grow up among the Vikings; about how Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth plotted their victories; about the loves of Grace O'Malley, the pirate queen of Ireland?

Award-winning author William Gilkerson is a sailor, painter, journalist, historian, and adventurer. He is the author of the novel Ultimate Voyage, as well as ten nonfiction books on nautical topics, and his paintings are internationally acknowledged to be among the finest contemporary maritime art. He lives with his family on the shores of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, where he sails his ancient cutter, Elly.