Ionian Mission

The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian Jack Aubrey, now a senior Captain, returns to the Mediterranean to join the squadron blockading the French in Toulon. But blockading is a very different war from that on the high seas. Boredom and foul weather are as much a menace as the constant threat from the superior French ships. The chance sends Jack and his old friend Stephen Maturin to the Ionian coast. And the delicate diplomatic mission makes the rigours of blockade as enticing as the comforts of home...