“Feather all engines!”
Water splashed against the front window with a bang, causing most of the crew to wet themselves, I am sure. But it was a splash from a breaking wave at least six, maybe ten feet below us. The helmswoman had done a near perfect job. We were gliding in our pool of smoke just feet above the waves.
I went over to the girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek. It was the best acknowledgement of her skill I could manage. She burst into tears and started shaking so much Captain North had to take the helm from her. It was most un-piratelike and normally I would not have approved. But she had just earned the reputation of being the best aviator in the fleet and I did not have time to waste...