title: Sea Change: Alone Across the Atlantic in a Wooden Boat
author:  Peter Nichols 
description: <div><b>Peter Nichols</b>, in addition to his sailing adventures, has worked in the film business as a screenwriter, propmaker, and ship-wrangler. He lives in Northern California.</div>
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  DEAD
  
  IN THE WATER
  
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  B. BASKERVILLE
  
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  Copyright © B. Baskerville 2021
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
  
  reproduced or transmitted without the written
  
  permission of the author.
  
  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to
  
  actual persons is coincidental.
  
  Cover design copyright © B. Baskerville 2021
  
  _A ship in the harbour is safe,_
  
  _but that’s not what ships were built for._
  
  _\- John A Shedd_
  
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  \- PROLOGUE -
  
  He who controls the seas controls the land.
  
  Throughout our existence, humans have settled near the mouths of rivers, as
  such a location provided access to both fresh water and abundant seafood.
  
  A village or town by the sea could boast better trade than their inland
  rivals. Transporting goods by land meant manpower, horsepower and the
  negotiation of terrains from valleys and mountains, to dense woodland and
  inhospitable deserts. But all one needed to transport goods by sea was a
  sturdy boat, a c