After signing the contract, I was given a manifest of the ship, a complete set of drawings, and a small library of technical data for brushing up as well as familiarizing myself with the Shaller system theory and everything else that had rendered me somewhat obsolete during my retirement.
I came aboard ship three days before departure, still not having met any of the crew, let alone Kingsford. I was greeted by a junior Officer of the Day.
"Rogers," I said. "Philip Rogers. I'm the new Exec."
"I'm Williams," he said. "Welcome aboard the Algonquin, sir."
"This is quite a ship. A bit more than I'm familiar with."
"She's a bit more than most of us are familiar with," Williams said. "Isn't she a beauty?"
"I hope she shakes down without too many kicks."
"Yes, sir. Captain Kingsford is expecting you."
"Is he aboard?" I asked.