Sailing Digitally

In some ways like the internet itself, it's not hard to find podcasts on just about every subject imaginable. It can be harder to find ones actually worth listening too, though, which can aid or increase the listener's understanding or appreciation of a subject.

For fans of the Aubrey-Maturin series written by Patrick O'Brian, The Lubber's Hole has quickly become just such a useful and enjoyable podcast (the title refers to the way non-sailors reach the tops of a ships masts, a route that is safer but sometimes looked down upon by "real seamen"). Casters Michael Shank and Ian Bradley are two aficionados of the series who decided to go through the books in a mostly non-spoiler manner, discussing what they've read and the impressions they formed while doing so. While the discussion is certainly thoughtful and tries to take literary ideas seriously, it doesn't approach the books at the level of an academic literary exercise -- and, considering a lot of the way modern academia handles literature, is probably the better for it.

Both men are clearly enthusiastic fans of the series but seem willing to point out features that are not as appealing or what they consider to be flaws in the novels. The podcast is currently working through HMS Surprise, the third book of what Aubrey-Maturin fans call "the canon," and has recently branched out by offering interviews with people who have some expertise that could prove interesting to readers. The novels are set in the early 19th century and concern Royal Navy captain Jack Aubrey and his "particular friend," surgeon Stephen Maturin. So in one episode Shank and Bradley interview Karen Millyard, a professional dance teacher and choreographer who's carefully studied the kinds of parties and dances the characters attend in one of the novels. In another they interview Tom Horn, an Australian software developer who spent several years mapping the events of the novels and the voyages they describe using Google Maps. In still another they talk about one of the books with a friend who has just encountered them to get his perspective.

Since the episodes are mostly spoiler-free, there are some of the novels' weightier aspects that get left aside, and there's always the danger that the project could become more work than fun if it expands too much and leaves Bradley and Shank less enthusiastic about finishing it. Those are really more minor considerations, though, and fans of the books should find themselves well-served by spending a little time entering the world of the Napoleonic Royal Navy through The Lubber's Hole.