Chapters 6 and 7 Summary

Aubrey yearns to return to sea to escape his various problems ashore. Maturin travels to Aubrey's home in England and hints that Aubrey's wish will soon be realized by a voyage to Grimsholm in the Baltic Sea. Aubrey and Maturin then discuss marriage and women at some length. Some days later Maturin meets with Blaine and accepts an invitation to travel to Grimsholm. The forces there are led by Ramon d'Ullastreti Casademon, Maturin's Catalan godfather. Blaine briefs Maturin extensively and Maturin prepares for his mission rather casually, noting that the actual meeting will call more for nimble thinking than prepared statements. Meanwhile, Aubrey is further slanderously hazed by his erstwhile lieutenant Grant who now claims that Aubrey did not sink Waakzaamheid, a Dutch ship-of-war, but simply a nondescript transport.

Soon enough Aubrey takes command of Ariel, a flush-decked, ship-rigged corvette. Ariel...