Brian Lavery is Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. He is the author of more than thirty books on ships and seafaring, including Ship: 500 Years of Maritime Adventure. A highly respected maritime historian, he has appeared on television programmes such as Time Team and Timewatch and has acted as consultant on many documentaries, including the BBC's Empire of the Seas.He was consultant on the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and advised on the replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour. A skilled yachtsman, he has considerable experience with traditional ships.