Barbados Bound
In writing this story I wanted to explore what it might have been like for a young woman in the eighteenth century to live, work and reinvent herself aboard a ship.  Although it's a work of fiction, I have attempted to maintain historical accuracy.Eighteenth century merchantmen and British Naval ships did indeed carry women -- wives, girlfriends, passengers, prostitutes, laundresses -- even though the Admiralty had rules on the books prohibiting it.  Children too, were commonly found aboard ships.  Some were born on the passage and some went to sea at an early age for their livelihood.According to numerous sources, some women really did enlist in the navy and army in male disguise.  Several accounts tell of women who worked for months, and in some cases years, before being found out.  These imposters carried out their duties, performed bravely in battle and were only discovered to be female after being wounded in the line of duty.  (The artifice may have occurred more often than has been recorded, simply because some women may have successfully carried it off.)Thought the work was hard and not without danger, a ship provided room and board, and a chance for adventure.  In fact, it still does.