Thanks very much for the warm welcome everyone, it’s appreciated. I look forward to participating on the forum and the Book Review thread has already got my attention (I’m currently reading the outstanding ‘Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail: The Evolution of Fighting Tactics, 1650-1815’ by Tunstall).

Once my Game Mat and new ships arrive, hopefully in the next week or so, I’ll play another game of Basic Rules (my opponent is currently my almost-10-year-old son, with twice the guns to level the playing field a bit!) before progressing to Standard Rules, if my son can manage them. We’ve booked a match between Principe de Asturias and Agamemnon (my favourite ship of the period) as next cab off the rank. I expect I’ll lose but I’ll try to do so in style!