My gratitude goes out to the members of the Early Scottish Maritime Exchange (ESME) whose unstinting help so enriched this work. I am particularly obliged in this instance to Tom Barclay, David Dobson, Michael Dun and Sue Mowat.
Sue requires a special mention as her meticulous cataloguing of the records of the High Court of Admiralty of Scotland – undertaken without pay and little official recognition – has done so much to open up this neglected field in Scottish history.
My heartfelt thanks go to my wife, Jan, who has willingly forgone six months of my regular earnings to make this happen and given of her precious days’ leave to read and comment on this book. For this, and everything else, I love her dearly.
Finally, I must thank Birlinn Limited for their faith in the concept.