年輕的阿瑟·戴維斯是個航海愛好者,他熱情勇敢、技術(shù)嫻熟,喜歡駕著他的“達爾茜貝拉”號游艇穿梭于這片復(fù)雜、危險的海域。戴維斯邀請他的朋友卡拉瑟斯從倫敦趕來,二人一起出海度假,可在船上待了幾天之后,卡拉瑟斯才弄清此行的真正目的??磥?,他們是要去解開一個謎,還要解開一個名叫多爾曼的男人身上的疑團。兩個好朋友開始了調(diào)查——與此同時,他們也引來了一位德國炮艇艇長的密切關(guān)注。
故事發(fā)生在1902年,因此這段海岸的危險之處不僅僅在于沙洲。第一次世界大戰(zhàn)的陰云不斷匯聚,年復(fù)一年,慢慢地愈來愈暗……
The Frisian Islands lie along the North Sea coast of Holland and Germany, and sailing around these islands can be dangerous, especially in bad weather, because of the sandbanks that lie hidden beneath the shallow waters at high tide. The channels between the sandbanks are narrow and easy to miss, and the sandbanks themselves change with the wind and the tides.
Arthur Davies is young, enthusiastic, and a brave and skilful sailor, who takes great delight in sailing his yacht Dulcibella through these difficult and dangerous waters. He asks his friend Carruthers to come out from London and join him for a sailing holiday, but his reasons for doing this only become clear to Carruthers after several days on board. It seems there is a riddle to solve, and a little mystery about a man called Dollmann. The two friends begin to investigate – and the commander of a German gunboat begins to take a close interest in them.
For the year is 1902, and sandbanks are not the only danger on this coast. The gathering storm-clouds of the First World War are slowly growing darker, year by year...