The author wrote this book in honor of her mother who was passionate about genealogy. When the internet made it possible to research 17th century documents in England, Anne found a birth record with her ancestor's name and followed his activities for almost 50 years. During that time, England's citizenry faced wars on land and at sea, unreasonably high taxes, and severe punishment without justification or trial. Anne's ancestor realized his dream to sail on the big ships, where they were able to defend themselves against manmade and natural dangers. He was promoted to Captain. Ships powered by sails and oars provided transportation to other continents, carried supplies and prinsoners to British territories, and battled enemies and severe storms on the seas. It was the author's challenge to give the characters some joy in life when on home shores. Born to Sail the Seas is a book of fiction based on records from the 17th century.