Prologue

The first time you step aboard a ship, you notice the details—the

creak of the wood beneath your feet, the way the deck tilts with

each wave, the ropes coiled neatly in their place. It feels solid,

dependable, ready to face whatever the horizon holds. But every

seasoned sailor knows that a ship's strength is not in its

appearance. It is in the unseen—the quality of its hull, the

soundness of its masts, the care that has been given to it over time.