Yes, I’ve started reading *that* novel and I’m quite helpless when it comes to boat lingo.
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In the film, the sailing master is portrayed by the character John Allen (“Mr Allen”). In the books, it gets a bit more complicated as Aubrey sometimes does and does not always hold both ranks.
Mr Allen is a sailing master which means he’s primarily responsible for navigation. He’s actually picked by Aubrey himself because of his sailing experience as a whaler in the Pacific.
Historically, sailing masters were warrant officers (not commissioned officers, but still an officer) and were held in high regard. They were the most knowledgeable on mathematics and navigation and were also entrusted to train and mentor midshipmen.
Aubrey was the Surprise’s commander (highest rank aboard the ship) and Allen was its sailing master. While there were two lieutenants underneath Aubrey, Allen would have also held a small command and could do things such as lead a watch, issue orders to his own seamen, lead parties, and even take command of prize ships if needed.
So if Aubrey was a tactician, Allen was a hybrid navigator/engineer. In the Age of Sail, Allen would be charged with understanding the sails and rigging because that’s how you point the ship and move it in the right direction.
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