House by the Water

James Reiby, thirteen years old and the son of Captain Thomas Reiby, lives in his fathers 'house by the water'- the warehouse that looks out over Sydney Harbour and the tall masts of Captain Reiby's sailing ships. One day James too would like to sail around the world, but meantime Sydney Town in the early 1800s is an exciting enough place, with it's busy quaysides and steep streets crowded with redcoats, convicts and free settlers. In the end James became a sailor and sailed around the world.