On the first morning of their voyage, Aubrey wakes up early and goes to climb the mast and observe the ship. The Sophie is sailing slowly so that the convoy of merchant ships they are protecting can keep up. As Aubrey goes to attend to his administrative tasks, the crew wakes up. Maturin, hearing the commotion of the morning, wakes up believing that there is some sort of emergency occurring. He bumps his head on a beam. Aubrey invites him to come eat breakfast and Maturin says that he slept wonderfully in his hammock and feels restored. After breakfast, Aubrey calls the crewmembers and reads the articles of war, with the sick gunner Marshall and a sailor named Isaac Wilson not present. Maturin is introduced to some other crewmembers, including the lieutenant, James Dillon. Dillon and Maturin recognize one another from their participation in the United Irishmen, a society that advocates for Irish representation in the government and equality for the Presbyterian and Catholic Irish population. Maturin pretends not to know Dillon, but both of them appear shaken by the encounter.

Maturin goes with a sailor named William Mowett to learn the parts of the ship.