After a huge and unexpected windfall from a previous operation, Harry Stevens, ex-Australian SAS Major and undercover Commonwealth Police operative, has ordered a new and bigger catamaran to be built in South Africa. When it''s ready, together with a diverse and changing crew, he leaves the violence and horror of the Lord Howe Island operation far behind as they first visit peaceful Vanuatu. Then it''s off on the long voyage to South Africa to pick-up the new boat. Along the way, the perennial trouble-magnet survives encounters with an old friend, a giant crocodile, as well as sundry storms.
Harry''s South African introduction includes a close encounter with thieves, then a deadly boat hi-jacking operation, where violence strikes a bit too close for comfort.
With the new boat finally underfoot, Harry surprises the crew by making a slight detour to the south on the trip back to Oz. On an icy, remote southern island, Harry and crew have the first of several nasty encounters with a flotilla of Japanese whalers plying their foul and illegal trade in Australian waters.
But annoyance turns to puzzlement as the intensity of the encounters escalates to relentless and lethal violence. Why are the whalers so upset with Harry and crew? Could there be a hidden agenda behind their naked aggression? As the body count grows, natural and other forces are brought into play, leading one of the crew to comment, ''Next time you go on holiday, Harry, we''ll stay behind.''