The "Governor" is John Inglis, a keen Clyde-based yachtsman, and is a humorous reference to his lack of authority on a boat. He relates the delights of sailing for pleasure around the Inner Hebrides of Scotland between the Clyde and Skye, on the West Coast. Based on four short cruises he made in the Scottish summers from 1873-1876, sailing in a bigger boat each year. Told with humour, the work describes the life and times, the beauty of the environment and the challenging waters of the West Coast in the days before diesel engines and marinas.