Like a lot of R.M. Ballantyne's books this is about the sea. The British life boat service. Many storms and life saving adventures take place and adventure abounds. (Amazon)
Robert Michael Ballantyne (24 April 1825 – 8 February 1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction who wrote more than 100 books. He was also an accomplished artist, and exhibited some of his water-colours at the Royal Scottish Academy. (Wikipedia)