Sail Ho!

I love this series, but I was disappointed to note the silly error common in all those 1940s seafaring yarns being repeated -

The lookout at the masthead calls "Sail ho!". Everyone looks over the rail and sees the approaching ship right there, almost within pistol shot.

That lookout man should be flogged for neglect of duty. The idea of having your lookout at the masthead was that at that elevation he could see further over the horizon. The ship he spots should be a mere speck on the skyline, just her topmasts appearing on the rise. Obviously there would then be a long wait before the two ships were close enough for action, but this can be dealt with by good editing.

The same applies to sighting land.