He also points towards the board and looks in the direction of his fellow sailor. Counters from the game are arranged on the chest. The artist has also included a variety of still-life detail to inform the scene. There are boots hanging up with lamps, jackets and ropes to the right. In the foreground the keys hang in the lock of an open locker. A bowl sits on the top with coils of rope and, above, a companionway ladder leads up to the deck. On the floor of the fo'c'sle an open bottle, a jug with an open lid and gloves have been arranged, with a hatch opening ring on the left to indicate access to space below.

The atmospheric painting is bathed with light from the open hatch on the right, which both highlights details of the men and acts as a contrast with the darkness suggested on the left. The artist, who exhibited this painting at the British Institution in 1831, was born and died in Berwick-on-Tweed. He began life as a house decorator but began to paint coastal and landscape subjects in his spare time. He first exhibited at Edinburgh in 1815 and later in the major London exhibitions. In 1828 he became an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy but exhibited little after 1834 though he continued to paint.