If you're going to read the entire series, invest in a book called "A
Sea of Words". It is a companion volume to the Aubrey-Maturin series
and it provides detailed and very comprehensible definitions of not
only the arcane nautical terms but many of the medical instruments and
procedures mentioned in the plots as well as some interesting
geographic factoids.

If you are reading through the series and come across a word that is
unfamiliar, (absolutely everybody will, and frequently), stop and
consult "Sea of Words".
While some of the strange words could be skimmed past without much
consideration, understanding others will be important to fully
appreciate the plot and visualize the descriptions.

As far as the remaining inquiry in your header- it's still a couple of
days until the cease fire expires on Friday morning. If you haven't
figured out "where to go" by then, get back to me, OK? :-) just
joking