Phil Noland is the captain of the Shortcut and a former navy officer. He is good friends with Mr. Benedict and a valuable ally to the Society (though he does have his occasional lapses and misdemeanors).
Appearance[]
Captain Noland is described as all-around "trim." He has a trim gray beard and neatly-trimmed hair. His posture and physique are also trim, as well as his movements - described as not quite robotic or stiff, but rather giving the impression of great efficiency. It is possible that his last name, Noland, is meant to sound like "no land" referring to the fact that Captain Noland prefers to be on a boat out at sea rather than on land.
Personality[]
In The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, Captain Noland is the embodiment of Reynie's insecurities; throughout the book Reynie feels untrustworthy and too suspicious of others, while Captain Noland seems to be displaying these traits in a more magnified way. Only someone like Reynie with an uncommonly shrewd ability to read others would notice this, but it is there nonetheless. The most obvious example of this is when Captain Noland gives Reynie a diamond, later revealed to be false but presented with jealous secrecy.
On a lighter note, Captain Noland is kind, brave, true, just, and loyal. In fact, he was willing to sacrifice himself and his precious Shortcut in order to rescue his friends from the Ten Men. These qualities are undoubtedly what granted him such high favor with Mr. Benedict.
Phil Noland is infatuated with the sea. Indeed, his affinity to water led him to leave the navy just so he could be at sea 24/7. Such an attachment to the ocean inevitably leads to an attachment to his vessel, which makes the fact that he was willing to ground her for the Society even more admirable. Part of the reason he behaves neglectfully towards the children whilst they are in board the Shortcut is because he is anxious to keep the important businessmen (or "bullfrogs") content as passengers lest they cause him to be dismissed and therefore landlocked.
History[]
Before the series[]
Captain Noland served in naval intelligence for many years together with his best friend Nicholas Benedict. Captain Noland used to joke that Mr. Benedict saved a hundred lives every morning before breakfast with his expert codebreaking - whenever an enemy transmission was intercepted, it would be brought straight to him and cracked within minutes. During this period, Mr. Benedict saved Captain Noland's life more than once - not least of which was the time when they were both taken prisoners of war and Mr. Benedict persuaded their captors to let them go free.
Captain Noland was finally given a chance to repay his life debts atop the high wall of St. George's Castle in Lisbon, Portugal. The view was so spectacular it triggered Mr. Benedict's narcolepsy; he would have fallen to his death had it not been for one simple, lucky fact: he fell backwards instead of forwards. Still, he suffered a nasty head injury and a burden on his friend's conscience (Captain Noland had been distracted by a ferry below at the time and might have caused Mr. Benedict's untimely death to be due solely to his own inattention). Thus, Phil Noland felt even more deeply indebted to Nicholas Benedict.
It was Mr. Benedict who made Captain Noland realize his love for being at sea. After promotion in the navy became unavoidable, Noland decided to leave so as not to be relocated to dry land. Afterwards he became captain of his own cargo ship: the MV Shortcut.
The Perilous Journey
Captain Noland allows the children onto the M.V. Shortcut as guests but places them under many restrictions due to Mr. Pressius and the other "bullfrogs". Despite these restrictions he says that he shall help the children once they reach Lisbon (at the castle Mr. Benedict fell off) and gives Reynie a fake diamond after Reynie saved Mr. Pressius' diamonds. However at Mr. Curtain's order Mr. Pressius demands the Captain Noland not go with the children. Nonetheless, he sends Joe "Cannonball" Shooter to help them instead but again Mr. Pressius demands Cannonball to come back which he does but leaves the children a radio(which Reynie destroys when he loses trust in Noland). Later, Milligan calls him and asks him to go to the island. Captain Noland brings the MV Shortcut. However, he stops the ship a bit before they fully reach the island due to fear of being heard or seen by Mr. Curtain or the Ten Men. He calls The Navy but they are far away and can't arrive in time. He sends Cannonball and the other sailors out on a skiff however the skiff is damaged and so cannot travel any closer to the island without being noticed they turn back but then meet Number Two and take her back to the MV Shortcut. He sends a letter to the children on Madge explaining the situation and a while later Reynie replies. Then the children make their way to the beach they arrived on but no one is there and the Ten Men corner them. At this moment Captain Noland grounds the MV Shortcut(and also destroying it) and pulls the children aboard. He offers to stay and fight, but Mr. Benedict says it is too dangerous, and he instead loads all the passengers into the vault and locks it. Mr. Pressius demands that the give the children up, but Captain Noland angrily replies that they abandon no one no matter what. Luckily, The Navy arrive in a nick of time and the Ten Men flee but leave a bomb on the security hold door. Captain Noland tries to get it and carry it away where it will only hurt him but Kate Weatherall gets it instead and throws it over the edge of the ship. At first Mr. Pressius threatens to fire Captain Noland, but Mr. Benedict finds out Mr. Pressius is a spy for Mr. Curtain, and blackmails him with this information, so Mr. Pressius rehires Captain Noland and buys him a new ship, the MV Shortcut 2. Along with Cannonball he attends the party at Mr. Benedict's house.
The Riddle Of Ages
When the Ten Men escape prison, Captain Noland evacuates The Mysterious Benedict Society and their relatives excluding Mr. Benedict from their house and transports them far away in the MV Shortcut II. He is upset and worried when Sticky, Reynie, and Constance escape the ship but he does not try and retrieve them, because he wants to get everyone else to safety. When Number Two grows worried that Sticky, Reynie, and Constance may be in trouble, Captain Noland helps her smuggle back to Stonetown in a crate of bananas.