Henry Harvey had a successful in his role from 1768 to 1771, and on 1773 he was offered a position on Phipps's ship HMS Racehorse (an 18-gun ship-rigged sloop of the Royal Navy).
In 1773 an opportunity for adventurous service arrived with the offer of a position on Phipps's ship HMS Racehorse in which Harvey's friend was planning to explore the North Pole. His success in the role was such that in 1768 Harvey was given the revenue cutter HMS Swift on similar duties in the English Channel, a role he continued in until 1771 when he was placed in reserve on half-pay. HMS Racehorse was an 18-gun ship-rigged (i.e. three-masted) sloop of the Royal Navy, later refitted as a survey vessel. 
