This story of a childhood in Wales and a boyhood on the arduous sail-in-trade of northern Europe before World War II is a nostalgic reminiscence of a lost world. It is a story of life in a Welsh countryside still steeped in the 19th century, of a time when shanty-singing sailors fought the weather to deliver bricks, coal, and even animals around the world, and of a young boy who wanted to experience it all. Peopled with characters ranging from the author's mentor, Goodness Gracious Jenkins, to an ageless sea captain, Tansy Lee, this evocation of a coming of age is filled with the sights, sounds and smells of the sea. It include descriptions of the old sailing ships, their crews and the work they did.