On a global nautical voyage that takes him from Africa to the Far East, and from India to Greece, a young navigating apprentice finds his sea legs and tries in vain to keep out of trouble; heli-skiing in Canada, taking on pirates in Nigeria and disguising himself as a nurse in Durban.

Gritty and hilarious, these true confessions of adventures on board the merchant ship Global Princess - in the bad old days before regulations made everything shipshape and orderly - are a riot and a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamt of running away to sea.