Tales of the Sea is a semi-autobiographical novel based on my life at sea between 1957 and 1969. In its pages, the reader will meet the characters with whom I sailed, the good, the bad, the comedians and the tough guys. They will experience nights ashore and visit through my eyes exotic places to which I voyaged. Read about the different ships, old and new, as they plough across the oceans carrying the products of the world. Weaving a spell over everything is the sea and its dangers. To most seamen the sea itself calls. No seamen will ever know what moods will greet them when they sail out of port to meet the sea or how the mood can change very quickly. This is the excitement of the sea. The essence of the novel can be summed up in a poem: The Sailor's Mistress When the cargo is loaded and all falls quiet The sea itself is calling, Beckoning the sailor out there beyond the dock. His mistress is waiting Where the river meets the sea. He has no real knowledge of what her reaction will be When he sails out to meet her. She may greet him in a calm, balmy mood, Like a gentle lover entwining him in her arms, Leaving him refreshed and happy when they part. It might be that she is angry And will meet him with unmatched violence A violence that beats upon the senses And leaves the lovers drained and exhausted, Ready to rush apart, Ready to find a place of peace and quiet Not the feeling of complete satisfaction. Like all lovers, the sea and the sailor Will never quite know what moods will greet them when they meet Or how the mood can change very quickly. This is the excitement of the sea. Every time a ship leaves port, The sailor approaches that love With a mixture of exhilaration and apprehension. Will they together make beautiful love under a clear blue sky Or will they fight? It is not for the sailor to subdue the sea But to live with her moods In the hope that he can survive. The sea is calling, always calling As a lover calls.