This is a personal account of the author's life up to the age of 24. He was born in 1936 and in 1953 joined the Vindicatrix, which had been fitted out as a National Sea Training School for boys who wanted to join the Merchant Navy. He relates his adventures on various cargo liners and tramp ships. At the age of 20 Furness joined the RAF and was posted to Aden. The book has a few black and white photographs of the author, colleagues and family.