The Captain's Log

Cruise ships are often compared to floating cities because one day a ship can be moored in Manhattan and be in the South China Sea a few weeks later. The general public comes on board as passengers, stays a week or two and leaves again. These short relationships don’t allow for much “insider” knowledge to be passed on. Officers and crew often are regarded as specimens from another world, and it’s true that those who have chosen to spend a big part of their lives at sea are a bit different. But behind all the glitz and glamour of the cruise ships, they’re just everyday human beings.

This book is about these everyday people, who, like their counterparts ashore, o have their faults and their hopes. At times, they even achieve their share of greatness. Lots of unusual things do happen on board ships, and this book is a sampling of those kind of stories. Most of them are funny, because they take place in an environment geared to bring happiness and relaxation to its guests. This book is about the day-to-day workings of the ships on which I’ve served. Every story truly happened. The characters truly existed, though I did change names and ships around a bit. This book is a picture of my life and that of many others who have spent considerable time at sea.

The Captain’s Log by Captain Hans Mateboer. Paper. 231 pages. Printed in the United States. $14.95.