Highlights From Seafaring:1951-2002

Over ninety percent of Britain's international trade travels by sea, yet most Britons have become 'sea blind', even as our merchant marine has dwindled to a shadow of its former self. Rising from able-bodied seaman to the captaincy of his own ships, Pat Lynch has spent his working life watching this and the rise of Far-Eastern and flag-of-convenience fleets. With an insider's eye he charts the highs and lows of life at sea before and during Britain's industrial decline. Leaving Valentia in his native County Kerry after the Second World War, he has sailed from the Solent to the South China Sea, from the Baltic to Botany Bay, packing into one life the experiences of many. Prepare to have your eyes opened now that Pat Lynch has put pen to paper, painting a diverse portrait of life at sea, telling of what was lost and the future we must face.