Under a Big Blue Star

Phil Carroll takes us on his global odyssey of voyages as a deck cadet in the early-1980s. It was the cusp of change in the merchant navy as containerisation began to dominate world shipping. Heady weeks 'on the coast' in traditional cargo ships in old ports, giving way to fleeting visits by 'box boats' to swanky new concrete container wharves, miles from town. He vividly describes his worldwide adventures at sea and in port in a male-dominated environment of British officers and Chinese, Barbadian, and UK crews. Interwoven in his narrative are nuggets of maritime history and simple technical descriptions, bringing a bygone seafaring era to life. Sea experience consolidated his studies in college to earn his Second Mate's ticket, the climax of his cadetship.