This is the life story of a seafaring man who, since the age of eighteen, has sailed the oceans of the world meeting adventure in many forms – it is the story of the many exciting events in which he has been involved and above all, of his greatest adventure, which changed the direction of his life.
'Chris' Ketchum, one of a large family, was born in Vancouver. Adventurous by nature, he first went to sea as a deck-hand on board a Swedish freighter, bound for the British Isles: the year was 1940, and the author was privileged to witness one of the most moving episodes of the war at sea – the sinking of the Jervis Bay.
During the years that followed his adventures were many he writes in vivid terms of his early days as a seaman; of his period in the Royal Canadian Navy, from which he deserted so that he could go to sea again, of how he was beaten up, robbed, and finally arrested. Still more dramatic than this is the story of his inward conflict, of his growing awareness, when he visited the East, of the wretched plight of many human beings, and his feeling that he might one day be in a position to help them.
At last, converted to Christianity, he decided to become a missionary, and, after completing his training on land, took to the sea again as Captain of Morning Star VI, for the American Board of Missions, working among the natives of the islands of the Pacific. His story is an unusual one, recounted with great sincerity.
– From the dust jacket
Did you find this review helpful?