Frank Brown

Fourteen-year-old Frank Brown has a respectable home, a secure future waiting in his father's long-established firm, and a family who expect him to take the safe road. But Frank's heart is elsewhere. A restless longing for ships, salt wind and far horizons has taken hold of him, and no argument, however loving or sensible, can talk him out of it.
With the help of the kindly Captain Burns, Frank wins his chance and signs on as an apprentice aboard the merchant sailing ship Sealark. Almost at once, the dream meets reality. Romantic daydreams give way to aching hands, endless labour aloft and on deck, hard-bitten shipmates and the rough welcome older apprentices give a newcomer. Frank must learn the ropes, stand his watch in foul weather and keep his nerve when the sea shows its teeth.
Written by Frank T. Bullen, author of the celebrated The Cruise of the Cachalot, who went to sea himself as a boy, this is no armchair adventure. Bullen assures readers that every incident is fact, drawn from authenticated accounts or his own experience, with only the names of ships, places and people changed. The result is a vivid, candid portrait of life aboard a merchant sailing ship in the age of sail, from the rough camaraderie of the forecastle to the perils of the open ocean.
Equal parts rousing adventure and coming-of-age story, Frank Brown, Sea Apprentice is a tale of courage, perseverance, loyalty and the making of a seaman. A treat for readers of Captains Courageous and Two Years Before the Mast, and for anyone who has ever felt the pull of the open sea. Whether you are a seasoned sailor or a confirmed landlubber, this classic voyage makes a thoroughly rewarding listen.