Learning the Ropes. An apprentice in the last of the windjammers

book summary

In 1938 Newby signed on as an apprentice in the Finnish four-masted barque Moshulu for a round-the-world voyage to carry grain to Europe from the South Australian wheat belt. It was and extraordinarily bold thing for an 18-year-old from a comfortable English background to do and the thoughest imginalbe introduction to the sea. Few of the crew spoke English, and apprentice Newby was ordered 'op the rigging' -a height of nearly 200 feet above the keel- before he had even had time to get out of his best jacket and shoes