Captain's Logbook

Told in the first person, this account by John De Silva recalls a life spent at sea, with mutiny, murder and maritime disaster among its events. The narrative examines how faith can sustain a person against overwhelming odds, and how the open ocean brings its own constant misery and misfortune.

The voyage begins in January 2006, when De Silva takes command of the ship Cape Agulhas and a crew he describes as misanthropic. Before the vessel completes its winding route along the African coast, he must contend with a plague of cockroaches, repeated engine failures, and duplicity and deceit aboard. Nearly every calamity a seagoing vessel can suffer befalls it. The tension running through the story shows how the human spirit endures when it is tested by both God and nature. Through optimism, faith and a steady determination to return to his family, De Silva keeps the ship moving through one hardship after another.

The book is a darkly comic look at how people behave at their best and worst. Its cast includes brutal sailors, corrupt port officials, and a seasick cook whose culinary skill is roughly that of a barnacle. Every person in the logbook is real, though pseudonyms have been used to protect their identities. It is written to entertain as well as to offer reflection on the ocean journey.