Next Thursday, Oct. 18, author Vaughn Sherman will be giving a talk and reading from his book “Sea Travels: Memoirs of a Twentieth Century Master Mariner,” which tells the story of J. Holger Christensen, a mariner from the Puget Sound. The talk will be at the Highliner Pub in Fisherman’s Terminal from 5 to 7 p.m.
“Sea Travels,” which references many Ballard people and places, is about Christensen’s early life on Bainbridge Island as a deckhand on his family’s boat to his work as a master mariner as an adult. The book is a collection of Christensen’s memoirs, as told to his nephew, Sherman.
The book is written in first person, and details everything from deadly weather, to labor strife, and shady crew members.
From the book:
“We took such a beating that the ship was heavily damaged. A lot of rivets had popped out of the forepeak, so many that it looked like a sprinkling can.”
“Things weren’t looking too good on the (Seattle) waterfront. It seemed as if the shipping companies were testing union power following the strike of 1934. The soup kitchens went back up, with long lines of sailors forming to get some food, and picket lines were organized.”
“When we docked at New Orleans there were FBI agents waiting for the German sailor. During the two days they held him there I talked with the marshals, learning that this sailor was a Nazi who had been watched by the FBI for some time.”
To learn more about the book, click here.
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