In the early 1960s a naive young Englishman is travelling by boat to India as one of a batch of six sent out to perform a year of voluntary service overseas. These diary entries describe life on board ship among a medley of odd characters, punctuated by port calls at Barcelona, Port Said and Aden. Boisterous and often unconsciously amusing, the narrative paints a vivid picture of a sea voyage in the days before air travel became commonplace and offers colourful glimpses of the countries visited on the way. The chronicle is full of human interest and barely suggested romance. The mood is refreshingly cheerful."