Fourth in the Young Mariner series, Tramp Trader continues to follow the seagoing adventures, dangers and romance encountered by young mariner, William Connolly.
On a trip that circumnavigates the globe, aboard the West Way III, he finds himself coping with a drug-dealing chief mate, Brooklyn Mafia boss, arms smugglers, human trafficking and a long-distance love life, complicated by the news of a soon-to-arrive son.
Once again, Connolly is the reluctant enforcer on a fractious ship, alone in his efforts except for Second Engineer Greg Russell, former shipmate and friend. He leans on Greg for support and advice as he struggles with love, fidelity and conscience.
After losing their charter with the Military Sealift Command, they are forced into the world of “tramp trading,” scrambling for cargoes in remote ports. Follow Connolly’s adventures as they try to keep the West Way III at sea and out of the scrap yard.
On a trip that circumnavigates the globe, aboard the West Way III, he finds himself coping with a drug-dealing chief mate, Brooklyn Mafia boss, arms smugglers, human trafficking and a long-distance love life, complicated by the news of a soon-to-arrive son.
Once again, Connolly is the reluctant enforcer on a fractious ship, alone in his efforts except for Second Engineer Greg Russell, former shipmate and friend. He leans on Greg for support and advice as he struggles with love, fidelity and conscience.
After losing their charter with the Military Sealift Command, they are forced into the world of “tramp trading,” scrambling for cargoes in remote ports. Follow Connolly’s adventures as they try to keep the West Way III at sea and out of the scrap yard.
On a munitions ship heading to Vietnam with a crew of drug addicts and drunks, William Connolly collides head-on with knife fights, mayhem and murder to deliver the cargo. Third in a trilogy, following Young Mariner and On to Africa, Bombs Aweigh continues the seagoing adventures and dangers encountered by young mariner, William Connolly. A shortage of good crews due to the war effort, and the onset of drug culture in the 1960s, leaves them stuck with the dregs, but the vital effort to supply munitions and materials to our troops in Vietnam must go on. Connolly finds himself on a WW II vintage ship where the internal volatility of the crew matches the cargo. Bombs, bullets and a typhoon are the least of his problems. Ordered by the captain to wear a gun and become the enforcer, Connolly must choose between conscience and practicality daily as he scraps his way through knife fights, attempted murder and threatened suicides.
On to Africa follows the exploits of a young man, William Connolly. Having sailed to South America on the freighter Mormacpride, Connolly reluctantly signs on again, heading for Africa. Passengers add complexity. Female passengers, including the captain’s wife, infuse danger, romance and intrigue. In Africa, greed, larceny, illicit diamonds and sex test the moral compass of Connolly. A dispute between the captain and his wife force Connolly and others to choose sides in what becomes a fatal encounter during one of the worst Atlantic Ocean storms of the decade. Can Connolly save his romance, the ship, the diamonds and his future or end up in jail as an accomplice to smuggling and murder?
Young Mariner is a coming of age novel circa 1966. The protagonist, William Connolly is a street smart kid from South Boston evincing the intense naivete of Mitch McDeere in The Firm by John Grisham albeit in a waterfront setting. A recent graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Connolly is starting his first job as Third Mate on the cargo ship, MorMacPride. He wants to make the Merchant Marine his career, but sails into seagoing larceny as he discovers a captain and crew involved in smuggling drugs, guns and explosives. The story follows the ship’s travels from New York City into U. S. East coast ports down through the East Coast of South America, racing through the Great Lakes ending in Brooklyn, NY in an unusual and violent way. Young Mariner is the first of a trilogy following the exploits of Connolly. The second takes place in south and east Africa and the third explores the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.
Slices of Life is a compendium of poems written by the author from 1997 through the present. The poems are the title, Slices of Life as lived and experienced by the author.
