The Wild Clear Call of the Sea: A Sailor's Odyssey

Captain J. A. Heenan was just a boy when he first heard "the call of the sea."

The Wild Clear Call of the Sea: A Sailor's Odyssey tells the story, in his own words, of how Heenan worked his way up from ship's crew to Master Mariner to Captain. With factual detail and clarity, he recounts his years sailing around the world with an apparent passion for life at sea. While his accounts of exploits in Arabia and tales of naval battles with German submarines provide fascinating first-hand experiences of the World Wars, his time in between major events in world history are equally riveting.

The memoir includes extraordinary moments in the life of a sailor who has spent most of his days on the water, experiencing the awe of marine life and natural phenomena. He survived many harrowing events--not only from wartime threats but also fatal storms, severe dehydration, and the violence that was often prevalent aboard ships. Heenan tells all with a clear eye and inviting tone--always engaged with the world, his prose conveys equanimity, open-mindedness, and an infectious spirit for adventure.

Perhaps his warmth of tone comes across most in the many friendships he formed with unforgettable characters met at sea. Some of these characters were quite famous--including Joseph Conrad, Irving Berlin, and Lawrence of Arabia--while others less famous are just as indelible, such as the woman who became Heenan's wife, and the many sailor friends and acquaintances who taught him much, from navigational skills to the Australian Crawl to how to catch an albatross. Ultimately, The Wild Clear Call of the Sea reads as a fascinating perspective on the twentieth century, an impassioned plea for preservation of the Canadian Navy, and as one man's unforgettable odyssey.