Growing up in the early part of the twentieth century, the author shunned the stable life he could have had if he had taken over his father's drapery business. Instead, he headed down to Dorset, purchased a boat and set up a business as a longshoreman, renting his boat to fishermen. During his life it is estimated that he spent 19,000 days fishing and caught 1,390,000 fish. In Benjamin Pond's memoirs, he describes the harsh life before the existence of the welfare state and how beachcombing assisted his poor income. He recounts his journeys of sailing around the coast of Hampshire and Dorset, of the changing conditions and weather and of his part in salvaging and rescuing other stricken craft piloted by less able people. Alongside, he provides anecdotes and tales of the people and characters he once knew. This is a warm and charming autobiography that will transport the reader back in time, allowing them to experience the unusual and carefree life of the author and his surrounding environment.
