Seaman’s Blog
Bosun: The Mariner’s Journals
NOW RELEASED April 2023
The novel about the larger-than-life bosun in No Ordinary Seaman.
In this historical fiction, we voyage with Bosun through his journals, written by a familiar seaman—Harbo, from the Havkatt and the Polycastle.
Bosun’s journals are a maritime saga about the nonsensical nature of humanity. Ulf Kleivik went to sea as a youth because that’s what generations of men did in his Norwegian seafaring family. The boy sailor experienced the horrors of whaling, the tragedies and the loss of life during the Battle of the Atlantic. He quickly matured and become a natural leader, earning the rank of bosun.
Bosun’s fearlessness, bravery, and heroism were legendary, as were his chiselled Nordic features, his humour and his wit. He employed his ironic STUPID PEOPLE MIRROR to expose moral ambiguities, shallow thinking, and the absurdities of men. His courageous spirit and resolve were bolstered by precious Aase, who gifts him with the meaning of love. His maritime legacy is THE BOSUN’s ANCHOR, the coveted tattoo, worn only by worthy seafarers who exemplify intelligence, leadership, loyalty, and love.
No Ordinary Seaman
No Ordinary Seaman is a memoir of the author’s days
at sea in the Norwegian Merchant Marine, 1965-67
Synopsis
In the mid-1960’s a young man, fresh out of high school in Vancouver, crews on a Norwegian deep-sea freighter in the hopes that it will take him to Norway, the land of his ancestors. His voyages on the Havkatt, across the Pacific Ocean to Japan, through the Panama Canal, and north to New York, are filled with personal explorations, adventure, and danger. He eventually arrives in Norway, and satisfies his dreams of finding his roots. But he is driven back to the sea.
This memoir takes the reader on the author’s journeys of discovery. His second ship travels routes from Northern Europe to Africa, the Suez Canal, the Persian Gulf, across the Equator, then over the Atlantic, back home to North America. The sea stories are filled with facts about the maritime industry of the day, and idiosyncrasies of the lives of sailors. The book is full of tales of rough waters and placid bays, all salted with wit and humour. It is a book that unravels some of the unfathomable mystery of ships and the lives of sailors at sea and in ports. The reader, at every turn of the page, will discover what it is like to be no ordinary seaman.
2nd Printing of No Ordinary Seaman
Book sales are good.
All the positive reader responses are very gratifying!
Writing a book, publishing it, and getting it into the hands of readers is a whole lot of work, but for this writer, it’s fun work. I am doing all the marketing and promotion, the administration and the bookkeeping myself – work that publishing houses do for their authors. The comparatively big footprint of a publishing house is much larger than my shoes could ever fit into, and its long-established industry networks are much more pervasive than the small database and knowledge base of this lonely writer-cum-publicist. Nevertheless, I prevail.
Why did I self-publish? A few answers come quickly to mind, but in a word, I would say “patience”, or the lack of it was what motivated me to “go it on my own”. I knew when my book was ready for readers and I wanted to get it into their hands as soon as possible. It is not uncommon for a first-time writer to have his or her manuscript rejected many times by publishers before eventually succeeding in getting through the door of a publishing house. I did submit early manuscripts to a couple of local (BC) publishers, who thanked me with a letter replying that it did not fit with their needs or interests at that point in time, wishing me well with my interesting project, and so on. I have no doubt that I would have eventually been given entry, but I was kind of on fire at the time, and had to jump while the flame was burning hot. I am glad I did. I thank the agents now for their sentiments because their wishes have come true: the book has been doing well. In the first six months since publication I have sold almost 300 copies, and I am now in my second printing.
The journey so far has included some pitfalls and pit-stops, hurdles and hunger, the latter for sales and recognition in places that matter for a writer. So far, so good. And I just keep on truckin’.
These blog posts are markers for milestones, large and small. They are updates on things that are happening with the book, including reader comments, all of which continue to be very gratifying. In the blog, I also try to include interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes about how the book came to be, about some things that did not find their way into the manuscript, and what may come next. No Ordinary Seaman is not merely a collection of stories between two covers, but it is an organic thing that, after hatching, will continue to develop in a variety of ways. My preliminary forecast is for more creative growth. In the meantime, I have set myself the task of rolling it out to a community of readers across Canada from coast to coast to coast, and beyond.
Press
After much lobbying, I finally got interviewed by the Peace Arch News, our local newspaper. I landed the Arts & Entertainment interview of the year (in my humble opnion) with almost a full- page story and colour photo. And my editor said this would never happen. (I just made a pest of myself, Sylvia).
Check out the Peace Arch News August 10, 2018 (Vol. 43 No. 64)
Rotary
No Ordinary Seaman has been getting around a lot since the last post. A presentation to the Rotary Club of Semiahmoo (White Rock) in the first week of September went well despite the early hour: it was a 7 AM breakfast meeting – a time of day when my brain and my tongue are usually not very well connected. I was somewhat challenged by a large assembly of members in an equally large room. My first words from the podium were, “If you can’t hear me from the back of the room please hold up your hand.” That clever opening fell a little flat, evoking only a couple of harrumphs.
Then I got right into the book, relating an exceedingly important bit of information about the plot, about the reason I sailed away from home right after graduating from high school: I left the safe harbour of Vancouver, crewing as a lowly deckhand on a Norwegian ship. The Norwegian flag flapping on the mast at the back of the boat, above its Norwegian name: Havkatt was embossed on the stern, and below it, Oslo, the city of its registry, the capital of Norway. I was on that ship because I wanted to go to Norway, the land of my paternal ancestors. Three days out of port with a cargo of grain for Japan, nearly half way across the vast Pacific Ocean, and I found out I was on the wrong ship. The Havkatt had never been to Norway and it was never going there.
The Rotarians were audibly and visibly amused by this anecdote. I shall use it again. I sold a bunch of books that morning.
Book Sales
I try to keep track of who has bought the book and who has had one bought for them. It is pretty cool knowing that I have readers not only in BC, but also in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Washington, California, Arizona, England, Wales, France, Norway, and Denmark.
It has been years since I was in Canada’s Atlantic provinces and I really wanted my wife to see some of that part of our world. We did an eastern Canada trip this fall, visiting friends in Tweed, Ontario, in Montreal, and making new ones in Newfoundland. Of course, I took a few books with me. Sold one at the dinner table to a wonderful Quebecois couple we dined with at the Bonavista Social Club (near the really cool city of Bonavista, a few hours’ drive northeast of St. John’s). Then, on the way to catching our plane, we stopped at Chapters book store. They now have No Ordinary Seaman in stock. While the book is not coast to coast to coast yet, this is a good start – eh bye?
This was a surprise. Stavanger Drive in St. John’s, Newfoundland? It’s just around the corner from Chapters. Stavanger is where No Ordinary Seaman’s ancestors are from and where the author lived and worked between ships.
Still available at the Vancouver Maritime Museum gift shop
Libraries
Curious, I went online to the libraries that have my book in their collections. On October 11, it was not available at any of the seven branches of the four libraries that carry it.
All copies were out on loan. Six were on hold.
Maybe they should buy some more copies.
eBook
I am thinking that by January (2019), No Ordinary Seaman ought to be available as an eBook, probably from AMAZON. Maybe iBook too?
In the meantime, blog readers, do recommend the book to all your friends and relatives. Should they want a “collector’s edition”, I have a few remaining of the first printing, typos and all, that have since been corrected in the 2nd Edition.
The Gulf Islands Book Tour by Sea
At high tide on the afternoon of July 23rd we launched the RASCAL into the mouth of the Nickomekl River, for the launch of NO ORDINARY SEAMAN into the hands of readers on the southern Gulf Islands. The former is my friend’s MacGregor 26; the latter is my newly published nautical memoir.
I am now back at sea again, at the helm of a small sailboat, crossing the Salish Sea with friends, Captain BD (Brian) and Chief Mate van Herb. This vessel is smaller than the lifeboats on the deep-sea freighter that I steered through these waters many years ago.
The sun burns hot from a cloudless blue sky, and everything is reflected from the cold smooth ocean. We are becalmed, motoring on a southwest course across the strait from Crescent Beach to Whaler Bay. I am on a mariner’s book tour courtesy of Brian, who suggested that No Ordinary Seaman would be a great sell in the marinas and bookstores on the Gulf Islands during the summer months with all the pleasure boats stopping for fuel, supplies, and in search of nautical books to read. I took him up on the idea, commandeered his boat, and here we are.
Port #1 Monday
Active Pass is in view now, but we will navigate through there tomorrow. We round Gossip Island and pull into Whaler Bay for the night. This is at the southeast end of Galiano Island. As we make our way we are careful to steer clear of Seal Rocks at the mouth of this protected bay.
The rocks are not hard to miss because their craggy tops are dry at high tide. There are no lazy seals lounging on them this late in the afternoon.
Mates Karlsen and Gale
Our berth at the government dock awaits. We tie up and are soon grilling steaks on the small barbecue unit that is attached to the aft rail. A glass of good red wine is in the hands of each carnivore as we chew on the tender beef.
After many exchanges of rather tame sea stories, we bunk down in challenging quarters – in the forepeak (very tight quarters under the bow deck).
Good grief, I am thinking, half a year after full hip replacement, should I be performing the contortionist sleeping position in of a 26-foot sailboat? And worse, the predictable two or three in the morning salination of the already salty sea will require exiting through the forward hatch, located between my knees and my ankles. For the most part, these challenges were overcome during the tour with no mishaps other than a sore neck for a few days after returning home.
Morning comes early with the sun beating through the open hatch. We are soon hiking up the road toward Sturdies Bay where I am expected Galiano Island Bookstore .
Rob takes a few of my books, then we have a leisurely homemade scone and coffee breakfast right next door at the Sturdies Bay Bakery & Café.
A nice long walk in the shaded woods eats up time while we wait for slack tide when the waters are at rest in Active Pass: there is no way we are taking our small boat through there when the currents are running, whirlpools and all.
Just before departure I sell a book off the stern of the RASCAL to a local, whose friendly curiosity lands him a terrific nautical read, authored by this writer from White Rock.
It’s way cool going through Active Pass just a couple of feet off the water, rather than the couple of hundred feet higher from the deck of the Sprit of Vancouver, the Coastal Inspiration, or other ferry that usually takes me to Swartz Bay or Long Harbour.
Spirit of British Columbia in Active Pass
From this level, the ferries seem to own the channel. Their passing is frequent, they are imposing. BD tracks them on his marine GPS and radio.
Recognition
It has been five months now since the publication of No Ordinary Seaman. In one more month, all 300 copies from the first printing will have been sold.
Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart. Getting the book to readers is busy work. Without the resources of a publishing house, its experienced professional staff, book seller networks, and distribution and marketing channels, going solo to get my book into the hands of readers has been a heady job. I’d rather be writing, but the book won’t sell itself.
This blog posting is an update on how I have been doing with my first book. “Recognition” is the gold standard, the affirmation I have hoped for, indeed, needed, in order to move forward as well as I have. Recognition by bookstores and libraries – aka, readers – has brought me lots of gratification and the motivation to plow ahead with renewed energies.
SECOND PRINTING
A reprint is in the works. 
The Second Printing of No Ordinary Seaman will be in-hand by the end of August. Will there be changes? Yes! All the many typos and other errors not caught by my proof-readers have been corrected.
My apologies go out to the readers who have stumbled upon bloopers, and thank you for not being too shy to point them out to me. The second printing will be pristine, and rest-assured, content changes are negligible. Your copy will become a collector’s item.
Elsewhere in my website is information about where No Ordinary Seaman can be purchased and which libraries it can be borrowed from. Events, passed and upcoming, are also documented. But websites are typically passive places, hence this blog – my way of keeping No Ordinary Seaman an active, ongoing experience for those who are interested. Additionally, more background and stuff not printed in the book might give the blog the flavour of a continuing saga.
BOOK LAUNCHES
My first book signing at Indigo in South Surrey/White Rock, just up the street from my home, was a wonderful kick-off that led to three regional book launches.
Get Your Copy!
Get Your Copy!
About the Author
Events
What Readers Are Saying
Rio to Santiago – The Cruise
France Once Again
In France with Friends
Photography by Gary Karlsen
