It is the mid-1960s, a time of cultural change and an awakening consciousness of worlds beyond our shores. A brazen young man, fresh out of high school in Vancouver, crews on a deep-sea freighter in the hopes that it will take him to Norway, the land of his ancestors. The author's voyages, recounted with wit and humour, begin on the southwest coast of BC, and continue along the sea of life, to unexpected destinations. In his memoir, No Ordinary Seaman, Gary Karlson unravels some of the unfathomable mysteries of deep-sea shipping and the idiosyncratic lives of sailors. Between voyages he discovers his roots in Norway, and becomes immersed in a family larger than he has ever known. But he is soon called back to the sea - his chosen road home.