“Being part of a tugboat drew is like living in another world or an alternative universe. It has its own language and its own customs,” Thom says. “Years ago, when I started as a deckhand, everything was different than it is today I lift my entire life behind for weeks at a time to work on a tugboat. There was no way to call home, so I was totally out of reach. When I got started, I had to learn the basics on the job, from how to splice a line, avoid hockles, whip deck lines, and make monkey fists to pulling hawser in all kinds of weather.”

This book chronicles Thom’s adventure on tugboats in the waters off the cost of Delaware and the Gulf of Mexico in the 1970s. What a wild time that was! You’ll read some funny stores as he describes the colorful characters I worked with while recounting some of escapades on land and sea.

From towing oil drilling rigs to the unique jargon of the tugboat industry to the very real dangers that lurk on every deck, this first book in a series gives you an inside look into the world of tugboats, complete with lots of full-cover photos.