Through the Hawse

by James Laird

Through the Hawse is James Laird’s seafaring memoir, tracing a life shaped by the North Sea from childhood in Lowestoft to a long career at sea. In the opening chapters, Laird reflects on his family, an uneasy home life, the influence of his mother, aunt, and Uncle Lenny, and the pull of the harbour and offshore shipping that drew him toward maritime work.

The memoir begins with Laird’s account of the sea as a place of darkness, discipline, and freedom, then moves into the coastal world that formed him. He writes about growing up in a large family, the complexities of his parents, and the experiences that made the sea feel like a destination and a calling. Readers interested in personal memoir, maritime life, and reflective writing about family, place, and memory will find a candid account of a working seafaring life and the forces that shaped it.