The book is a biography of a tough iron-clad tugboat that makes its way from the coast of Newfoundland into the deadly winter storms of the North Atlantic to rescue sinking ships and their crews. It starts slowly as we are introduced to the ship and the company that wants to use it, but after 35 pages gets onto the difficult task of fighting unrelenting elements. Mowat at his best makes you clench your teeth in fear as you listen to the wind and feel icy water drenching your underclothes. But after the tenth or twelfth rescue the stories get repetitive. That’s all the boat does: rescue people and there are still 150 pages to go.