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Freighter Captain
A fictionalized autobiographical account of Max Hardberger's adventures as a ship captain in the Caribbean.
From the ship M/V Erika's first arrival in Haiti on Christmas Eve, 1987, to her dangerous flight from an illegal seizure four months later, Captain Max Hardberger and Chief Officer Yussuf al Karim fought a non-stop battle against crooked charterers, treacherous agents, and the sea itself.
On an old, tired freighter at the end of her life, they came face-to-face with bandits in Jamaica, violent stowaways in the Dominican Republic, and warring gangs in post-Duvalier Haiti. It was a world of desperation and danger, where only the captain's will and the loyalty of his crew stood between the ship and disaster.
From the ship M/V Erika's first arrival in Haiti on Christmas Eve, 1987, to her dangerous flight from an illegal seizure four months later, Captain Max Hardberger and Chief Officer Yussuf al Karim fought a non-stop battle against crooked charterers, treacherous agents, and the sea itself.
On an old, tired freighter at the end of her life, they came face-to-face with bandits in Jamaica, violent stowaways in the Dominican Republic, and warring gangs in post-Duvalier Haiti. It was a world of desperation and danger, where only the captain's will and the loyalty of his crew stood between the ship and disaster.
- GenresFiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 1998
12 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Max Hardberger
9 books11 followersMax has a B.A. in English from the University of New Orleans. As a post-graduate, Max attended the “Writers’ Workshop” at the University of Iowa. In 1972 he received a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction and Poetry.
At various times in his life, Max has worked as a ship captain, newspaper reporter, English and history teacher, crop duster, private investigator, maritime lawyer, flight instructor, ship surveyor, commercial aircraft pilot, sailing instructor, insurance adjuster, vessel repossession specialist, filmmaker, oilfield mud engineer, stuntman, ship breaker and even a drummer in a blues band.
His adventures have taken him throughout the world—from lawless ports in the Caribbean and the war-torn jungles of Central America to the once-forbidden city of Vladivostok—where he crossed paths with a veritable rogue’s gallery of characters, including Haitian rebels, modern-day Caribbean pirates, and Russian mobsters.
Author Photo © Michael Bono licensed under CC-SA.
At various times in his life, Max has worked as a ship captain, newspaper reporter, English and history teacher, crop duster, private investigator, maritime lawyer, flight instructor, ship surveyor, commercial aircraft pilot, sailing instructor, insurance adjuster, vessel repossession specialist, filmmaker, oilfield mud engineer, stuntman, ship breaker and even a drummer in a blues band.
His adventures have taken him throughout the world—from lawless ports in the Caribbean and the war-torn jungles of Central America to the once-forbidden city of Vladivostok—where he crossed paths with a veritable rogue’s gallery of characters, including Haitian rebels, modern-day Caribbean pirates, and Russian mobsters.
Author Photo © Michael Bono licensed under CC-SA.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 10, 2011
Hardberger has quite a background. With a Master’s from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, he has been a ship captain, “newspaper reporter, English and history teacher, crop duster, private investigator, maritime lawyer, flight instructor, ship surveyor, commercial aircraft pilot, sailing instructor, insurance adjuster, vessel repossession specialist, filmmaker, oilfield mud engineer, stuntman, ship breaker and even a drummer in a blues band.” That would seem to provide lots of material for stories.
Billed as fiction, this book clearly is based on fact, and Hardberger was, in fact, captain of the M/V Ericka in 1988. Hired as port captain, the ship had just arrived from Europe with obvious cracks in the hull and an extraordinary amount of rust. The ship’s new owner hires him to replace the onboard captain who spends most of his waking hours dead-drunk. The owner got a great deal.
The way Hardberger deals with welders, Coast Guard, charterers, stevedores, Haitian rebels and crew is remarkable in its guile, perspicacity, and knowledge of sea contracts. There’s a great scene where the Haitian agent, who has arranged to smuggle a car into Haiti, has the vehicle lowered on to a small lighter in heavy seas on the top of poles so stevedores could carry the car on the poles off the boat on to the beach past any officials. Hardberger warns them that in the prevailing seas it wouldn't work, and sure enough, at the first wave the boat rolled and off went the car.
His first charter with a load of rice to Haiti is revealing in the lawless, wild-west nature of the country where everything is for sale, government is non-existent and risks are high. Trying to make his way over the mountains to get money for the rice to the ship’s owner, he stuffs much of it into his shorts when they are stopped by a road blockade. It’s touch-and-go whether he’ll be killed by a mob when a stevedore he had given a mattress to (that’s a whole different story) saves the day.
Life becomes a battle of the “cons,” with Hardberger using the letter of the law when it suits him, a gun when necessary, burning piles of rugs and a canoe to make a point, and shoving thousands of dollars in his shorts as a last resort.
His battle with the Coast Guard over his use of a camper toilet while in port is classic. Sect. 159.7, subpart © says, “After January 30, 1980, no person may operate any existing vessel equipped with installed toilet facilities unless it is equipped with an operable Type I, II, or III device.” Well, the ship’s sanitary system was broken and would cost thousands to fix, money the owner did not have, so Hardberger goes to the nearest camping store and buys an MSD Type III toilet device for his crew to use in port. The Coast Guard in Mobile says fine; the CG in Miami says no way. However, the Lieutenant and Hardberger work out a solution that’s just marvelous but totally stupid and both know it. It required dismantling the sanitary system and sailing with a camper portapotty. Marvelous in its ridiculous stupidity.
It’s probably the most authentic portrayal of life at sea in the unknown underbelly of the tramp freighter world that most of us know little about. Agents, owners, seamen, stevedores, whores, surveyors, captains, Coast Guard, scavengers, and many others each doing his own battle with the world to stave off bankruptcy or poverty.
Marvelous.
Billed as fiction, this book clearly is based on fact, and Hardberger was, in fact, captain of the M/V Ericka in 1988. Hired as port captain, the ship had just arrived from Europe with obvious cracks in the hull and an extraordinary amount of rust. The ship’s new owner hires him to replace the onboard captain who spends most of his waking hours dead-drunk. The owner got a great deal.
The way Hardberger deals with welders, Coast Guard, charterers, stevedores, Haitian rebels and crew is remarkable in its guile, perspicacity, and knowledge of sea contracts. There’s a great scene where the Haitian agent, who has arranged to smuggle a car into Haiti, has the vehicle lowered on to a small lighter in heavy seas on the top of poles so stevedores could carry the car on the poles off the boat on to the beach past any officials. Hardberger warns them that in the prevailing seas it wouldn't work, and sure enough, at the first wave the boat rolled and off went the car.
His first charter with a load of rice to Haiti is revealing in the lawless, wild-west nature of the country where everything is for sale, government is non-existent and risks are high. Trying to make his way over the mountains to get money for the rice to the ship’s owner, he stuffs much of it into his shorts when they are stopped by a road blockade. It’s touch-and-go whether he’ll be killed by a mob when a stevedore he had given a mattress to (that’s a whole different story) saves the day.
Life becomes a battle of the “cons,” with Hardberger using the letter of the law when it suits him, a gun when necessary, burning piles of rugs and a canoe to make a point, and shoving thousands of dollars in his shorts as a last resort.
His battle with the Coast Guard over his use of a camper toilet while in port is classic. Sect. 159.7, subpart © says, “After January 30, 1980, no person may operate any existing vessel equipped with installed toilet facilities unless it is equipped with an operable Type I, II, or III device.” Well, the ship’s sanitary system was broken and would cost thousands to fix, money the owner did not have, so Hardberger goes to the nearest camping store and buys an MSD Type III toilet device for his crew to use in port. The Coast Guard in Mobile says fine; the CG in Miami says no way. However, the Lieutenant and Hardberger work out a solution that’s just marvelous but totally stupid and both know it. It required dismantling the sanitary system and sailing with a camper portapotty. Marvelous in its ridiculous stupidity.
It’s probably the most authentic portrayal of life at sea in the unknown underbelly of the tramp freighter world that most of us know little about. Agents, owners, seamen, stevedores, whores, surveyors, captains, Coast Guard, scavengers, and many others each doing his own battle with the world to stave off bankruptcy or poverty.
Marvelous.
Read
August 1, 2011What the hell?
I have never read a book so poorly written that I just couldn’t stop reading.
I learned a great deal from this book, not only about what it’s like to captain a tramp trader in the Caribbean but also about what truly awful writing looks like. I hope Max Hardberger never reads this review (I am, in fact, a little bit terrified of Max Hardberger at this point) and if he does, I hope he understands where I’m coming from. I don’t get the impression Mr. Hardberger is trying to write fine prose, but rather to tell an amazing story from a fascinating perspective.
So first, the problems: this whole book reads like terse entries in some scruffy log book. That rule about “show, don’t tell?” The author has not only ignored that advice, but consigned it to the dark and sulfurous depths of hell. It is so close to 100% telling that on the rare occasions when he tries to toss in a little showing the sentence jars me out of my seat.
Then, the narrative flow was extremely odd. He would mention things that had almost no impact on the story (“I got some of the spare parts at the store, but had to track down the others through a guy named Lucky”) in one sentence, then use the next sentence to yank the story a hundred miles down the timeline. As someone who reads a lot of novels, I was constantly saying to myself, “Oh hey, that’s odd, I bet that will come back into the story later.” Only it never did. It was like he was constantly foreshadowing some other story that I didn’t get to read.
Then, and this seems pretty petty compared to the other violations of story-law, he almost never explained anything. This happened a lot with nautical terms. I’ve taken 3 different American Sailing Association courses; I know me some nautical terms, though not all of them. Yet I seldom had any idea what he was talking about. He’d throw down abbreviations and technical jargon all over the place and just expect you to tag along. Or not. I don’t think he cared.
OK, so given these complaints, why read the book at all? I’m not the kind to be squeamish about chucking a book that I’m not enjoying. But I couldn’t stop reading this one. For some reason, completely unconnected to the prose on the page, this story was utterly compelling.
A big part of it, I think, was the insider’s perspective on an industry that is ubiquitous but hidden from most of us. Many of the goods we eat, buy, and use travel around the world on shipping vessels, yet for the most part we are ignorant of how this system works. Even those of us who like boating and boats may never see this aspect of the waterborne industrial complex.
Then there’s the more than passing similarity between the stories Max Hardberger has to tell and the pirate stories that are so popular these days. I often had the impression that Captain Jack Sparrow would have very little to teach Captain Hardberger, besides maybe how to apply eyeliner.
So maybe this book is the exception that proves the rule. In general, you can’t write a book like this and expect anyone to read it. Yet with this particular book, I guess maybe if your story is so utterly engaging you can drag readers along for the ride, nearly against their will. Who should read this book? I don’t know. Maybe English majors or editors looking for an example? Maybe the curious and open-minded with a tolerance for crippled prose? Maybe you? I can’t say it’s a good book, but I can say I’m damn glad I read it.
I have never read a book so poorly written that I just couldn’t stop reading.
I learned a great deal from this book, not only about what it’s like to captain a tramp trader in the Caribbean but also about what truly awful writing looks like. I hope Max Hardberger never reads this review (I am, in fact, a little bit terrified of Max Hardberger at this point) and if he does, I hope he understands where I’m coming from. I don’t get the impression Mr. Hardberger is trying to write fine prose, but rather to tell an amazing story from a fascinating perspective.
So first, the problems: this whole book reads like terse entries in some scruffy log book. That rule about “show, don’t tell?” The author has not only ignored that advice, but consigned it to the dark and sulfurous depths of hell. It is so close to 100% telling that on the rare occasions when he tries to toss in a little showing the sentence jars me out of my seat.
Then, the narrative flow was extremely odd. He would mention things that had almost no impact on the story (“I got some of the spare parts at the store, but had to track down the others through a guy named Lucky”) in one sentence, then use the next sentence to yank the story a hundred miles down the timeline. As someone who reads a lot of novels, I was constantly saying to myself, “Oh hey, that’s odd, I bet that will come back into the story later.” Only it never did. It was like he was constantly foreshadowing some other story that I didn’t get to read.
Then, and this seems pretty petty compared to the other violations of story-law, he almost never explained anything. This happened a lot with nautical terms. I’ve taken 3 different American Sailing Association courses; I know me some nautical terms, though not all of them. Yet I seldom had any idea what he was talking about. He’d throw down abbreviations and technical jargon all over the place and just expect you to tag along. Or not. I don’t think he cared.
OK, so given these complaints, why read the book at all? I’m not the kind to be squeamish about chucking a book that I’m not enjoying. But I couldn’t stop reading this one. For some reason, completely unconnected to the prose on the page, this story was utterly compelling.
A big part of it, I think, was the insider’s perspective on an industry that is ubiquitous but hidden from most of us. Many of the goods we eat, buy, and use travel around the world on shipping vessels, yet for the most part we are ignorant of how this system works. Even those of us who like boating and boats may never see this aspect of the waterborne industrial complex.
Then there’s the more than passing similarity between the stories Max Hardberger has to tell and the pirate stories that are so popular these days. I often had the impression that Captain Jack Sparrow would have very little to teach Captain Hardberger, besides maybe how to apply eyeliner.
So maybe this book is the exception that proves the rule. In general, you can’t write a book like this and expect anyone to read it. Yet with this particular book, I guess maybe if your story is so utterly engaging you can drag readers along for the ride, nearly against their will. Who should read this book? I don’t know. Maybe English majors or editors looking for an example? Maybe the curious and open-minded with a tolerance for crippled prose? Maybe you? I can’t say it’s a good book, but I can say I’m damn glad I read it.
April 10, 2011
What a way to earn a living! If you ever thought your job was too hard, too dangerous, underpaid, or just plain nasty, you should read this book and then decide how bad you really have it!
If you are a manager and you've ever thought you didn't have enough to work with to make ends meet, you should read this book!
If you just plain enjoy tales of the sea and the men who go there to make a living this book's for you too!
I personally think that any story about what men are REALLY willing to do for money is a good one! I am reminded here of the Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
Hardberger's story tells time after time of how important it can be to simply not retire and not back down.
I think Shackleton would have welcomed Max Hardberger among his men! Hell, if he'd had Hardberger along, maybe he could have taken it 'easy' on Elephant Island and waited optimistically for rescue?
I'm reading Seized next!
If you are a manager and you've ever thought you didn't have enough to work with to make ends meet, you should read this book!
If you just plain enjoy tales of the sea and the men who go there to make a living this book's for you too!
I personally think that any story about what men are REALLY willing to do for money is a good one! I am reminded here of the Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
Hardberger's story tells time after time of how important it can be to simply not retire and not back down.
I think Shackleton would have welcomed Max Hardberger among his men! Hell, if he'd had Hardberger along, maybe he could have taken it 'easy' on Elephant Island and waited optimistically for rescue?
I'm reading Seized next!
September 19, 2019
Great Story
Once I started I could not put it down. Lots of fun reading this and can’t wait to start his other.
I dreamed of being on his ship.
Once I started I could not put it down. Lots of fun reading this and can’t wait to start his other.
I dreamed of being on his ship.
May 13, 2014
When retired captains sat around drinking and swapping sea stories, Max noticed he always had the topper for Worst Ship, Worst Port, and Worst Owner. Then he noticed they were all about the same few cruises and decided to write it up. This is a view of the bottom end of the shipping industry, a senile tramp freighter hauling trash to Haiti. Max tells it well and made me enjoy the tales of fixing leaking hulls, fending off corrupt port officials, and talking unpaid crew into not jumping ship.
January 17, 2014
Documentary account of hauling bulk cargo in the Caribbean on a rotting old ship. There are stories of corrupt officials, drunken captains, sleazy agents and dishonest charterers who are always borrowing against their next cargo.
Hardberger knows the wily ways of the sea and spins a bunch of good yarns, without taking a moral or accusatory stance by and large.
Hardberger knows the wily ways of the sea and spins a bunch of good yarns, without taking a moral or accusatory stance by and large.
November 19, 2015
Read this as background for a movie script about Paul watson of Sea Shepherd fame. Max Hardberger has a larger than life carreer to match his name - stealing back tramp steamers and freighters impounded in foreign ports. Sweaty oily and 100% authentic.
June 30, 2020
All my life I have loved to read sea stories, and this is one of the best! As much as I like to look at boats, I never especially wanted to be on one. Freighter Captain confirmed why I would much rather be on land.
May 24, 2014
The misadventures of a Caribbean freighter. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews