BILL SCOTT was a folklorist, a novelist, poet and songwriter. In his early days he was in the Navy, prospected for gold, fired and drove steam trains, cut cane and, for a time, at the age of 32, worked on board the Commonwealth Light Vessel Cape Leeuwin. He wrote a diary during his time on the Cape Leeuwin and this is an edited version of that diary, complemented with some of the songs he wrote about his experiences at sea.