But it was enough to spark a love of sailing ships and an urge to run away to a life on the ocean waves.

And that's exactly what he did. From the early 1930s until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Merchant Navy Able Seaman Robertshaw was to serve on the deck of three Tall Ships as they made their exciting and often dangerous journeys carrying grain from one continent to another.

During these long voyages – or grain races – which covered thousands of miles, he kept a daily log of life on deck, from food shortages to fights, shark-fishing to whale-watching, sea shanties to treacherous storms that threatened to wash the crew overboard.

These detailed and fascinating scribblings have now been pain-stakingly deciphered and made into a book, Before The Mast – In The Grain Races of the 1930s, beautifully illustrated by Geoffrey's own pictures.

A talented photographer, he captured more than 300 images while at sea, images which until now have remained unpublished.

It is all thanks to Elvin Carter, of Devor-an, Cornwall, that Geoffrey's remarkable seafaring adventures can now be shared.

"I hope I have done justice to the man and his voyages," says Elvin who married into Geoffrey's family.

Elvin married Geoffrey's niece, Jonquilyn, who died in 1996.

"Geoffrey had no children of his own so after his death, the logs and the negatives along with other memorabilia were left to my brother-in-law John," explains Elvin.

"But John was a busy parish priest in Penzance and did not have the time to decipher Geoffrey's writing. When he discovered I could read it quite easily he urged me to publish them," says Elvin.

Geoffrey was born in Brearley, Luddenden Foot, in 1910, the second of three children of Abraham and Kathleen ("known as Honey because she was so sweet") Robertshaw; they also had a son Jack and daughter, Audrey.

"The family lived at Greenfield, a large house and had servants, a nanny and even a chauffeur. It was quite a privileged upbringing and Geof-frey was the black sheep in a way," says Elvin.

"He was a bit of a rebel, a real character but likable and gentle as well as being fearless and although he was only of slight build he would always stand up for the underdog."

Geoffrey was educated at a public school in Eastbourne and thanks to his Cornish holidays by the sea, developed a lifelong love of ships.

His first trip in the Tall Ships grain races was in 1932 on the Olivebank. It sailed from London to Port Lincoln in South Australia.

"Went up to the mizzen royal. Nearly lost my life by falling on deck. Chipped rust again the hold. Sat out on deck again in free watch. A lovely sunset. Fine warm," reads a log entry for Monday, September 26.

Another, dated Sunday. October 16, reads: "Fished for sharks from the poop by special permission from the captain. We caught two. Saw dolphins and porpoises. Very fine."

Other entries describe painting the side of the boat, carrying coal to the donkey room, storms, heavy seas and almost capsizing.

"The ship pitched and rolled like something incredible... we were flooded out, plates, mugs, boys cases and sea chests were floating in all directions while the lower bunks were flooded out. All hands were called to man the braces and we had a gruelling time dodging the waves," reads an entry for Monday, April 2, 1933 when the ship had reached seas off Cape Horn.

The book also includes Geoffrey's voyages on the Winterhude from Glasgow to Port Lincoln and back, in 1934, on the Ponape from Gravesend to Australia and back in 1935 and again on the Olivebank from Glas-gow to Port Victoria in 1938.

"The glamour and reality of sailing ship life were evidently poles apart and this was reflected in Geoff-rey's logs," says Elvin.

Geoffrey continued his merchant service on the Atlantic and Russian convoys to South Africa during the war years before being invalided out in 1944 but after the war he found it hard to settle to life on land and after a few failed enterprises and his marriage, he settled to life "as something of a recluse" in his family home, explains Elvin.
He died in June 1983, aged 73, after a massive stroke and his remains were buried alongside those of his mother in the churchyard at Mytholmroyd.

• Before The Mast, In The Grain Races of the 1930s is available at Fred Wade, Halifax and The Book Case, Hebden Bridge.