Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies

"Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant' and Other Sea Comedies" by Morley Roberts is a collection of funny stories that take place on the sea in the early 1900s, that shows different characters dealing with problems and funny happenings on ships, focusing on Captain Balaam, who is stubborn and hard to control; the first story starts with Geordie Potts, a young sailor on the "Patriarch", who is worried about the money he might get from his rich uncle. As the sailors joke about Geordie and his uncle, there is both friendship and competition because Geordie might become rich, and the book then shows Geordie getting drunk and the funny relationships between him and the other sailors, focusing on their complaints and dreams as they travel the sea setting the stage for the funny adventures that will follow.