DAV PUBLIC SCHOL PRATAP VIHAR, GHAZIABAD

CLASS – XI SUBJECT – ENGLISH

Introduction of the Lesson

Written by Gordan Cook and Alan East, the story is about a 37 year old businessman who is the
narrator of the story. He has a wife named Mary and two children, Jonathan, aged 6 and
Suzanne, aged 7. He and his wife both dream of a voyage around the world on their ship ‘Wave
walker’ which is a 23 meter long, 30 ton wooden-hulled, just like that of the famous Captain
James Cook.
The whole family started sailing from Plymouth, England on July 1976. The initial phase of the
three-year-long journey was from Africa to Cape Town. It was pleasant. While heading east,
along with two newly hired crewmen, strong waves hit them and their survival became a
question. The story tells us about how they fought each day and survived till the end.
 

Summary
The narrator and his wife plan a voyage around the world just like famous Captain James Cook.
They have been preparing and perfecting their seafaring skills for the past 16 years. They get a
ship which is 23 meters long and weighs 30 tons wooden-hulled, named Wave Walker. They test
it in the rough weather for months.
In July 1976, they all start their journey from Plymouth, England. They sail from Africa to Cape
Town which was quite a pleasant journey. Before heading East, the narrator hired two crewmen,
Larry Vigil, and Herb Seigler, to help them tackle one of the roughest sea – the Southern Indian
Ocean.
They encounter strong and alarming waves during the second day. By December 25, they all
manage to reach 35,000 kilometers east of Cape Town. The family, somehow, manages to
surpass the bad weather and celebrates Christmas together.
The weather changes for the worse and on January 2, the big waves hit them. They try to slow
the ship down by dropping storm jib and hit a heavy mooring rope in a loop across a stern but it
doesn’t help much. They carry their life-raft drill, attach lifelines, don life jackets and oilskins.
Later, in the evening, a vertical and huge wave strikes the ship and the narrator is thrown off
from the ship. He accepts his ‘approaching death’ and starts losing consciousness. When the ship
is about to overturn, a huge wave hit again and turns it right back. He suffers injuries in ribs and
mouth. He grabs the guard rail and sails into the ship’s main boom.
He instructs his wife Mary to guard the wheel as he realizes that the ship has water in the lower
parts. His crewman starts pumping out the water. The narrator goes to his children’s cabin and
checks on them. His daughter, Sue, informs him about a bump on her head which he ignores
because his major concern is to save the ship.
The narrator does water-proofing on the gaping holes. This makes water to deviate on the right
side. The hand pump gets blocked due to debris and electric-pump gets short-circuited. However,
he later finds a spare electric pump and connects it to drain the water. They all keep pumping the
water all night long. Their Mayday calls are not answered as they are in the remotest corner of
the world.
Sue, on the other hand, has now a swollen black eye and a deep cut in her arm. On being asked
by her father about her injuries, she tells him she didn’t want him to worry as he was trying to
save them. After 15 hours the situation gets under control. The narrator decides to work in
rotation and rests. The water levels are controlled but the leaks were still there, below the
waterline.
The ship is in bad shape now. It is not in a condition to reach Australia, and so, they decide to
reach the nearest island, lle Amsterdam, a French Scientific base. As their supporting engines
were also damaged, the chances of the ship to reach the destination are low.
After pumping the water out continuously for 36 hours, they took a sigh of relief. Only a few
centimeters of water was left to be pumped out of the boat. They hoisted the storm jib as the
main mast was destroyed. They ate their first meal in two days, some corned beef and crackers.
The weather soon started changing and again the black clouds took over by the morning of
January 5. His son, Jonathan, told him that he didn’t fear death as long as they were all together.
This filled him with determination to fight the sea.
The struggle continued and the narrator tried his best to protect the weakened starboard side. The
same evening, the narrator and his wife sat together holding hands, thinking that their end was
near. His children continuously supported him which gave him moral support to keep going.
The Wavewalker sailed through the storm and made it. The narrator then calculated their exact
position by working on the wind speed. While he was brainstorming, Sue, gave him a card that
she had made expressing her love and gratitude towards the family.
He instructed Larry to steer the course to 185 degrees. He said that if they were lucky, they could
hope to find an island by 5 pm. He dozed off and suddenly got up around 6 pm. He believed that
they didn’t make it and was disappointed. His son came and informed him about how they
reached the lle Amsterdam Island and he called him ‘best daddy’ and ‘best captain’.
They reached the island with little struggle and with the help of inhabitants. The whole team, the
family and two crew members, never stopped trying. Their struggle and hard work finally saved
them.

Questions and Answers

Understanding the Text
1. List the steps taken by the captain
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.
(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.
Ans: (i) the narrator decided to slow down the ship to protect it from bad and stormy weather.
He dropped the storm jib and lashed heavy mooring rope across the stern of the ship. Then, they
double – lashed everything. They carried their life-raft drill, attached lifelines, donned life
jackets and oilskins.
(ii) to check the flooding of the water, the narrator put waterproof hatch which covered the
gaping holes. This diverted the water flow to the side. His hand pumps were blocked due to
debris and his one electric pump was short-circuited. He found a hand pump and a spare electric
pump. He connected the electric pump to the out pipe and started it.
 
2. Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.
Ans: On January 4, the voyagers felt relieved as they were continuously pumping out water for
the past 36 hours and only a few centimetres of water was left. They had their first meal in two
days. Mary found some corned beef and cracker biscuits.
Later, around 4 pm, the weather changed as black clouds marched towards them. The wind was
now 40 knots and the sea was getting higher. The weather got worse and by the early morning of
January 5, the situation was bad. This gave them mental stress.
 
3. Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the
text. Give a subtitle to each section.
Ans:
The first section: Beginning of the Round - the – Voyage
The first section was cheerful and full of hope as the family began their planned voyage just like
the one done 200 years ago by the famous Captain James Cook. They had perfected their
seafaring skills for 16 years. They built a ship ‘Wavewalker’ professionally which was a 23
metres long, 30 tons wooden-hulled ship. They celebrated Christmas on the ship despite the bad
weather.
The Second Section: the struggle with the big attack
This section changed from cheerful to intense. The family was under great pressure to survive
the oncoming waves and bad weather conditions. A giant wave created chaos and the ship was
about to overturn. The narrator was thrown off into the water and he almost drowned and got
injured. Along with two hired crewmen, the narrator pumped out the water from the ship for a
continuous 36 hours. He also tried repairing the parts of the ship. He almost lost his hope and
believed they would die. But his children were fearless and courageous enough which gave him
the determination to fight back.
The third section: Victory
With the support of his children, the narrator kept trying to save the ship in order to reach the two
small islands, lle Amsterdam. They finally reached the destination and got help from the
inhabitants of the island. His son called him the best daddy and best captain.
 
Talking about the Text
1. What difference did you notice between the reaction of the adults and the children when
faced with danger?
Ans: There was a huge difference between the reaction of the adults and the children. The adults
lose their hope at the end and wait for their fate of death. On the other hand, the children were
hopeful and gave the narrator moral support. With the support of his children, Jonathan and
Suzanne, he decided to make it to the island at any cost. The children showed maturity. His son
expressed courage as to how he wasn’t afraid to die if they all were together. His daughter made
him a card expressing her love and affection towards her parents and wrote a beautiful message.
She was injured still, she didn’t let it become a hurdle for her parents who were trying to save the
ship.
 
2. How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?
Ans: Optimism is the determination to overcome any challenges. Without optimism, it is
impossible to face difficulties and solve problems. The family fought with the sea with great
optimism and determination which ultimately saved them. Again and again, on being attacked by
the sea, they didn’t stop trying which helped them get to the shore of the lle Amsterdam island.
When the son of the narrator told him,” we aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together — you
and Mummy, Sue and I”. This showed the maturity of the children and how they played an
important role in motivating the narrator who had almost lost hope. Sue, his daughter who made
him a card showed how she was proud of her parents and didn’t make a big deal of her injuries
which were in a bad condition. With the struggles and efforts, they finally made it to the
destination.
 
3. What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face
with death?
Ans: Life is never about being happy all the time. We are constantly tested and how we tackle
every problem and rise through it is the ultimate lesson. Such hazardous situations teach us how
we should react towards them. We must never lose hope and keep trying as it will lead to
success. In certain situations, one must keep calm and think logically. No matter how bad the
situation is, there is always a way to get out of it. The significance of being extra cautious and to
make sure that the situation doesn’t get worse is required at such moments.
 
4. Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks
involved?
Ans: The willingness to accept challenges drives people to take such adventurous expeditions in
spite of the risk involved. People like to try different elements of nature and some do it as a
passion. Surely people already know of the risks involved in such activities, but still, they do not
hesitate to try it out.
 

Grammar Exercises
Thinking about Language
1. We have come across words like ‘gale’ and ‘storm’ in the account. Here are two more
words for ‘storm’: typhoon, cyclone. How many words does your language have for
‘storm’?
Ans: In Hindi, there are many words for ‘storm’ – toofan, aandhi, andhad, etc.
 
2. Here are the terms for different kinds of vessels: yacht, boat, canoe, ship, steamer,
schooner. Think of similar terms in your language.
Ans: ‘Kashti’, ‘Naav’, ‘Nauka’, ‘Jahaz’ are some terms in Hindi.
 
3. ‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is
derived from? Check the dictionary.
Ans: The word ‘Catamaran’ is derived from the Tamil language word ‘Kattumaram’.
 
4. Have you heard any boatmen’s songs? What kind of emotions do these songs usually
express?
Ans: Yes, Such Boatmen songs express love and nostalgia. They also express the longing to
meet the loved ones.
 
Working with Words
1. The following words used in the text as ship terminology are also commonly used in
another sense. In what contexts would you use the other meaning?
 

knot stern boom hatch anchor

 
Ans:
Knot: a) a tangled mass in something
b) interlacing, looping, etc.
Stern: harsh, firm, strict, etc. 
Boom – a) to experience a sudden rapid growth
b) to increase in popularity
Hatch: a) to cause an egg to break in order to allow a young animal to come out
b) to make a plan
Anchor: a) host of an event
b) a person who can be relied upon for support
 
2. The following three compound words end in -ship. What does each of them mean?
 

airship flagship Lightship

 
Ans:
Airship: a power-driven aircraft which is kept buoyant by a body of gas
Flagship: the ship in the fleet which carries commanding admiral
Lightship: an anchored boat with a beacon light to warn ships at sea
 
3. The following are the meanings listed in the dictionary against the phrase ‘take on’. In
which meaning is it used in the third paragraph of the account:
 

Take on sth: to begin to have a particular quality or appearance; to

assume sth

Take sb on: to employ sb; to engage sb

to accept sb as one’s opponent in a game, contest or
conflict

Take sb/sth on: to decide to do sth; to allow sth/sb to enter e.g. a bus,
plane or ship; to take sth/sb on board

 
Ans:
In the third paragraph, in lines “… we took two crewmen to help us tackle.. roughest seas”, the
word ‘took on’ means to take somebody or to hire somebody.