We’re Not Afraid to Die….

if We Can All Be Together

By Gordon Cook and Alan East

Glossary:
Voyage = journey over the sea
In the wake of = following
Honing = improving
Seafaring skills = knowledge of navigation, handling a sailboat and its equipment
etc
Atrocious = very unpleasant
Knots = nautical miles per hour
Stern = back part
Ominous silence = quietness just before some dangerous happening
Aft of = behind
Capsizing = overturning
Starboard = right side
Debris = broken pieces of material
Wrenched = removed and thrown from where they were fixed
Mayday calls = distress messages sent over the radio
Keel = long wood/steel piece fixed vertically at the bottom of the boat to keep it
vertical
Tousled head = head with hair not arranged
Pinpricks in the vast ocean = here tiny islands in the vast ocean

Chapter Sketch:
The chapter revolves around a part of the round-the-world
voyage undertaken by the narrator and his family in a sailboat. It describes their
thrilling journey across the sea and their close encounter with death during their
voyage. The plot talks about their possible attempts to save their lives.
About the Characters:
Narrator: He is a 37 year old businessman. He wants to duplicate the round-the-
world journey made by Captain James Cook 200 years earlier. He spends a long
time improving his sea related skills and finally begins his journey with his wife
Mary, six year old son Jonathan and seven year old daughter Suzanne.
Mary: She is the narrator’s wife. She supports her husband’s dream and improves
her sea skills. She joins her husband on their planned three-year voyage.
Larry Vigil: An American who joins the narrator and Mary at Cape Town to help
them tackle one of the world’s roughest seas.
Herb Seigler: A Swiss who also joins them at Cape Town to help them cross the
southern Indian Ocean.
Suzanne: The narrator’s seven year old daughter who displays immense courage
throughout their voyage.
Jonathan: He is the narrator’s six year old son who shows immense strength and
optimism even in difficult times.
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.

Additional Questions:
1. Where did the narrator want to go? Why?
Ans. The narrator and his family loved adventures. The narrator wanted to
duplicate the ‘round-the-world’ voyage made by the famous explorer Caption
James Cook 200 years ago. So, he set sail in Wavewalker, a boat specially
designed and made for the purpose. Perhaps the dangers and adventure involved
in the voyage and their desire to accomplish something unique beckoned them to
undertake the journey.
2. What preparations did the narrator and his wife make for their round-the-world
sea voyage?
Ans. The narrator and his wife worked upon their sea related skills during their
leisure time for 16 years. They made a boat named Wavewalker in a professional
manner for the voyage. They even tested in rough sea weather they could find.
They prepared their mind and body for the journey.
3. Describe the beauty of the boat Wavewalker.
Ans. In order to undertake the round-the-world sea voyage, they got a boat built
professionally. It was named as Wavewalker. It was 23 metre long and 30 ton
wooden-hulled sailboat. They had spent months fitting it out and testing it in the
roughest weather they could find.
4. Why did they take on two crewmen with them at Cape Town?
Ans. Before heading East from Cape Town, they took on two crewmen who were
experienced seamen. They were Larry Vigil, an American and Herb Seigler, a
Swiss. The narrator took this step because he knew that they would require help
to tackle one of the world’s roughest seas – the southern Indian Ocean.
5. What happened after the ‘ominous silence’?
Ans. The ominous silence was the first indication of impending disaster. The
wind dropped and the sky immediately grew dark. The narrator saw what he
thought as an enormous cloud coming towards the ship. With horror he realized
that it was not a cloud but a wave like no other he had ever seen. It was almost
twice the height of other waves.
The wave hit the boat and wrecked it completely. Water gushed from all sides
and the boat started filling with water.