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We’re Not Afraid to Die... If We Can All be Together
Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.
On January 4, the voyagers got some respite. After 36 hours of continuous pumping they could pump much of the water out. Water was still coming in. The pumpers were to keep pace with the water. They could not set any sail on the main mast. So they hoisted the storm jib. Mary found some beef and biscuits. They ate their first meal in almost two days. But their respite was short lived. At 4 pm the wind was back to 40 knots. The waves were rising higher.
By the dawn on January 5, the situation was again hopeless. The narrator went in to comfort the children. Jon asked if they were ‘going to die’. The narrator assured him that they would succeed. His son replied that they were not afraid of dying if they could “all be together”. The captain used an improvised sea anchor. It was made of heavy nylon rope and 22 barrels of paraffin. Those were critical moments. Mary and the narrator sat together holding their hands. They both felt that the end was very near. But Wavewalker rode out (of) the storm and the wind eased by the morning of January 6.
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Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved?
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?
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knot |
stern |
boom |
hatch |
anchor |
The following three compound words end in-ship. What does each of them mean?
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airship |
flagship |
lightship |
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
Given on the next page is a picture of a yacht. Label the parts of the yacht using the terms given in the box.
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bow |
cabin |
rudder |
cockpit |
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stern |
boom |
mainsail |
mast |
Here is some information downloaded from the Internet on lle Amsterdam. You can view images of the isle if you go online.
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Location |
South Indian Ocean, between southernmost parts of Australia and South Africa |
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Latitude and longitude |
37 92 S, 77 67 E |
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Sovereignty |
France |
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Political status notes |
Part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
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Population |
35 |
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Census notes |
Meteorological station staff |
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Land area in square kilometres |
86 |
Locate lle Amsterdam on the world map. Ans. For self-attempt.
Whom did the narrator and his family want to duplicate and why?
Describe the boat and the plan of the journey.
How did they pass the first leg of their journey?
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