We're Not Afraid To Die - A Synopsis

       The narrator, a thiry seven year old businessman and his wife Mary had been sailing near Britain for sixteen years and wanted to travel around the world, the way Captain James Cook did. They left England in July with their two children, six year old Jonathan and seven years old Suzzane on a boat called 'Wavewalker'.

The Sequence of Events:

• They picked up two crewmen from Cape Town: American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seiger

• Dec 25 – encountered atrocious weather yet celebrated the wonderful holiday on their boat.

• January 2 – speed eight knots – screaming wind – attempted to slow down the jib – life raft drill, oilskins and life jackets donned in preparation of a worst case scenario

• January 2, 6 pm – Ominous silence (a silence that seemed to predict the oncoming of catastrophe)
• Suddenly dark sky due to a huge, perfectly vertical wave with a frightful breaking crest that crashed on the deck of the boat

• Explosion of water on deck – narrator’s head smashed against the wheel – loses consciousness

• Narrator is thrown overboard - regains  consciousness – is thrown back on board but injured badly

• Mary takes the wheel – Larry and Herb pump water out – Narrator checks on the children 

• Bump on Sue’s head – but narrator is unable to tend to it right away 

• Narrator waterproofs the gaping holes – hand pumps get blocked due to the debris – electric pump short circuits – water level rises inside the boat 

• Narrator recalls the second electric pump and it is effective – no response to mayday calls 

• More injuries of Sue discovered. Sue says she did not wish to worry her parents when they were already stressed - bravery of the daughter in times of adversity. 

• January 3 – water level relatively controlled – the members of the boat rest in rotation 

• Two small islands towards the east - only hope but difficult to locate since most navigation instruments have been damaged 

• Unable to hoist sail due to the strong wind – crew eats their first meal in almost two days on Jan 4 

• Weather continues to deteriorate – Children claim they are not afraid to die if they are all together - nobility and courage in the face of adversity

• Narrator seems to lose hope but can only share it with his wife - calculations do not reveal anything significant to the narrator 

• Sue draws caricatures of her parents – love, hope, gratitude   

• Narrator tries to sound confident as he directs his crewman towards the island they hope to reach - a good captain 

• Narrator sleeps – wakes up with the realization that they must have missed the island since by his calculations, had they been heading in the right direction, they would have reached long ago 

• Sue and Jonathan come to the narrator asking for a hug and claim that the narrator is the best dad in the world - narrator is surprised by the gesture since he believes he has been unable to locate the island

 • It is seen that they have indeed reached the island. The narrator had not calculated the magnetic variation and hence, the delay in reaching land.

        This is a story of human endurance, selflessness and courage in the face of adversity. Traditionally, the captain of the ship must go down with it and attempt only to save the passengers. However, in this story, we see other traits in the narrator which make him a good captain.

The narrator as a captain:
        The narrator was able to think rationally, prioritize and recall important information under duress. He was able to recall the backup electric pump, waterproofed the ship and performed repairs as required, identified nearest land/port and performed intense calculations despite the lack of proper equipment, did not convey his fears to his crew and presented a confident face throughout enhancing the morale of his team.

The family and crew as support:
        The narrator's family and crew showed unconditional team spirit during adversity. His wife helped with the navigation of the ship while his children offered moral support. The crew members Larry and Herb worked tirelessly and did not abandon ship.
         Despite their young years, Jonathan and Suzanne showed courage and optimistic fervour. Suzanne did not bother her parents with her injuries no matter how extensive they were. She also made a card for her parents to show her love and gratitude. Jonathan claimed he was not afraid even to die if he were with his family.

Question Bank

Q.1. What was the narrator’s purpose of making the voyage from Plymouth in 1976?

Q.2. Describe the weather conditions on January 2

Q.3. Describe how the narrator coped when the disastor struck the ship.

Q.4. How did Sue suffer when the wave struck the ship?

Q.5. How did the children’s presence and behaviour during the crisis affect the narrator?

Q.6. How big was Ile Amsterdam? How did the narrator find it?

Q.7. Describe the weather and sea conditions leading to the wave hitting the ‘Wavewalker’.What was the effect of it?

Q.8. Why was their respite short lived?

Q.9. Why did the narrator feel that it was the most beautiful island?

Q.10.How does this story suggests that that optimism helps to endure ‘the direst stress’?