A very short summary about the lesson We're Not Afraid to Die
Answers
Answer:
The story is about the determination and togetherness of a family that defied the odds and torturous weather to achieve a nearly impossible feat. Their courage and love for each other helped them survive fearsome storm and desperation to survive and finish the journey they set out to complete.
Globe Journey
The protagonist and his wife wanted to recapitulate the around the globe journey by Captain James Cook on his 200th anniversary. They set out to travel from English shores to the Australian ones in three years.
They had built and tested a state of the art voyager named Wavewalker in order to achieve their goal. It was built with professional expertise and time tested technology.
Their Voyage
The voyage started in the fall with the family of four (the couple and their two kids). The first phase of the journey went unspectacularly and with ease as they reached Cape Town in South Africa. The tow expert sailors Seigler and Vigil were brought on board to maneuver through the treacherous Indian Ocean.
The 105,000 kilometre stretch till Cape Town was like the lull before the storm. However, they found no issues even beyond Cape Town up until 3,500 kilometres. After celebrating the New Year with joy and hope they hit their first bad weather spell on January 2, 1977.
Problems Began
The vessel was struck by a giant wave which knocked the protagonist overboard with the ship about to topple. However, another wave got the shop vertical and the narrator back on board. He suffered from injuries to his ribs.
This caused panic around the deck as they realized water had spilled into the lower reaches of the ship. Vigil and Seigler were ordered to release the water while Mary, the wife took over the steering wheel.
The protagonist worked hard to seal the possible entry holes for more water but to his dismay found the electric pumps damaged. The hand pumps were choked due to the debris from the impact. He managed to find one electric pumping working condition and used it to try and drain enough water.
They Suffered Injuries
There was no radio contact and they were out on their own. The pumping was relentless and continued for a day and a half. Meanwhile, Suzanne suffered from a head injury and it swelled up. She tried not to cause more panic and underplayed the pain to her father who was already distressed.
The team worked in shifts and units continuously. The Wavewalker had sustained irrevocable damage and it could not possibly reach Australia now. The think tank decided to find sore at a nearby scientific base and French island called Ile Amsterdam.
More Problems
However, their troubles were far from over. The back engine was lost and the main mast was heavily damaged as well. They were directionless and staged out at the Ocean.
They managed to scour some food and ate for the first time in 48 hours. The next morning brought more troubled weather as the weary crew was hanging on the last few shreds of hope and optimism.
6-Year-Old Brave
Defeated by the situation, the narrator decided to console his son but he was astonished to see his 6-year-old as determined and brave as anyone on the ship.
This boosted the morale of the couple who was losing it fast. They were jolted into action by their fearless kids. Determined and strong-willed, they finally come out the dark skies. Opting to set the course in a direction possibly to the island, they decided to leave the things to fate.
Victory
Their luck finally changed and they found Ile Amsterdam in a few hours only. They were greeted by a couple of dozens of its residents. The family and the entire crew stepped on land after what seems like an eternal battle for survival.
They were all heroes to each other but none more courageous than a 6-year old boy who defied death and a 7-year old girl who put hope before her own injury and pain. The whole family hugged each other and heaved a huge sigh of relief and gratitude.
Answer:
The first portion of the journey that is about 1,05,000 kilometres up to Cape Town passed off very enjoyably. On the 2nd day out of Cape Town, they started to encounter strong windstorms. Windstorms did not worry about the narrator. But the height of the waves was alarming up to fifteen meters above that was as high as the mainmast. On the 25th of December, the writer’s ship reaches in the southern Indian Ocean that was about 3,500 kilometres to the east of Cape Town. The family welcomed the New Year on the ship.
At the dawn of 2nd January, the waves were huge in size. Unfriendly weather and massive waves forced the sailors to slow the speed of the ship, drop the storm jib and take various other precautions. The risk was so obvious that the sailors accomplished a life-raft drill, attached the lifeline boats and the life jackets. Unexpectedly at 6 pm, a terrific explosion shook the Wavewalker and the writer was thrown overboard. The Wavewalker was about to overturn when another massive wave hit it throwing it upright one more time. The writer was thrown back again on the deck, his head and ribs were smashing touching the walls of the Wavewalker. In spite of a lot of injuries, the writer took charge of the situation and decided to handle it on his own. Larry and Herb started pumping out water from the ship.
The author somehow managed to cover the canvas across the gaps to stop the water from entering into the ship. Moreover, their hand pumps stopped functioning and the electric pumps short-circuited at the same time. Luckily, the writer found a spare electrical pump that was in a working condition. The entire night everyone was pumping, steering, repairing and sending radio signals for help. The author checked the charts and found that He Amsterdam, a French scientific base was their last hope.
Sue and Jon got heavily injured. But, they were not afraid to die if they were all together. Sue’s head got swelling and she was having a deep injury. Moreover, the writer became extra determined to see the courage of his children. Finally, they were able to touch the lie Amsterdam. It was a volcanic island where 28 inhabitants were ready to receive them.
Conclusion of We’re Not Afraid to Die… if We Can All Be Together
To sum up, we are not afraid to die if we can all be together summary, we can say the collective power of unity and the never-failing confidence of the sailors made it possible for them to survive and come out from the jaws of death.