We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea facts for kids
Typical cover art depicting a montage of Arthur Ransome's own illustrations from the book
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| Author | Arthur Ransome |
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| Cover artist | Arthur Ransome |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Swallows and Amazons |
| Genre | Children's books |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
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Publication date
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1937 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-1-56792-487-9 (David R. Godine, Publisher: paperback, 1994) |
| Preceded by | Pigeon Post |
| Followed by | Secret Water |
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea is an exciting adventure story for young readers. It is the seventh book in Arthur Ransome's popular Swallows and Amazons series. This book was first published in 1937.
In this story, we follow the brave Walker children: John, Susan, Titty, and Roger. They are often called the "Swallows." They are the main characters in this book. The children are staying with their Mother and baby sister Bridget. Their holiday spot is Pin Mill on the River Orwell in Suffolk, England. They are waiting to meet their father, Commander Ted Walker. He is a Navy officer. He is coming home from Hong Kong to start a new job.
The book features a special sailing boat called the Goblin. It is a small cutter. This boat is very much like Arthur Ransome's own boat, the Nancy Blackett. Ransome even sailed his own boat on the same route to research the story. The details about sailing and the places mentioned are very accurate.
Contents
What Happens in We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea?
This book tells the story of an unexpected and thrilling sea adventure. The Walker children find themselves far from home. They have to use all their courage and sailing skills.
The Adventure Begins: A Promise Made
The Walker children meet Jim Brading. He owns the sailing boat Goblin. Jim's uncle gave him the boat. The children help Jim moor his boat. He had missed the buoy. To say thank you, Jim invites them to sail on the Goblin.
Their Mother agrees to the trip. But she sets some clear rules. They must stay inside the estuary of the Orwell and Stour rivers. They must not go past the Beach End buoy. This buoy is at the mouth of the rivers. Most importantly, they must not go out to sea. These rules are very important. Their father is arriving soon.
Lost in the Fog: A Promise Broken
The children promise to follow all the rules. On their second morning, the weather is calm. But the boat's engine runs out of petrol. Jim had used a lot of it the night before. So, Jim takes his small dinghy, the Imp, to shore. He plans to get more petrol from a garage. He leaves the children alone on the Goblin.
Jim does not return. Then, a thick fog rolls in over the river. It becomes impossible to see anything. Hours pass. The children hear the anchor dragging. They realize the tide has risen. The anchor chain is now too short. The Goblin is drifting down the river.
John tries to let out more anchor chain. But he loses the main anchor. He tries to use the spare anchor, called a kedge. But it also fails. The yacht drifts past Beach End. It is now heading out into the North Sea.
Facing the Storm: Courage on the Open Sea
John decides it is safer to sail farther out to sea. This is better than staying near the shore. The shore has many sandbanks and shoals. They could easily crash in the fog. He hoists the sails.
A strong wind soon blows the fog away. But then, blinding rain starts. Susan feels very guilty. She knows they have broken their promises. She also gets very seasick. Titty has a bad headache and needs to rest. As night falls, they try to turn the boat around. They want to go back to the river. But the wind is now a storm. It is impossible to sail against it. So, they have to sail east with the wind.
The Goblin sails east through the night. The conditions are very dangerous. John has to leave Susan at the helm. He needs to make the main sail smaller. He is almost swept overboard by a wave. But he succeeds. Then, a big ship nearly hits them. Their navigation lights are out of paraffin. Titty quickly uses a powerful torch and a red plate. This makes a temporary red light.
Meanwhile, back at Pin Mill, Mother wakes up. The storm worries her. She tries to hide her fear from baby Bridget.
Reaching Safety: A New Friend and a Surprise Reunion
At dawn the next morning, the wind starts to calm down. John convinces Susan to keep going to the nearest port. It is too hard to try and return to Harwich. They then rescue a small kitten. It is floating on a chicken coop. They name the kitten Sinbad.
John then sees an unknown coast. They spot some fishing boats. They realize the boats are Dutch. This means they are in the Netherlands. Jim had warned them about "longshore sharks." These are people who might demand money for helping. But they see a pilot boat. They pick up a Dutch pilot.
John does not want the pilot to know they are alone. So, John stays on deck by himself. He pretends to be a cabin boy. He says he is "a sort of Roger." This tricks the pilot long enough. The pilot helps them enter the harbour.
They arrive safely in Flushing. At the same time, their father is leaving on a ferry to Harwich. Their father quickly leaves the ferry. He comes to help them deal with the pilot. The pilot is so impressed by their story. He decides not to charge them any money. He also helps them get ready for their journey home.
Their father sends some carefully worded messages to Pin Mill. While the children sleep, he sails the Goblin back to England that night. They arrive in Harwich harbour. The Goblin and its crew are reunited with Jim Brading. He was looking for his missing boat. Jim had been unconscious in hospital for two days. He had a concussion. He had gotten off his bus by the garage. In his hurry, he crossed the road without looking. Another bus hit him.
Finally, everyone sails up the river. They are reunited with Mother. The children confess everything that happened.
