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We Didnt Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome

Chapter Summary

Chapter 1: On the River

The Walkers arrive in Pin Mill the day before. They are here to meet their father, Commander Walker who is
coming back from China.
-mast-
John Walker and his other siblings Susan, Titty, and Roger are rowing a rowboat
when they meet Jim Brading. John helps Jim to tie the rope of his yacht to the
buoy.

-buoy-

To thank John, Jim then invites the children to his yacht.

His yacht is named Goblin. When Mrs. Walker sees Jim, she invites him over for
supper at Alma Cottage. The next day Jim asks Mrs. Walker again to take the
children in his yacht on a river cruise. Mrs. Walker is a little reluctant but Jim
promises that they will not sail past the Beach End Bouy. Mrs. Walker says okay.

Chapter 2: In Harbour
-anchor-
John and Susan take turn to steer the Goblin. Jim suggests
they anchor off Shotley Pier and go ashore to call Mrs.
Walker. After the Goblin is stopped, Jim tells the children
that there are many shoals outside and it is easy to run
aground. At night, the Goblin suddenly rolls violently. Jim
tells them that it is because of the big ship that goes from
England to Holland every day.
-lightship-
The next morning, they hear a warning from the Cork Lightship telling them
about a fog out at sea. They then hear a sound like a deep bell from the Beach
End Bouy. They should not go past the bouy so they have to turn back. But, there
is no wind to sail the yacht so they have to use the engine. Then, the engine stops
because there is no petrol. Jim anchors the boat and decided to go ashore to get
some petrol. He leaves the children in the yacht and gets John to take charge.

After that, a fog comes. The children cannot see the end of the land and the sea is nearby. After six hours,
Jim has not returned. They become worried. Suddenly, the ship starts moving because the anchor has come
off from the bottom of the sea.

Chapter 3: Drifting out to Sea

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-fog-
John tries to check but he cannot see anything because of the fog. John realizes
the anchor is too short to reach the bottom of the sea because it is high tide now.
After trying hard to pull more chain out, the whole chain disappears in the sea.
They try to work with a second chain but there are two parts and they do not
know how to put them together.
-shoal-
The tide pulls them past the Beach End buoy. John tries to
think back what Jim has told him about being careful with
the shoals. They almost hit a buoy so they put up the sails
and steer the yacht. To stay safe, they are now out at the
sea! Susan is worried because they have promised their
mother not to go out to the sea.

However, John decides to go on out to the sea to get away

from the shoals. They cannot turn back due to the fog. At
the same time, Titty and Susan become seasick. John feels
bad for them.
Chapter 4: A Stormy Night
-cockpit-
The Goblin is now out at sea. Two hours later, the fog starts to go way but the rain
comes with strong winds. A lot of water runs off the cabin roof into the cockpit.
Susan and John decide to turn back but something bad happens. The wind and
waves crash over the bows and splash on the cabin roof and the children.

John tries to steer but the wind is too strong. When he finally turns the yacht away
from the wind, they are forced to sail back to the open sea. There is a lot of water
in the yacht, they have to use a pump to pump the water out. Then, John makes the sail smaller so that it
moves slower.

The children feel safer now. John orders Roger to sound the foghorn so that the ferry will not hit them.
That day, Mrs. Walkers receives a telegram from Commander Walker that he will arrive in England soon.
She wonders if the children will come back in time.

Chapter 5: Sinbad and the Pilot

-pilotship-
The wind is now calm. The children are safe. Susan helps John to steer the yacht.
In the morning, Susan suggests turning back to Harwich (near to Pin Mill), but John
disagrees. He wants to go to the harbour in Holland and send a telegram to
Mother and Jim to tell them where they are. On the way to the harbour, they see a
cat on a box and rescue it. They name it Sinbad. Then, they see a pilot ship. They
use a blue and white flag to get the pilot ship to help them. Because there is no
adult in the yacht, John comes up with a plan. He asks his other siblings to pretend
as adults and act like there is a party down in the cabin. The pilot guides the Goblin to Flushing (a port in
Holland). There, John sees his father and calls out to him from the ferry. The pilot then helps the Goblin to
stop at a buoy safely.

Chapter 6: Arriving in Holland

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-Dutch wooden shoes-
The pilot is surprised to find that there is no adult in the yacht. Then, they father
comes to meet them. The pilot gives them charts for the North Sea so that they
can sail back home. The children tell their father that Mother and Jim do not know
about what has happened to them. Father sends a telegram to his friend to
Shotley and asks his friend to send a telegram to Mother so that Mother will think
that the children have sent a telegram from Shotley.

They buy some supplies for their journey and five pairs of Dutch wooden shoes to bring back home. The
children are happy that their Father is with them.

Chapter 7: Coming Home

The next morning, they pass the Sunk Lightship and see the Beach End Buoy. The children are happy that
they are near home.
-dinghy-
Jim wakes up in the hospital. He had an accident. He is worried about the
children, as he has promised Mrs. Walker. He hurries to the harbour and the
Goblin is no longer there. He is more worried now and decides to tell Mrs. Walker
about it. Suddenly, someone tells him that the Goblin is coming in from the Cork
lightship. He rows out to see the yacht. They children are happy to see Jim. They
go back to the Harwich Harbour to get customs check.

Susan prepares dinner for the whole family as the Goblin is reaching Pin Mill. Then, they see Mother and
Bridget come to meet them in a dinghy. When Mother goes on board, she starts to question them about
their promise to come back earlier and the bandages on Jims head. Then, Father appears from the cabin
and Mother thinks that they have met him in Harwich. When she finds out that they have come back from
the sea, Mother gets upset with Jim because he breaks his promise. Father tells Mother that it is not Jims
fault, he then leaves with her and explain to her about everything that has happened. He wants her to
know that the children did not mean to go to sea.