We Didnt Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome Novel summary | Character

Traits | Moral Values | Themes

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.
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.
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

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 everyday.
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
near by. 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

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.
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

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

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

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.
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.

mast
CHAPTER 1

buoy
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2 anchor

CHAPTER 2 lightship

fog
CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3 shoal

CHAPTER 4 cockpit

-
 CHAPTER 5 pilotship

CHAPTER 6 Dutch wooden shoes

CHAPTER 7 dinghy

SUMMARY
John,Roger, Susan and Titty help Jim Brading to tie a rope to the buoy In return he invites
them to sail aboard Goblin. Mother agrees provided that they stay within the estuary of the
rivers Orwell and Stour, do not pass the Beach End buoy at the mouth of the rivers, and do
not go out to sea. These conditions are imposed because of the imminent arrival of their
father, a Navy, who is expected to return by ferry at any time from Holland. The children
agree to these conditions.

Unfortunately, on the second morning Goblin runs out of petrol because Jim forgets to fill
up before they start. So Jim rows ashore to buy some petrol and promises to return in ten
minutes but does not return. An unexpected bank of fog drifts over the river, and the Goblin
is without her captain. Some hours later, after hearing the anchor drag in the fog, the
Walkers realise that the tide has risen, the anchor chain is now too short, and they are
drifting down river. While John tries to put out more chain, John loses the anchor, and the
yacht drifts out beyond Beach End into the North Sea. Aboard the drifting boat, John decides
that it is safer to hoist the sails and go farther out to sea rather than the risk of being
wrecked in the fog. They put about in the night to return to the river, but find that sailing
against the wind is impossible, so run eastward with the wind.

The Goblin sails east through the night in hazardous conditions, being nearly run down as
the navigation lights are out of paraffin. John has to leave Susan at the helm while he reefs
the mainsail. He is almost swept overboard, but succeeds in his objective. At dawn next
morning, John persuades Susan to continue to the nearest port rather than trying to return to
Harwich. They rescue a kitten floating on a packing-case. They find themselves approaching
an unknown coast; it is the Southern Netherlands. Jim has warned them about longshore
sharks who might claim salvage if asked for help. But they see a pilot ship, and pick up a
Dutch pilot who later learns cross the North Sea in the storm. He decides to help the
children and it is free of charge..

They arrive safely in Flushing. A ferry is leaving to Harwich their father sees John and
shouts to him as he is leaving on a ferry to Harwich. Their father leaves the ferry just in time
and returns to help them sail the Goblin back. Susan is terribly sad about their mother who
will be worrying about them so their father sends a telegram from Harwich to her. On
arriving in England, the Goblin and its crew are reunited with their mother and with Jim
Brading, who is looking for his missing yacht. Mrs Walker feels angry because the children
go to Harwich to meet their father. Jim had been unconscious in hospital for two days,
suffering from concussion after being involved in a collision with a bus. Roger keeps telling
their mother that they met Father in Holland. Hence, Father has to tell their mother about the
mishap and the children are sure that Mother will understand that they didn't mean to go to
sea.
We didnt mean to go to the sea
1. 1. WE DIDNT MEAN TO GO TO SEA BY ARTHUR RANSOME
2. 2. Arthur Ransome o Born in Jan 1884, died in June 1967 o An English author and
jounalist o This book reflects his voyage across the North Sea to Flushing o The boat
Goblin is actually his own boat
3. 3. SETTING England, Pin Mill, Harwich, Shotley Holland The North Sea
4. 4. Harwich Harbour Back then 2016
5. 5. MAIN CHARACTERS Ted Walker Mrs. Mary Walker John Walker Susan Walker
Titty Walker Roger Walker Jim Brading
6. 6. MINOR CHARACTERS Ms. Powell Bridget Walker Frank ( the boatman) Dutch
pilot
7. 7. LANGUAGE AND STYLE Simple modern-day informal language with some maritime
jargon and graphology Literary devices Simile, metaphor, personification, repetition
8. 8. THEMES Do not underestimate the capabilities of children. Perseverance, courage
bring about success.
9. 9. Themes Cooperation and teamwork go a long way. Keeping a promise is important.
10. 10. Moral Values Perseverance and determination. Compassion and kindness
11. 11. Moral Values Honesty Love Courage Cooperation and teamwork
Responsibility
12. 12. Synopsis In We Didnt Mean to go to sea, four children ( John, Susan, Titty and
Roger) go to Pin Mill with their mother, Mrs. Walker, and younger sister, Bridget
13. 13. to await their fathers return to Britain. There, they meet a young sailor named Jim
Brading, owner of the Goblin. Jim invites them for a quiet cruise on the River Orwell. He
reassures
14. 14. Mrs. Walker that he will not take the four children to sea. He doesnt anticipate the
fact that he will run out of petrol.
15. 15. He leaves the four children in his small yatch to get some petrol but meets with an
accident and loses consciousness.
16. 16. He does not return to the Goblin. The tide turns and the children drift out to sea in his
yatch.
17. 17. They manage to survive the dangerous North Sea, but they are more worried about
disobeying their mother.
18. 18. The Goblin ends up all the way to Holland where they get a pilot to guide the yacht to
safety.
19. 19. There, they bump into their father. With his guidance, they sail back to England
together.