We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea
Encyclopedia
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea is the seventh book in Arthur Ransome
's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. It was published in 1937. In this book, the Swallows (Walker family) are the only recurring characters. They are staying in a new location, Pin Mill on the River Orwell
upstream from the ports of Felixstowe
and Harwich
.
The book features a small sailing cutter, the Goblin, which is almost identical to Ransome's own boat Nancy Blackett. This book also features accurate geography unlike the Lakes books. Ransome sailed Nancy Blackett across to Flushing by the same route as part of his research for the book.
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, Ted Walker, who, after an overseas posting with the Navy
, is expected to return by ferry at any time from Holland. He was travelling overland from China; in Swallows and Amazons
his ship was at Malta but under orders for Hong Kong (as also stated in Missee Lee
).
The children agree to these conditions. However, on the second morning during a calm, the engine runs out of petrol; Jim had used it for some time the night before last. So Jim rows ashore in the Imp the dinghy of the anchored Goblin to fill a can, 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 attempting 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 stay near the shore among the sandbanks and shoals of the estuary, with 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.
John, who is presented as the most responsible of the children, serves as the 'de facto' captain of the Goblin, but everyone plays an essential role in the adventurous voyage. The Goblin sails east through the night in hazardous conditions, being nearly run down as the navigation lights are out of paraffin. At dawn next morning, John persuades Susan to continue to the nearest port rather than trying to return to Harwich. 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 boat, and pick up a Dutch pilot: It isn't like asking for help. Jim said so himself. It's quite alright to signal for a pilot. Even liners do it says John.
They arrive safely in Flushing, at the same time as their absent father. John sees Daddy embarking on a steam ferry bound for Harwich; but he jumps ship to join his family and organize the return voyage aboard Goblin. On returning to the Harwich estuary, the Goblin and its crew are reunited with Mother (Mary Walker), and with Jim Brading, who is looking for his missing yacht. The final point of plot resolution is that the absent skipper had been unconscious in hospital for two days, suffering from concussion after being involved in a collision with a motor bus.
Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist, best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. These tell of school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. Many of the books involve sailing; other common subjects...
's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. It was published in 1937. In this book, the Swallows (Walker family) are the only recurring characters. They are staying in a new location, Pin Mill on the River Orwell
River Orwell
The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England. Its source river, above the tidal limit at Stoke Bridge, is known as the River Gipping. It broadens into an estuary at Ipswich where the Ipswich dock has operated since the 7th century and then flows into the North Sea at Felixstowe...
upstream from the ports of Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
and Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
.
The book features a small sailing cutter, the Goblin, which is almost identical to Ransome's own boat Nancy Blackett. This book also features accurate geography unlike the Lakes books. Ransome sailed Nancy Blackett across to Flushing by the same route as part of his research for the book.
Plot summary
The Walkers help Jim Brading, who was given the sailing cutter Goblin by his uncle, moor her when he misses the buoy. In return he invites them to sail aboard Goblin. Mother agrees provided that they stay within the estuaryEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the rivers Orwell and Stour
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
, 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, Ted Walker, who, after an overseas posting with the Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, is expected to return by ferry at any time from Holland. He was travelling overland from China; in Swallows and Amazons
Swallows and Amazons
Swallows and Amazons is the first book in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome; it was first published in 1930, with the action taking place in the summer of 1929 in the Lake District...
his ship was at Malta but under orders for Hong Kong (as also stated in Missee Lee
Missee Lee
Missee Lee is the tenth book of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books, set in 1930s China. The Swallows and Amazons are on a round the world trip with Captain Flint aboard the schooner Wild Cat. After the Wild Cat sinks, they escape in the Swallow and Amazon but are...
).
The children agree to these conditions. However, on the second morning during a calm, the engine runs out of petrol; Jim had used it for some time the night before last. So Jim rows ashore in the Imp the dinghy of the anchored Goblin to fill a can, but does not return. An unexpected bank of fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
drifts over the river, and the Goblin is without her captain. Some hours later, after hearing the anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
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 attempting to put out more chain, John loses the anchor, and the yacht drifts out beyond Beach End into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. Aboard the drifting boat, John decides that it is safer to hoist the sails and go farther out to sea rather than stay near the shore among the sandbanks and shoals of the estuary, with 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.
John, who is presented as the most responsible of the children, serves as the 'de facto' captain of the Goblin, but everyone plays an essential role in the adventurous voyage. The Goblin sails east through the night in hazardous conditions, being nearly run down as the navigation lights are out of paraffin. At dawn next morning, John persuades Susan to continue to the nearest port rather than trying to return to Harwich. They find themselves approaching an unknown coast; it is the southern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Jim has warned them about longshore sharks who might claim salvage if asked for help. But they see a pilot boat, and pick up a Dutch pilot: It isn't like asking for help. Jim said so himself. It's quite alright to signal for a pilot. Even liners do it says John.
They arrive safely in Flushing, at the same time as their absent father. John sees Daddy embarking on a steam ferry bound for Harwich; but he jumps ship to join his family and organize the return voyage aboard Goblin. On returning to the Harwich estuary, the Goblin and its crew are reunited with Mother (Mary Walker), and with Jim Brading, who is looking for his missing yacht. The final point of plot resolution is that the absent skipper had been unconscious in hospital for two days, suffering from concussion after being involved in a collision with a motor bus.