In 1966, when Sir Francis Chichester was 65 years old, he went in a small sailing boat called the Gipsy Moth. And he went alone. The trip took 226 days.
In this story Sir Francis tells about a storm that almost sank his boat.
Monday night was as black as it could be at sea. But I could make out the white tops of angry waves. They rose up high in the darkness. Then they came crashing down on the small boat. Water splashed all over me.
I was not feeling well, and I went down to my cabin. The boat was going up and down. It rolled from side to side. I could not stay in my feet. The boat was moving too much. My bed was the only safe place to be. So I lay down and put out the lights. At I fell asleep.
I think I work up when a great wave hit the boat. If not, I woke just as the boat started to roll. Everything sild to the side as the boat kept going over.
The boat is going to turn upside down, I thought. I was not afraid then. I just wondered what it would be like.
Then a lot of banging began. All my pots, pans, and bottles fell everywhere. They hit me on my head and arms.
It was so dark I could not see a thin. Was the boat on top of me? Would it turn all the way over? Then I was afraid.
Slowly the boat came back out of the water. It did not turn all the way over. I put out my hand and turned on the light above my bed. It worked. The light made me fell better.
Food and clothes were all over the room. Water covered the floor. I began to put thing away, but then I thought:Why am I doing this? The boat may roll over again.
Finally I said to myself: Leave everything as it is. Yoี must get some sleep.
I got back in my bed. It was completely wet. But that night I did not care. I lay down and fell asleep. I did not wake until daylight.
The Gipsy Moth finished the rest of the trip around the world safely. But I'll never forget that fearful night at sea.