In harbour
They were off. There were a few busy moments with ropes and sail, but now the Goblin was sailing gently down the river and the four children began to talk again.
‘Two days ago,’ said Titty quietly, ‘we were in the train, coming to Pin Mill.’
‘I was outside Dover, wishing for wind,’ laughed Jim.
‘And now we’re all here,’ said Titty and Susan.
‘You steer Goblin, John, while I go and tidy up on deck,’ said Jim.
‘Are you sure I can?’ said John looking worried.
‘Of course you can. Just keep her as she’s going.’
The tiller was in John’s hands. Susan and Titty were watching him. Could he do it? The children were only used to a small sailing boat, and this yacht was much bigger. But it was not nearly as hard as John had thought, and soon he began to feel more confident.
Jim came back into the cockpit, and John moved along so that Jim could sit down and talk the tiller.
‘No you carry on,’ said Jim. ‘You’re doing well.’
On they went. Soon the river become winder and they sailed into Harwich harbour.
‘Now then,’ said Jim. ‘Susan why not give John a rest, and let’ see how you can steer.’
Susan sat down beside John and took the tiller. There was only one thought in her mind; she must keep the cockpit, pointing with his finger and shouting.
‘Look! Look! It’s a black pig, swimming.’
‘Where?’ shouted Titty.
‘There. No, it’s gone now. No. Look! There it is!’
‘It’s a porpoise,’ said Jim. ‘They like swimming around boats.’
Porpoises were too much, even for Susan. She stopped thinking around keeping the Goblin sailing straight and looked for the porpoise.
‘Look out for your steering,’ said John.
‘Sorry,’ said Susan as she felt the wind pull on the sails. ‘All right, John, I won’t look again.’
‘Where are we going to anchor for the night?’ Roger asked.
‘I know a good place,’ said Jim. ‘Off Shotley Pier-we can go ashore and telephone your mother.’
The wind had dropped and the tide was against them as they came to the place where Jim wanted to anchor.
‘Only just enough wide,’ said Jim. I’ll go forward and get the anchor ready.’
‘Can I come and see how you do it?’ asked John. Susan, Titty and Roger were left alone in the cockpit.
Susan was steering and the Goblin slowly came closer to the pier. John was carefully as Jim help the anchor over the bows, ready to drop it into the water.
‘Now, bring the sails down,’ Jim called to the others, and he let the anchor fall into the water. ‘Let’s go ashore.’
‘Let’s have supper first,’ said Susan.
‘Tell us about your voyage from Dover,’ said John, as they were finishing supper.
‘Nothing much to tell,’ said Jim, ‘except that when you’re sailing alone, you can’t have any sleep. I had to wait quite a long time outside the entrance to the harbour here. There are a lot of shoals outside; you know, places where the water is very shallow, and it’s very easy to run around.
There was a bit of fog, and didn’t want to try to fine my way into the harbour until I could see the buoys. I don’t like shoals; they’re very dangerous.’
‘Where are the shoals outside Harwich?’ asked Jonh.
‘Look at the chart,’ replied Jim. There’s Harwich, and there’s Shotley, where we are now, and he pointed with his finger. ‘And all the shoals are just outside. The big ships like to come in the this,’ and his finger followed a safe line between the shoals. ‘They go towards the Cork lightship. It’s the only safe way to go. And when it’s dark, or foggy, the only safe thing to do is to get out to sea and stay there.’
John listened, telling himself he would remember that, when one day he had a boat of his own.
‘What did you do?’ asked Roger.
‘Just sailed about, outside all of the shoals. Then , in the morning I came to the Sunk lightship, then the Cork, and then to the Beach End buoy-you’ll see that tomorrow and into the harbour and up to Pin Mill. And when I got there, some very good young sailors helped me to tie up to my buoy. Now, it’s nearly nine o’clock, and time to go and tell your mother you haven’t drowned.’
When they came back to the Goblin, it was nearly dark, and it was time for Susan, Titty and Roger to go to bed. They looked at all the other boats with their lights shining softy across the calm waters of the harbour. A few minutes later John and Jim went to bed, too.
They slept. The night was so calm that it was hard to believe that they were sleeping on the boat. But when they had been asleep for about an hour, they were reminded that they were very near the open sea. A small noise got louder and louder, and soon the Goblin was rolling violently from side to side. Everybody woke up suddenly.
‘What’s happened?’ called Roger.
‘It’s all right,’ said Jim. ‘It’s a big ship going out to sea.
There’s one that goes across to Holland every night. I forgot to tell you about it.’
‘One day soon it’ll bring Daddy back from Holland,’ said Titty, as the Goblin stopped rolling about. A few minutes later all was quite again. The crews of the Goblin were asleep.
At seven o’clock the next morning the sleepy crew were woken by a loud shout into the cabin.
‘Come on, then. Anybody want a swim before breakfast?
We’ve got no time to lose before the tide turns.’ Jim was already in the cockpit, ready for a swim. The others hurried to join him.
Later on, after the swim, Susan found that Jim was in a hurry to set side and they had no time for breakfast. They were off, sailing down with the tide towards the entrance to the harbour, and the crew ate some of their breakfast while the Goblin sailed slowly past the town of Harwich. There was very little wind and the sails moved lazily from one side to the other.
‘Later on,' said Jim, ‘there’ll be wind. Or fog. Or both. You never know with a day that starts like this.’
As he spoke, they heard the long, loud of the Cork lightship outside the harbour entrance, which meant that there was fog out at sea. The tide was going out fast and it carried the Goblin towards the place where the harbour ends and the sea begins.
‘Are we going right down to the last buoy?’ asked Roger.
‘I promised your mother that we wouldn’t go further,’ said Jim.
Then they heard another sound, like a deep bell.
‘That’s the Beach End buoy,’ said Jim. ‘Time to turn back.’
But there was no wind at all to bring them back, and the tide continued to carry the Goblin towards the Beach End buoy and the open sea.
‘All right,’ side Jim, ‘we’ve got to use the engine.’
‘Can I be engineer?’ asked Roger.
‘All right, Roger. Start the engine.’
Nearer and nearer came the sound of the Beach End buoy, but soon they heard the sound of the engine. Quickly the Goblin turned and began to move slowly against the tide.
‘What happens if the engine doesn’t start?’ asked Titty.
‘Without the engine, we would just go on out to sea,’ said Jim. ‘Not far, because the tide’ll turn soon and bring us back. But I promised your mother we wouldn’t go outside the harbuoy.’
‘We all promised,’ said Susan, looking back over the stern of the boat to where the Beach End buoy was now lost in the fog. From further out at sea came the long, low sound, ‘Beu…eueueueueu…’ of the foghorn on the Cork lightship.
‘I’m very glad the engine started,’ she went on. ‘And now I’m going to cook the rest of breakfast.’
Already the Goblin was moving away from the mouth of the harbour. Roger looked down into the cabin where Susan was cooking eggs. Suddenly they looked at each other. The noise o the engine was changing, becoming, becoming slower, and then it stopped completely. For a moment there was silence.
Jim jumped into the cockpit and looked into the engine.
‘No petrol,’ he said. ‘What a stupid thing to do! I forgot to fill up before we started. Keep going straight ahead, John. We’ll anchor over there; it’s quite shallow near that buoy.’ The Goblin was still going forward, but already more slowly. Jim ran forward and they heard the anchor into the water.
‘What are we going to do?’ asked Roger.
‘Wait for wind,’ said John.
‘Get some petrol,’ said Jim. I’ll row ashore and. If I can catch that bus over there, ‘I’ll be back in ten minutes. You’re in charge, John. Don’t let anybody fall overboard. It’s low water now, the tide’s just turning. You’ll be all right here. Nothing can possibly happen.’
The four Walker children watched Jim row the Goblin’s little black boat towards the shore. Susan suddenly remembered the eggs and called the other down to breakfast. It was ten past eight.
‘I’ll keep Jim’s eggs warm,’ said Susan.
Two hours passed, and Jim’s breakfast still waited for him in the cabin. The crews were all on deck.
‘What’s happened to him?’ said Susan. ‘It’s getting quite foggy now, even in the harbour.’
There was no doubt about it. Fog was coming in from horns of ships going up the river, but whichever way they looked, they could see nothing except grey fog.
‘I can’t stop thinking that something terrible’s happened to Jim,’ said Susan. ‘It’s two o’clock-six hours since he went.’
‘High tide,’ said John. We’re all right here, anchored in a safe place. And Jim know that. Nothing can possibly go wrong. He said so himself.’
And then Susan saw John’s eyes suddenly open ever wide. They had both heard the noise of the anchor chain.
‘Oh, It’s all right,’ said John. ‘The tide is beginning to turn and go out now, and the Goblin is just moving around with the tide.’
But a few moments later the noise came again, with a sudden movement of the whole ship. Then there was another sharp movement, and John jumped up to turn to the bows.
‘She’s pulling her anchor off the bottom,’ he cried.
In harbour
They were off. There were a few busy moments with ropes and sail, but now the Goblin was sailing gently down the river and the four children began to talk again.
‘Two days ago,’ said Titty quietly, ‘we were in the train, coming to Pin Mill.’
‘I was outside Dover, wishing for wind,’ laughed Jim.
‘And now we’re all here,’ said Titty and Susan.
‘You steer Goblin, John, while I go and tidy up on deck,’ said Jim.
‘Are you sure I can?’ said John looking worried.
‘Of course you can. Just keep her as she’s going.’
The tiller was in John’s hands. Susan and Titty were watching him. Could he do it? The children were only used to a small sailing boat, and this yacht was much bigger. But it was not nearly as hard as John had thought, and soon he began to feel more confident.
Jim came back into the cockpit, and John moved along so that Jim could sit down and talk the tiller.
‘No you carry on,’ said Jim. ‘You’re doing well.’
On they went. Soon the river become winder and they sailed into Harwich harbour.
‘Now then,’ said Jim. ‘Susan why not give John a rest, and let’ see how you can steer.’
Susan sat down beside John and took the tiller. There was only one thought in her mind; she must keep the cockpit, pointing with his finger and shouting.
‘Look! Look! It’s a black pig, swimming.’
‘Where?’ shouted Titty.
‘There. No, it’s gone now. No. Look! There it is!’
‘It’s a porpoise,’ said Jim. ‘They like swimming around boats.’
Porpoises were too much, even for Susan. She stopped thinking around keeping the Goblin sailing straight and looked for the porpoise.
‘Look out for your steering,’ said John.
‘Sorry,’ said Susan as she felt the wind pull on the sails. ‘All right, John, I won’t look again.’
‘Where are we going to anchor for the night?’ Roger asked.
‘I know a good place,’ said Jim. ‘Off Shotley Pier-we can go ashore and telephone your mother.’
The wind had dropped and the tide was against them as they came to the place where Jim wanted to anchor.
‘Only just enough wide,’ said Jim. I’ll go forward and get the anchor ready.’
‘Can I come and see how you do it?’ asked John. Susan, Titty and Roger were left alone in the cockpit.
Susan was steering and the Goblin slowly came closer to the pier. John was carefully as Jim help the anchor over the bows, ready to drop it into the water.
‘Now, bring the sails down,’ Jim called to the others, and he let the anchor fall into the water. ‘Let’s go ashore.’
‘Let’s have supper first,’ said Susan.
‘Tell us about your voyage from Dover,’ said John, as they were finishing supper.
‘Nothing much to tell,’ said Jim, ‘except that when you’re sailing alone, you can’t have any sleep. I had to wait quite a long time outside the entrance to the harbour here. There are a lot of shoals outside; you know, places where the water is very shallow, and it’s very easy to run around.
There was a bit of fog, and didn’t want to try to fine my way into the harbour until I could see the buoys. I don’t like shoals; they’re very dangerous.’
‘Where are the shoals outside Harwich?’ asked Jonh.
‘Look at the chart,’ replied Jim. There’s Harwich, and there’s Shotley, where we are now, and he pointed with his finger. ‘And all the shoals are just outside. The big ships like to come in the this,’ and his finger followed a safe line between the shoals. ‘They go towards the Cork lightship. It’s the only safe way to go. And when it’s dark, or foggy, the only safe thing to do is to get out to sea and stay there.’
John listened, telling himself he would remember that, when one day he had a boat of his own.
‘What did you do?’ asked Roger.
‘Just sailed about, outside all of the shoals. Then , in the morning I came to the Sunk lightship, then the Cork, and then to the Beach End buoy-you’ll see that tomorrow and into the harbour and up to Pin Mill. And when I got there, some very good young sailors helped me to tie up to my buoy. Now, it’s nearly nine o’clock, and time to go and tell your mother you haven’t drowned.’
When they came back to the Goblin, it was nearly dark, and it was time for Susan, Titty and Roger to go to bed. They looked at all the other boats with their lights shining softy across the calm waters of the harbour. A few minutes later John and Jim went to bed, too.
They slept. The night was so calm that it was hard to believe that they were sleeping on the boat. But when they had been asleep for about an hour, they were reminded that they were very near the open sea. A small noise got louder and louder, and soon the Goblin was rolling violently from side to side. Everybody woke up suddenly.
‘What’s happened?’ called Roger.
‘It’s all right,’ said Jim. ‘It’s a big ship going out to sea.
There’s one that goes across to Holland every night. I forgot to tell you about it.’
‘One day soon it’ll bring Daddy back from Holland,’ said Titty, as the Goblin stopped rolling about. A few minutes later all was quite again. The crews of the Goblin were asleep.
At seven o’clock the next morning the sleepy crew were woken by a loud shout into the cabin.
‘Come on, then. Anybody want a swim before breakfast?
We’ve got no time to lose before the tide turns.’ Jim was already in the cockpit, ready for a swim. The others hurried to join him.
Later on, after the swim, Susan found that Jim was in a hurry to set side and they had no time for breakfast. They were off, sailing down with the tide towards the entrance to the harbour, and the crew ate some of their breakfast while the Goblin sailed slowly past the town of Harwich. There was very little wind and the sails moved lazily from one side to the other.
‘Later on,' said Jim, ‘there’ll be wind. Or fog. Or both. You never know with a day that starts like this.’
As he spoke, they heard the long, loud of the Cork lightship outside the harbour entrance, which meant that there was fog out at sea. The tide was going out fast and it carried the Goblin towards the place where the harbour ends and the sea begins.
‘Are we going right down to the last buoy?’ asked Roger.
‘I promised your mother that we wouldn’t go further,’ said Jim.
Then they heard another sound, like a deep bell.
‘That’s the Beach End buoy,’ said Jim. ‘Time to turn back.’
But there was no wind at all to bring them back, and the tide continued to carry the Goblin towards the Beach End buoy and the open sea.
‘All right,’ side Jim, ‘we’ve got to use the engine.’
‘Can I be engineer?’ asked Roger.
‘All right, Roger. Start the engine.’
Nearer and nearer came the sound of the Beach End buoy, but soon they heard the sound of the engine. Quickly the Goblin turned and began to move slowly against the tide.
‘What happens if the engine doesn’t start?’ asked Titty.
‘Without the engine, we would just go on out to sea,’ said Jim. ‘Not far, because the tide’ll turn soon and bring us back. But I promised your mother we wouldn’t go outside the harbuoy.’
‘We all promised,’ said Susan, looking back over the stern of the boat to where the Beach End buoy was now lost in the fog. From further out at sea came the long, low sound, ‘Beu…eueueueueu…’ of the foghorn on the Cork lightship.
‘I’m very glad the engine started,’ she went on. ‘And now I’m going to cook the rest of breakfast.’
Already the Goblin was moving away from the mouth of the harbour. Roger looked down into the cabin where Susan was cooking eggs. Suddenly they looked at each other. The noise o the engine was changing, becoming, becoming slower, and then it stopped completely. For a moment there was silence.
Jim jumped into the cockpit and looked into the engine.
‘No petrol,’ he said. ‘What a stupid thing to do! I forgot to fill up before we started. Keep going straight ahead, John. We’ll anchor over there; it’s quite shallow near that buoy.’ The Goblin was still going forward, but already more slowly. Jim ran forward and they heard the anchor into the water.
‘What are we going to do?’ asked Roger.
‘Wait for wind,’ said John.
‘Get some petrol,’ said Jim. I’ll row ashore and. If I can catch that bus over there, ‘I’ll be back in ten minutes. You’re in charge, John. Don’t let anybody fall overboard. It’s low water now, the tide’s just turning. You’ll be all right here. Nothing can possibly happen.’
The four Walker children watched Jim row the Goblin’s little black boat towards the shore. Susan suddenly remembered the eggs and called the other down to breakfast. It was ten past eight.
‘I’ll keep Jim’s eggs warm,’ said Susan.
Two hours passed, and Jim’s breakfast still waited for him in the cabin. The crews were all on deck.
‘What’s happened to him?’ said Susan. ‘It’s getting quite foggy now, even in the harbour.’
There was no doubt about it. Fog was coming in from horns of ships going up the river, but whichever way they looked, they could see nothing except grey fog.
‘I can’t stop thinking that something terrible’s happened to Jim,’ said Susan. ‘It’s two o’clock-six hours since he went.’
‘High tide,’ said John. We’re all right here, anchored in a safe place. And Jim know that. Nothing can possibly go wrong. He said so himself.’
And then Susan saw John’s eyes suddenly open ever wide. They had both heard the noise of the anchor chain.
‘Oh, It’s all right,’ said John. ‘The tide is beginning to turn and go out now, and the Goblin is just moving around with the tide.’
But a few moments later the noise came again, with a sudden movement of the whole ship. Then there was another sharp movement, and John jumped up to turn to the bows.
‘She’s pulling her anchor off the bottom,’ he cried.
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