DPS SILIGURI

CLASS: XI
WE'RE NoT AFRAID To DIE...IF WE CAN ALL BE ToGETHER
-GORDON CoOK AND ALAN EAST

STUDY MATERIAL
About the Authors
Gordon Cook (born December 3, 1978, in Toronto) is a two-time Canadian
Olympic sailor. He sails for the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. He is the son
of Stephen Cook and Linda Cook. He had a great interest in writing stories
too.

Cook is a graduate of the Engineering Physics program at Queen's

University. At Queen's University, he also met his 2008 Olympic team
partner Ben Remocker, where they were members of the university sailing
team. Cook and Remocker became the first Canadians to sail a 49er in an
Olympic Regatta at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they finished 14th.

In 2009 Cook partnered up with West Vancouver sailor Hunter Lowden and
the two campaigned together for the 2012 Olympic games. While Cook and
Lowden did not make the first round of qualifications at the 2011 ISAF
worlds in December 2011 they did qualify at the 2012 49er worlds in Croatia
making Cook the only person ever to represent Canada twice in the 49er
Class at the Olympics Games. Cook and Lowden came third in the first race
of the 49er class in the 2012 Olympic games,[1] but did not qualify for the
medal race.

Alan East-He was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2003 and has gained
extensive experience as a litigator, manager and legal trainer. In 2004 he co-
founded and managed a niche legal practice specialising in Criminal
Litigation and Prison Law gaining higher rights of audience in criminal
proceedings and working as a Duty Solicitor. In 2007 he joined the Crown
Prosecution Service as a Senior Crown Prosecutor.
In 2010 Alan joined Coventry University as a Senior Lecturer in Law and
works passionately to support access to justice working closely with Central
England Law Centre. In 2016 he became a director of Coventry Independent
Advice Service.

Finally, Alan is a co-founder of a multi-academy trust Central Academies

Trust which has as its aim improving standards in Secondary Education.
Plot Summary
The story tells about the extreme bravery and skill exhibited by Gordon Cook,
his family and crewmen in a war with water and the waves for existence. In the
month of July in the year 1976, the writer, his wife Mary, his son Jonathan
and his daughter Suzanne set sail from Plymouth, in England to duplicate the
round-the-world journey made 200 years ago by Captain James Cook. They
took the trip in their professionally designed ship, named the Wavewalker,
accompanied by 2 crewmen-Larry Vigil, who was an American and Herb
Seigler, a Swiss, to tackle one of the world's coarsest oceans the Southern
Indian Ocean.

The first portion of the journey that is about 1,05,000 kilometres up to Cape
Town passed off very enjoyably. On the 2nd day out of Cape Town, they
started to encounter strong windstorms. Windstorms did not worry about the
narrator. But the height of the waves was alarming up to fifteen meters high
that was as high as the mainmast. On the 25th of December, the writer's ship
reaches in the southern Indian Ocean that was about 3,500 kilometres to the
east of Cape Town. The family welcomed the New Year on the ship.

At the dawn of 2nd January, the waves were huge in size. Unfriendly weather
and massive waves forced the sailors to slow the speed of the ship, drop the
storm jib and take various other precautions. The risk was so obvious that the
sailors accomplished a life-raft drill, attached the lifeline boats and the life
jackets. Unexpectedly at 6 pm, a terrific explosion shook the Wavewalker and
the writer was thrown overboard. The Wavewalker was about to overturn
when another massive wave hit it throwing it upright one more time. The
writer was thrown back again on the deck, his head and ribs were smashing
touching the walls of the Wavewalker. In spite of a lot of injuries, the writer
took charge of the situation and decided to handle it on his own. Larry and
Herb started pumping out water from the ship.

The author somehow managed to cover the canvas across the gaps to stop the
water from entering into the ship. Moreover, their hand pumps stopped
functioning and the electric pumps short-circuited at the same time. Luckily,
the writer found a spare electrical pump that was in a working condition. The
entire night everyone was pumping, steering, repairing and sending radio
signals for help. The author checked the charts and found that He
Amsterdam, a French scientific base was their last hope.

Sue and Jon got heavily injured. But they were not afraid to die if they were all
together. Sue's head got swelling and she was having a deep injury. Moreover,
the writer became extra determined to see the courage of his children. Finally,
they were able to touch the lie Amsterdam.
 To sum up, we are not afraid to die if we can all be together summary, we can
say the collective power of unity and the never-failing confidence of the sailors
made it possible for them to survive and come out from the jaws of death.

HOME ASSIGNMENT
Q.1. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
(a) Describe Wavewalker.
(b) How was the first leg of the journey? Whom did they take with
them and why?
(c) How did the weather turn adverse from Cape Town? How did they
enjoy Christmas?
(d) What had happened to the starboard side of the boat? How did
the narrator repair that?
(e) What happened to Sue? Why did she share her situation later?

Q.2. Answer the following questions in 120-150 words:

(a) What impression do you form about the narrator on the basis of reading
We're Not Afraid to Die..If We Can All Be Together?
(b) What efforts did the narrator make to save the ship and its passengers?

. 3 . Answer the following questions:

() There before heading East, we took on...as high as our main

mast."
i) To whom does the word 'we' refer to in the above extract?
(a) author and two sailors
(b) two crewmen and builders of ship
(c) author, his wife and two kids
(d) none of the above
(ii) The two crewmen belonged to . -
(a) England and Switzerland
(b) India and USA
(c) USA and Switzerland
(d) Africa and England
(ii) What is the meaning of the word 'tackle'?
(a) to face
(b) encounter
(c) both of the above
(d) none of the above
(iv) The author was worried about
(a) strong gales
(b) fast gales
(c) moving waves
(d) size of waves

3
(II) «The first indication of impending disaster came... with a
frightful breaking crest."
() What is the meaning of the word 'impending'?
(a) forthcoming
(b) growing
(c) roaring
(d) ominous
(ii) What is the meaning of 'the wind dropped'?
(a) wind fell down
(b) wind slipped out the hands of author
(c) speed of wind greatly reduced
(d) wind started coming from below the ship
(ii) Which of the following was not a sign of impending
disaster?
(a) ominous silence
(b) wind dropped
(c) a growing roar
(d) clock struck 6pm
(iv) Why had the sky become dark?
(a) a cloud was approaching the ship
(b) night was approachingg
(c) a wave was approaching the ship
(d) lights of the ship were switched off