'We are not Afraid to Die.........' is a first person account of an adventurous ordeal that a family experiences during the voyage. There are three sections of the text. The narration of events matches the mood of the voyage. The first section describes how the voyage began with great hope and fanfare in July 1976. They were attempting to ‘duplicate the round-the-world voyage made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook. Wavewalker had been professionally built. It was thoroughly tested in the roughest weather. They sailed down to Cape Town. The trouble started only when they left Cape Town. On January 2, the waves were gigantic. The narration of the events mirrors the hectic efforts of the captain and the crew to protect Wavewalker.

The second section : 'Search for an Island' describes their struggle for survival for the last 15 hours. On January 4, they ate their first meal in almost two days. But the respite was short lived. This also captures the highly emotional response of the children. Jon declared : 'We aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together—you and Mummy, Sue and I.'

In the last section, Cheerful Landing the narration shifts back to the relaxed style. The captain was sure to reach lle Amsterdam. Jon gave the good news. The island was in front of them. All the 28 inhabitants were there to cheer and help them ashore.