The narrator, his wife and children set sail from Plymouth, England with great hope, excitement and determination. The narrator was a 37- year old businessman. He had dreamt of duplicating the round-the-world voyage made 200 years ago by Captain James Cook. He had worked hard in sharpening his seafaring skills in British waters. The first leg of their journey passed pleasantly. Their troubles started when they moved out of Cape Town. But even hostile weather couldn’t dampen their spirits. Though the weather changed for the worse on the New Year’s Day, they all participated in its celebrations.

The captain (the narrator himself) really showed his heroic qualities. He was aware of being thrown overboard and sinking below the waves. He didn’t panic. His left ribs cracked and his mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. Somehow, he found the wheel and hung on. Even the behaviour of the crewmen Larry and Herb was quite praiseworthy. They continued pumping water out like madmen. The narrator’s wife Mary didn’t panic either. She only cried “We’re sinking”.

Jonathan and Sue proved that they were the children of brave and adventurous parents. Jon declared that they were “not afraid of dying if they could all die together.” The children were really excited when they sighted the island lle Amsterdam. Now the narrator was not an ordinary father but “the best daddy in the whole world—and the best captain.”