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This chapter is a true account by Gordon Cook, co-written with Alan East, of a family yacht trip that nearly ended in the southern Indian Ocean. It is the second chapter of Hornbill and is on the CBSE English Core 2026-27 syllabus for Class 11. Below: the story, its themes and answer plans.
What happens in We're Not Afraid to Die? A summary
In July 1976 the narrator, his wife Mary, son Jonathan (6) and daughter Suzanne (7) leave Plymouth to retrace Captain James Cook's round-the-world voyage, according to the NCERT Hornbill text. Their boat, Wavewalker, is 23 metres long and they have spent 16 years building their sailing skills. After Cape Town they take on two crewmen, Larry and Herb, for the rough southern Indian Ocean, where waves reach 15 metres.
The great wave (January 2). At about 6 p.m. a wave that looks perfectly vertical, almost twice the height of the others, smashes the deck. Thrown overboard, the narrator is saved by his lifeline but cracks his ribs and breaks teeth. The starboard side bulges in and the cabins flood. That night he stretches canvas over the holes, connects a second electric pump and keeps everyone pumping. Mayday calls get no reply. Sue says little about her swollen head and a deep cut on her arm because she does not want to worry her parents.
Staying afloat (January 3 to 6). By the morning of January 3 they have survived 15 hours, but the hull is too broken to reach Australia, so he heads for two small islands to the east. On January 4, after 36 hours of pumping, the water is almost out, but at 4 p.m. a fresh storm builds and the wind returns to 40 knots. At dawn on January 5 Jon tells his father the children are not afraid of dying as long as the family is together. On January 6 the wind eases and Sue gives her parents a card she has made.
Finding the island (January 6 to 7). With no engine and an uncorrected spare compass, the narrator works out a course of 185 degrees for Ile Amsterdam, a 65-kilometre-wide island in a vast ocean. At about 2 p.m. he gives Larry the course, then dozes off. He wakes at 6 p.m. believing he has failed, and the children tell him the island is in front of them. The next morning the island's 28 inhabitants help them ashore.
What are the main themes of the chapter?
Courage under pressure. The adults stay calm: a life-raft drill, repairs, rest in turns, and Mary at the wheel for hours.
Children's quiet bravery. Sue thinks of her parents before her own pain; Jon's words push his father to fight on.
Optimism and teamwork. Larry and Herb stay cheerful. Hope keeps them working even when the end seems near.
Preparation and skill. Years of practice and careful navigation help them survive.
Family love. Sue's card and the children's hug show what the family is fighting for.
How is the narrator's character shown?
He is a skilled, responsible captain who keeps working while injured. He is also honest about doubt: he admits he spoke to Larry with confidence he did not feel.
One science detail: the spare compass had not been corrected for magnetic variation, the gap between magnetic north and true north, so he made an allowance for it in his calculations. If that is new to you, the Fermi Concept Library covers every concept in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and computing, so you can read up on magnetism.
How should you answer exam questions on this chapter?
The CBSE curriculum sets two Hornbill short answers (one prose, one poetry) of 40-50 words worth 3 marks each, and one Hornbill long answer of 120-150 words worth 6 marks.
For a 3-mark answer (40-50 words): one claim, one detail from the text, one line on what it shows. Example: how did the children behave in the crisis? Frame: claim (they were braver than the adults expected), detail (Sue kept quiet about her injuries; Jon spoke calmly about dying together), meaning (their calm gave the adults strength).
For a 6-mark answer (120-150 words): use this four-part plan.
Open with a direct answer in one sentence.
Give two or three points, each tied to a moment: the wave, the pumping, the 185-degree course.
Add one evaluation: what the episode says about hope, preparation or family.
Close with a sentence linking back to the title.
Good practice prompts drawn from the themes: the role of hope in surviving danger, and why people take on risky adventures. Plan time by marks, as in our minute-per-mark board exam plan.
Which chapters connect to this one?
Fear and survival in water also drive Deep Water in Class 12, where Douglas overcomes his terror through training. Within Hornbill, compare the quiet strength of the grandmother in The Portrait of a Lady summary for a long answer that links texts.
Tonight, write one 40-word answer on Sue.
