At the end of the story you will find some related activities.
I would love it if you tried some and shared them with me at tiikat@tiikat.com
Look out for the throughout my journal and click on the paw to find out more!
My Journal – An eventful day on the water
I’M BACK!
Walloping whiskers – that was an exciting afternoon!
I couldn’t have picked a better day to start writing my journal, that’s for certain.
The shout had come from Captain Roughwater calling us to the bridge during Tii-time. I scrambled towards the bridge so quickly I tripped over my tail, tumbling down the stairs. Luckily I wasn’t injured! Being a cat has its advantages when it comes to landing on my feet!
We found the captain staring at something on the radar. There was a boat indicated not too far away, but it wasn’t moving!
Captain Roughwater explained that this was not somewhere he would expect a boat to be stopped. The area was well known for reefs jutting above or near the surface and could be a danger to boats who were not careful. How strange…
Captain needed me to go back to my crow’s nest position, use my super-powerful left eye to survey the distance and try to find out what was going on. I climbed into position as fast as I could and covered my right eye, focusing my left one in the correct direction.
It didn’t take long to spot the boat. The bright orange exterior glared in the sunlight. It must be Captain Turso! I couldn’t see everything in detail but it seemed like he had got himself in a bit of trouble. Captain Jam Turso was stuck and in a jam of his own!
I called down to Sisu, who rushed off to pass the message to the captain. Without hesitation he set the ship’s course towards Turso’s boat on a rescue mission.
My first thought was that Turso had got himself into this trouble, so he should try to get himself out of it, particularly as he had been so rude to Captain Roughwater previously. I knew, of course, that this wasn’t the right thing to do and that we must save him. It is the sea code after all.
As we grew closer I could spot the name of Turso’s boat on one side, The Observant Octopuss. This name seems so strange as Turso has not been very observant in my opinion: obstinate, opinionated or offensive would be more appropriate names in this case!
We approached the vessel slowly, navigating our way through the reef carefully. This is what The Observant Octopuss should have done! Instead it was caught in the reef like a fish in a net (or rather like an octopus in a pot in this case).
Through my magic eye, I spotted Captain Turso trying desperately to dislodge his boat from the reef, with what seemed to be a furry creature poking out of his beard!
Once the anchor had been dropped Erasmus hopped into the lifeboat, along with two of the crew, and it was smoothly lowered into the water. Watching it speed off towards Turso, I could see his nose growing redder by the second, spit flying everywhere as he shouted. He did not seem to be happy that he was getting rescued at all! Maybe his pride couldn’t handle the idea of needing to be rescued? That’s pretty ridiculous in my opinion if it’s the case.
The lifeboat slowed to a stop just before the reef and I could see Erasmus readying himself. What was he going to do? Before I could think any further, he jumped into the water and began swimming towards Captain Turso’s boat.
I couldn’t hear what was being said between him and Turso, but suddenly Turso passed something to Erasmus and he dove under water with it. I held my breath. The minutes passed and I grew worried. However, I knew that Erasmus had been diving since he was a child and if anyone could succeed he could. I could see Turso tying a rope to the end of his boat in preparation.
After what seemed like forever, Erasmus emerged from the murky depths. My tail shot up and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I could see him give Turso a thumbs up and the captain threw him the other end of the rope.
Without hesitation, Erasmus sped back towards the lifeboat, rope in hand. Flinging it over the edge, the others hurriedly tied onto the rescue vessel. Once Erasmus was back on the boat it began to reverse slowly away from the reef.
At first The Observant Octopus wouldn’t budge. I was worried that the rope would snap! Then just as I began to give up hope Turso’s boat wobbled, before suddenly lurching out of its fixed position. They had done it! The relief on Turso’s face was clear but I also saw something else. Was it embarrassment? Maybe he would now learn his lesson!
The lifeboat dragged The Observant Octopuss towards the ship. I could see where the coral reef had ripped a hole in the side! As it needed some fixing, Turso had no choice but to come on board and face Captain Roughwater, even if it pained him to do so. (I hope he would have come and thanked him anyway, but I am not sure it was his style.)
With Turso and his crew safely on board we could finally sit down for dinner. My tummy was certainly relieved! As tii-time had been cut short I was most hungry…
I have to admit my opinion of Captain Jam Turso did change somewhat over dinner. I think having some food in my belly did also help my mood. I still don’t approve of his selfish actions of course, especially as they endangered him and others, but my goodness he could definitely tell a story! He had the whole table roaring with laughter during ‘Jam Time’ (what he called his storytelling).
Captain Roughwater joined in with Turso, regaling us with heroic stories of ships and boats. We heard of wondrous historical adventures and terrific tales from more recent times too. Turso, of course, had to tell us about his own valiant exploits too.
There was one great nuisance at dinner, which almost stopped me from immersing myself in these wondrous tales. I had the unfortunate luck of sitting next to Turso’s ferret companion King Ian!
I am not sure where the king comes from and whether he deserves such a title but this is what he introduced himself as, and it was written on his throne-like seat on The Observant Octopuss.
This irritating weasel (I think a ferret is a type of weasel?) sat beside me moaning all through the meal. Nothing seemed to be good enough for him! I don’t think the rest of the table could hear him, but to me his mutterings were most distracting.
As soon as he was shown his spot beside me on a stool (as there wasn’t enough room on the benches) I heard him mutter under his breath. He was complaining about why he wasn’t sitting at the head of the table and why he had to sit on a stool! Even Turso wasn’t complaining about his much lower stool in the other corner.
I could hear the ferret say something about his throne back on his boat and about his great importance. Even more rudely, he was also muttering his disdain about how long dinner was taking.
How cheeky! Especially after Captain Roughwater and The Purrpoise had just rescued him from danger. He should be sitting there grateful he was getting any dinner at all! I tried to ignore him as I didn’t want to ruin my meal. (I must say it takes quite a lot to ruin a delicious meal for me.)
Back in my cabin and tummy now happy, my brain has been swirling with all these stories of boats. I can’t help thinking about how heroic my own tale from today had been. The crew of The Purrpoise worked together seamlessly in their rescue efforts and I hope I played an important part. I do feel rather proud I must say, and also very very tired…
Over and Out…
Want to explore more about boats? Why not check out some of these activities?
Explore. Learn. Create.
@2020 Tiikat. All rights reserved.
