Around the World on the Erika
Sunshine English Course 3 (H2) pg. 74-80
| Around the World on the Erika | |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 566 |
| Book | Sunshine |
| Grade | 3 |
| Year | 1990 |
"I want to have my own yacht and travel around the world. I want to travel with someone I love." This was my dream when I was in high school.
When I was a college student, I met a young English woman named Jenny in Tokyo. At that time she was studying Oriental art. We got married in 1973. My dream became our dream. We taught English and started saving money to build a yacht.
Erika was born in 1977. One day I said to Jenny, "I want to take Erika on our trip. She will visit various places with us and meet many people."
We did not have enough money, and so I started building the yacht all by myself. A man came to help me. Then another came. And more and more people came to join us. At first the yacht was the dream of my family. But, our dream became the dream of all the people who helped us.
At last, the yacht was completed, and we named it the Erika.
On July 13, 1981, the Erika set sail from Port Tokoname. On the yacht there were Jenny, Erika, our cat Freddy, two men, and myself. Hundreds of people came to see us off.
We left for America. We sailed on and on. We saw nothing but the water. Each day the sea showed is a different face. One day it was like a mirror; the next day the waves were like mountains. "It's just like a roller coaster!" shouted Erika. Sometimes whales or dolphins were swimming along with our yacht. We enjoyed watching them.
We usually ate from the store of food on the yacht. But the best food was the fist from the sea. We often dreamed of fresh meat and vegetables. Erika wished for ice-cream!
One night, I was woken up by a call. I went up to the deck. I saw the lights of a ship at a distance. It was coming toward our yacht! I hurried down to the cabin and tried to call the ship by radio. There was no answer.
The large ship came closer and closer. I quickly turned the yacht to the right. The ship almost hit us.
We spent three years in America and Europe. During that time we lived on and off the yacht. We never had enough money for the trip, but got along somehow or other.
When we were in Europe, however, we spent almost all our money. I almost gave up our trip, and thought of selling the yacht. Then I remembered the faces of all my friends. I said to myself, "This trip is not only my dream but also the dream of all my friends. I must go on!"
Fortunately, the owner of a Japanese restaurant in Amsterdam gave me a job in his shop.
At last our voyage was coming to an end. Though the Erika looked miserable after the long voyage, it was still our pride. It was a shining castle for us. I said to Jenny, "During the voyage, Erika has made friends with people all over the world. I think this experience will have great meaning for her for the rest of her life."
On April 13, 1986, the Erika arrived at Port Gamagori. Thousands of people came to welcome us. We stood on our homeland again after four years and nine months.
