Across the sea

 


The Atlantic is a huge ocean. It is about 5,000 kilometers wide between New York, in the United States of America, and England. Only big ships can cross the ocean safely. But two young men crossed it in a small boat.

The men were George Harbo and Frank Samuelson. They built a boat about five metres long and one-and-a-half meters wide. At each end of the boat there was a tank for fresh water. A man named Fox gave them a lot of money for building the boat. So they named the boat Fox, after him.

They stored enough food, water, and oil in the boat. They fixed a small oil stove at one end of the boat

On 6 June 1896, a large number of people gathered at the New York harbour.They looked at the great ocean and the small boat ready for the voyage.

When will you reach England asked one of them. "In about two months," said Harbo. "Where will you go from there?" asked another man.

"To France," said Samuelson, "How much water is there in the tanks?"About 250 litres." "How will you cook your food? Ona small oil-stove."Well,good luck to you!"

At 5.00p.m the Fox' left the harbour. The people cheered.

Harbo and Samuelson rowedt boat from eight in the morning till noon every day Then they ate their lunch and rested for an hour. They rowed again until supper. At night, one of them rowed and the other slept.

The sea was calm for the first few days. The boat covered about 80 kilometres a day. The two men were happy.

On 14 June there was a strong wind. It pushed the boat about 32 kilometres backwards By the first week of July, the wind had become very strong. Water got into the boat. One of them tried to empty the water out of the boat while the other rowed.

Suddenly a huge wave hit the boat. It turned the little boat over. The men fell into the water .With great difficulty, they set the boat right and climbed into it. They were tired and wet. "I want to sleep," said Samuelson. "So do I," said Harbo. 

They slept for a long time. When they woke up, they were hungry and thirsty. There were only a few biscuits left in a tin, and very little water in the tank.

"What shall we do?" asked Harbo.

"When will we meet a ship?" asked Samuelson. "What will happen to us?" they wondered.

On 15 July, they finally saw a ship. The captain of the ship took them aboard. He gave them a good meal. He also gave them fresh water and a lot of food to continue their journey.

The 'Fox' was again on its way. The men were strong and cheerful once more.  On 1 August, they saw land. After 55 days on the sea, they were on land again! They Were in England. They had crossed the great Atlantic in a small boat!












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