The Cruise of the Nona · Chapter
The Cruise of the Nona explained
The chapter recounts the final leg of the voyage, from the calm after Bardsey Sound to the arrival at Fishguard and eventually Bideford River.
What happens
The chapter recounts the final leg of the voyage, from the calm after Bardsey Sound to the arrival at Fishguard and eventually Bideford River. It reflects on the dangers of navigation, the importance of yielding to larger vessels, and the philosophical musings that arise during solitary sailing. The narrator also critiques literary fame and the transient nature of popular works like Alice in Wonderland, contrasting them with enduring virtues.
Themes in this chapter
Solitude and Self-Reliance
The narrator reflects on how lonely sailing prompts deep consideration of the nature of things.
The Meaning of Life
Philosophical musings on time, death, and the futility of literary fame.
The Sea as Teacher
The sea provides lessons on yielding, judgment, and the acceptance of fate.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Reflects on navigation rules, the nature of time at sea, and the vanity of literary fame.
- The Nona
The boat, which is left at Bideford River at the end of the voyage.
- Dodgson
Mentioned as an example of successful anonymity, author of Alice in Wonderland.
- Alice in Wonderland
Cited as a work whose fame is tied to a particular era of security and ease.
Key passages
“But the mariner will do well to avoid this passage at the approach of the turn of the tide; or if the wind be rising, or darkness falling upon the sea.”
A sailor should steer clear of this route when the tide is about to turn, or if a storm is brewing or night is approaching.
The narrator admires this cautionary advice from a sailing guide.
“When you see two lights ahead, Port your helm and show your red.”
If you see two lights in front of you, turn your boat to the left and display your red light.
One of the rhyming rules for avoiding collisions at night.
“Green to green and red to red, All right—go ahead.”
If you see green to green and red to red, you are on a safe course and can proceed.
Another simple rule for passing other vessels safely.
“For time on the water is quite different from time on land. It is more continuous; it is more part of the breathing of the world; less mechanical and divided.”
Time spent at sea feels more fluid and connected to nature, unlike the rigid, segmented time on land.
The narrator reflects on the unique quality of time during a calm at sea.
“Alice in Wonderland is a very remarkable book, as are, indeed, other books of Dodgson’s, though not all. But a large element in its vast diffusion was its consonance with a particular “drawing-room” mood of a particular day.”
Alice in Wonderland is a notable work, but much of its popularity came from matching the taste of a specific era.
The narrator critiques the lasting value of literary fame.