Gratis, the real big blue boat, is where all of the adventures for Susea Spray’s stories began. Come and have a look inside. To find out more about boats click HERE

Author: Jean Lee Latham Publisher:: Houghton Mifflin Year: 2003 Image: cover from 1st Edition Jean Lee Latham’s ‘Carry on Mr Bowditch’ is based on the real life of Nathaniel Bowditch. Nathaniel loved the sea and spent 5 voyages at sea. A self-educated man – his education finished when he was 10 – his thirst for […]

The hull is the watertight bottom section of a boat that goes in the water. It can be open at the top, like in a dinghy, or closed in with a deck. The hull is the body of the boat. It is the part of the boat that lets it float on the water. To […]

When my husband and I were sailing, we often saw flying fish leaping out of the water as they tried to escape from predators. When there were storms, we sometimes found waves had thrown flying fish onto the deck. One morning when the sea was nice and calm, I was very surprised to discover one […]

Adapted from ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ by Susea, Sail, Sail, Sail Your Boat is a fun song about A Big Blue Boat.

The anchor is an important piece of equipment on a boat. It locks into sand or mud and stops the boat from floating away. After long weeks at sea, it’s lovely hearing the rattle and clang as the anchor races towards the seabed. The anchor on Lesley’s illustrations in ‘A Big Blue Boat’ is called […]

Yesterday, I discovered the most amazing sea creatures I have ever seen. They are called Feather Stars. Live Diet Can grow up to Scientific Name Eaten by ? Plankton 31cm Crinoidea Fish and mooches Feather Stars are the closest thing alive to walking plants! Their bodies are so small that they are difficult to see. […]

I love Lionfish. We were really lucky to see one swimming next to Gratis when we were visiting the island of Rodrigues. Live Diet Can grow up to Scientific Name Eaten by 10-15 years Fish, crustaceans (like shrimp), and molluscs 38cm in length Pterois volitans moray eels, tiger groupers, blue-spotted cornet fish and some sharks […]

How the toilet came to be called the Head is a really interesting question. I had to do a bit of searching to find the answer. About 600 years ago, the front of the boat was called the ‘head’. No-one knows the exact date when the word ‘head’ was used to mean the toilet. Early […]

In this writing fun activity, trace, write and colour the Captain and A Big Blue Boat. Two free activity sheets to download and print. For more literacy fun click here For the A Big Blue Boat Activity Book click here