The Adventures of Captain Vrungel. "The Adventures of Captain Vrungel"

I and other observers have repeatedly noticed that a person who has drunk plenty of salty moisture from the bottomless bowl of the ocean is struck by a strange disease, as a result of which, over time, half of the priceless gift of human speech is lost.
Such a person, instead of words in his native language that quite accurately denote this or that object, uses vocables so intricate that sometimes he cannot even communicate with a person who is not infected with this disease.
When such a person throws up his hands in misunderstanding, the patient looks at her with contempt and pity.
In my early youth this disease struck me too. And no matter how persistently I tried to heal, the measures I took did not bring the desired healing. To this day, a shot for me is not the loud sound of a firearm, but spar, placed perpendicular to the board; the gazebo is not a cozy garden building, but a very uncomfortable, shaky hanging seat; in my opinion, a cat, although it has from three to four legs, is by no means a domestic animal, but small boat anchor.
On the other hand, if, when leaving the house, I go down the stairs, relax on a bench on the boulevard, and when I get home, I warm up the tea on the stove, then as soon as I get on the ship (at least mentally), these objects immediately turn into gangway, bank and galley respectively.
Having thought about this, I decided to completely banish marine terms from my vocabulary, replacing them with those words that have long existed in our ordinary living language.
The result, however, was very undesirable: the very first lecture, which I gave in accordance with the decision made, caused a lot of unnecessary grief both to me and to my listeners. To begin with, this lecture lasted three times longer than usual, because it turned out that in the maritime language there are many terms that have no replacement at all. I, not wanting to deviate from the decision made, each time tried to replace these terms with their lengthy interpretations. So, for example, instead of the word yard, I said each time: “a round wooden beam, somewhat thickened in the middle part, suspended horizontally on a high thin pole, mounted vertically on the ship...”. Instead of the word rudder, I was forced to repeat: A vertical plate, with the help of a lever or a new special drive, rotating on a vertical axis mounted on the underwater part of the rear end of the vessel, serving to change the direction of movement of the latter...” While regretting the waste of time required In order to repeatedly pronounce these definitions, I tried to pronounce them in one breath, in a quick patter. And since there were many words that required such explanations, my lecture began to resemble a wizard’s spell or a shaman’s ritual. And it is quite natural that my listeners, despite everything efforts, which I have no reason to doubt, did not assimilate any of my explanations and, moreover, did not understand.
Distressed by the failure, I nevertheless did not lose heart. Patiently and carefully, I again worked on this issue, and after a comprehensive study of the works and literary sources available on this topic, comparing them with my own observations, I came to the conclusion that: maritime terminology is nothing more than a special maritime tool that every sailor uses must wield it as confidently and skillfully as a carpenter wields an axe, a doctor wields a lancet, and a locksmith wields a master key. But, as in any business, the tool is constantly being improved, partly completely excluded from use, partly replaced by a new one, simpler and easier to use, often borrowed from another craft, so in maritime practice - some terms are widely included in the common civil language, as it happened, for example, with the words: mast, rudder, navigator; others, on the contrary, completely lose their former meaning and are replaced by new, generally accepted ones, as was the case with the words entreno or triangle, which not so long ago were firmly in the maritime dictionary, but are now completely forgotten, giving way to the words approximately and triangle, respectively. The foregoing allows us to expect that over time, through mutual reasonable concessions, sailors and land people will finally come to one generally accepted language. However, there is no reason to hope that such a merger will take place in the near future. And therefore today, when reading any serious work on maritime affairs, such as, for example, a description of my adventures while sailing on sailing yacht "Trouble", for a person who has not fully mastered the maritime language, it is obligatory (!) to use at least a small explanatory dictionary, which I offer to the reader.

The catchphrases of the decisive captain Vrungel are a real storehouse of wisdom. Of course, after all, the brave hero traveled the whole world during his long naval career. Such a characteristic does honor to an experienced sea wolf. And it doesn’t matter that most of the stories told by men are accompanied by incredible and implausible facts. Behind the fantastic stories lies kindness, selflessness and fearlessness.

History of creation

The author of the brave navigator is Andrei Nekrasov. Before becoming a writer, the man held the position of a sailor on a fishing boat for a long time. One of the hobbies of the future “father” Vrungel was to write down legends and sea stories shared by familiar sailors.

Leaving work on the ship, Nekrasov, on the advice of a prose writer he knew, created several stories dedicated to sea adventures. And in 1937, short excerpts from the story “The Adventures of Captain Vrungel” were published in the Pioneer magazine. The editors decided to break the voluminous story into several parts. Readers of the periodical spent a whole year following the travels of the brave captain.

The story was published in full format in 1939. The released book was expanded with several new adventures and included a chapter on Japan that was uncensored by the magazine.

Nekrasov did not hide from his fans that all the characters in the humorous story have prototypes. For example, the prototype of Vrungel is Andrei Vronsky. The writer’s friend loved to regal his acquaintances with tales about sea life. Stories like these inspired the author to create the book.

At first, Nekrasov even planned to leave the character’s real name, but felt that Vronsky would not like such fame. After a painful search, the brave captain received the surname Vrungel, which is very similar to the name of a fellow writer.

"The Adventures of Captain Vrungel"

A teacher at the nautical school, Christopher Bonifatievich Vrungel, who devoted his free time to the sea and ships for many years, once decided to go on a trip around the world. The confirmed bachelor, accustomed to making do with the bare minimum, quickly found a suitable vessel for himself.

The yacht, looked after by the captain, required minor repairs. While the ship was undergoing changes, Christopher Bonifatievich was looking for an assistant who would help the hero make such a long and dangerous journey.

Soon fate brought the man together with a guy named Lom. The heroes quickly found a common language, but departure was postponed - Lom did not know English, without which a trip around the world is impossible. Soon the trouble was eliminated, and Captain Vrungel's yacht set sail from the shore.

At that moment the first problem became clear. While Lom was learning English, the trees from which the ship was being built took root. Together with the yacht, half of the pier set sail from the shore. The heroes had to pause to clear the ship. In addition, during a minor wreck, the yacht lost half of its name. Now, instead of the beautiful name “Victory”, the ship was called “Trouble”.

The first stop on the way was Norway. To admire the views of an unfamiliar country, the sailors moored at the fjord, but made a mistake in assessing the area. After low tide, the ship hung between two rocks. The men had no choice but to wait for the tide. In order not to waste time, the heroes went ashore, where they found themselves in the epicenter of the fire.

The fire drove both sailors and local squirrels into the water. The resourceful animals were not at a loss and jumped from land to the yacht. Well, the captain and his mate followed suit. The squirrels were later taken to a zoo located in Hamburg. The good-natured captain could not abandon the animals that had lost their home.

Holland was remembered by Christopher Bonifatievich as a herring. While observing the locals, the cunning sailor came up with an idea on how to deliver fish to another state without hiring a large ship. To do this, the captain positioned himself on the bow of the yacht and, using a whip, urged the swimming fish in the desired direction.

Such work tired Vrungel, and the hero decided to take another assistant on the ship. In Calais, the crew of the "Trouble" was replenished by the sailor Fuchs. True, already at sea it turned out that the man was a card sharper and knew nothing about maritime affairs.

On the shores of England, the restless trio were invited to take part in a sailing race. Naturally, the experienced captain Vrungel did not refuse. The man brilliantly led “Trouble” to victory. Corked bottles of sparkling drink provided all possible assistance in this regard.

Not far from the Mediterranean Sea, the hero was attacked by real pirates. However, such actions did not frighten the resourceful captain. Khristofor Bonifatievich fumigated the ship with tobacco smoke and, while the attackers were making their way through the smoke screen, overturned the ship. The robbers got the impression that the yacht sank, and the villains retreated.

The heroes continued their journey. We sold the herring in Egypt and headed to Africa. There Vrungel loaded unusual provisions onto his ship and set off further along the course. But it soon became clear that the deck was full of small crocodiles that had hatched from the eggs they had just bought. A brave captain sent 50 small biting reptiles overboard.

So, unnoticed, the experienced sailors reached the equator. To please his bored assistants, Vrungel changed into. But such entertainment puzzled the men. Lom and Fuchs decided that the boss had suffered from sunstroke, and dipped the hero into water a couple of times. This caused irreparable damage to the reputation of the sea wolf.

However, Christopher Bonifatievich restored his good name after he saved Fuchs from a shark with the help of a simple lemon, which he threw directly into the predator’s mouth.

In the ice of the Southern Ocean, a sperm whale caught a cold on the way of the brave men. Wanting to help a sick animal, Vrungel found himself in a new mess. “Trouble” was brought onto the ship of an organization saving sperm whales from extinction. True, the defenders’ methods were distinctive. Environmental activists decided that the best way to save sperm whales was to simply destroy them all.

For “not helping” the organization, Vrungel and his team were landed on a desert island. But even in such conditions, Vrungel, accustomed to Spartan conditions, settled down comfortably. True, being carried away by lighting fires, the man blew up a piece of land, lost his yacht and his faithful assistant Lom.

Having picked up a small board, the captain and second sailor reached the Hawaiian shores. Here the hero found out that his native “Trouble” was carried to Brazil. Therefore, the men left the paradise island in a hurry to return to their chosen course.

After the team reunited, Khristofor Bonifatievich took the yacht to New Zealand and stopped briefly in Australia. An accident occurred with the "Trouble" near New Guinea. The mast, broken by the typhoon, had to be replaced with a palm tree, which was planted right on the deck of the ship.

Not far from Japan, the long-suffering ship finally sank. The experienced sea wolf did not part with the yacht until the last moment, but, realizing that “Trouble” could not be saved, he cut off the improvised mast with his own hands. Such a decision was not easy for the hero, because it is not fitting for a real captain to part with the ship even in a dangerous situation.

Having hired themselves as stokers on a ship passing by, Vrungel and his crew make it to Canada. In the new country, the men had to exchange the sea vessel for a sledge, into which the heroes harnessed an uncontrollable dog and a cow. So, on the transfer, the hero returned to his hometown, where the gallant captain was greeted with applause.

The risky journey ended successfully thanks to the skill, wisdom and fearlessness of Christopher Bonifatievich. Soon the man returned to his previous teaching position. And now the hero sometimes remembers his own adventures during conversations with talented students.

Film adaptations

In 1978, director Gennady Vasiliev transferred the image of the brave Christopher Bonifatievich to television screens. In the film “The New Adventures of Captain Vrungel,” schoolboy Vasily Lopukhin was mysteriously transported to the character’s ship. Together, the heroes overcame enemies and adversity. The role of Captain Vrungel went to the artist. The actors spent three months on the Crimean coast, filming sea scenes on a converted fishing felucca.

In 1980, Captain Vrungel became the hero of an animated film. Filming of the project began in 1976, but the premiere took place 4 years later due to the complexity of the creation process. The cartoon includes 13 episodes, each of which took 16 thousand drawings (the cartoon was shot using the “translation” principle). They entrusted the voice of the main character. The main antagonists of the cartoon were the mafia “banditos” who reached “Trouble” in a submarine.

The image of the brave captain was often exploited in the TV show “Alarm Clock” from 1983 to 1985. The actor tried on the Vrungel costume. In one of the latest episodes, two characters appeared on the television screen at once. Actors Mikhail Pugovkin and the previously mentioned Yuri Volyntsev performed a duet in miniature “Two Vrungels”.

Quotes

“Ay-ay-ay, what should we do? Senior Mate Lom! Get out of the hold... champagne! And shoot the corks astern!”

“How do you do, Fuchs? I mean, how are you?”

“We're not really Hawaiian in some ways. Most likely, they’re not even Hawaiians at all...”

“Clear the left side of green spaces! It’s somehow inconvenient to swim with the estate: the fish will laugh.”

“Whatever you name the yacht, that’s how it will sail.”

Andrey Sergeevich Nekrasov

The Adventures of Captain Vrungel

Christopher Bonifatievich Vrungel taught navigation at our nautical school.

Navigation, he said in the first lesson, is a science that teaches us to choose the safest and most profitable sea routes, plot these routes on maps and navigate ships along them... Navigation, he added finally, is not an exact science. In order to fully master it, you need personal experience of long-term practical sailing...

This unremarkable introduction was the cause of fierce disputes for us and all the students of the school were divided into two camps. Some believed, and not without reason, that Vrungel was nothing more than an old sea wolf in retirement. He knew navigation brilliantly, taught interestingly, with a spark, and he apparently had enough experience. It seemed that Christopher Bonifatievich had indeed plowed all the seas and oceans.

But people, as you know, are different. Some are gullible beyond measure, others, on the contrary, are prone to criticism and doubt. There were also those among us who claimed that our professor, unlike other navigators, himself never went to sea.

As proof of this absurd assertion, they cited the appearance of Christopher Bonifatievich. And his appearance really somehow did not fit with our idea of ​​a brave sailor.

Christopher Bonifatievich Vrungel wore a gray sweatshirt belted with an embroidered belt, combed his hair smoothly from the back of his head to his forehead, wore pince-nez on a black lace without a rim, shaved clean, was corpulent and short, had a restrained and pleasant voice, often smiled, rubbed his hands, sniffed tobacco and with his whole appearance he looked more like a retired pharmacist than a sea captain.

And so, in order to resolve the dispute, we once asked Vrungel to tell us about his past campaigns.

Well, what are you talking about! Now is not the time,” he objected with a smile and, instead of another lecture, gave an extraordinary test on navigation.

When, after the call, he came out with a stack of notebooks under his arm, our arguments stopped. Since then, no one has doubted that, unlike other navigators, Christopher Bonifatievich Vrungel acquired his experience at home, without embarking on long voyages.

So we would have remained with this erroneous opinion if I had very soon, but quite unexpectedly, been lucky enough to hear from Vrungel himself a story about a trip around the world, full of dangers and adventures.

It happened by accident. That time, after the test, Khristofor Bonifatievich disappeared. Three days later we learned that on the way home he lost his galoshes on the tram, got his feet wet, caught a cold and went to bed. And the time was hot: spring, tests, exams... We needed notebooks every day... And so, as the head of the course, I was sent to Vrungel’s apartment.

I went. I found the apartment without difficulty and knocked. And then, while I was standing in front of the door, I quite clearly imagined Vrungel, surrounded by pillows and wrapped in blankets, from under which his nose, red from a cold, protruded.

I knocked again, louder. Nobody answered me. Then I pressed the doorknob, opened the door and... was dumbfounded by surprise.

Instead of a modest retired pharmacist, a formidable captain in full dress uniform, with gold stripes on his sleeves, sat at the table, deep in reading some ancient book. He was fiercely gnawing on a huge smoky pipe, there was no mention of pince-nez, and his gray, disheveled hair stuck out in clumps in all directions. Even Vrungel’s nose, although it really turned red, became somehow more solid and with all its movements expressed determination and courage.

On the table in front of Vrungel, in a special stand, stood a model of a yacht with high masts, with snow-white sails, decorated with multi-colored flags. A sextant lay nearby. A carelessly thrown bundle of cards half covered a dried shark fin. On the floor, instead of a carpet, lay a walrus skin with a head and tusks, in the corner lay an Admiralty anchor with two bows of a rusty chain, a curved sword hung on the wall, and next to it was a St. John's wort harpoon. There was something else, but I didn’t have time to see it.

The door creaked. Vrungel raised his head, placed a small dagger in the book, stood up and, staggering as if in a storm, stepped towards me.

Very nice to meet you. Sea captain Vrungel Khristofor Bonifatievich,” he said in a thunderous bass, extending his hand to me. - To what do I owe your visit?

I must admit, I was a little scared.

Well, Khristofor Bonifatievich, about the notebooks... the guys sent... - I began.

“It’s my fault,” he interrupted me, “it’s my fault, I didn’t recognize it.” The damn disease took away all my memory. I’ve become old, nothing can be done... Yes... so, you say, behind notebooks? - Vrungel asked again and, bending down, began to rummage under the table.

Finally, he took out a stack of notebooks and slammed his wide, hairy hand on them, slamming them so hard that dust flew in all directions.

“Here, if you please,” he said, after sneezing loudly, tastefully, “everyone is “excellent”... Yes, sir, “excellent”! Congratulations! With full knowledge of the science of navigation, you will go to plow the sea under the shadow of a merchant flag... It’s commendable, and, you know, it’s also entertaining. Ah, young man, how many indescribable pictures, how many indelible impressions await you ahead! Tropics, poles, swimming in a great circle... - he added dreamily. - You know, I was delirious about all this until I swam myself.

Have you ever swum? - Without thinking, I exclaimed.

But of course! - Vrungel was offended. - Me? I swam. I, my friend, swam. I even swam a lot. In some ways, the world's only trip around the world on a two-seater sailing yacht. One hundred and forty thousand miles. Lots of visits, lots of adventures... Of course, times are not the same now. And morals have changed, and the situation has changed,” he added after a pause. - Much, so to speak, now appears in a different light, but still, you know, you look back like this, into the depths of the past, and you have to admit: there was a lot of interesting and instructive things on that campaign. There is something to remember, there is something to tell!... Yes, sit down...

With these words, Khristofor Bonifatievich pushed a whale vertebra towards me. I sat down on it like a chair, and Vrungel began to talk.

Chapter II, in which Captain Vrungel talks about how his senior assistant Lom studied English, and about some particular cases of navigation practice

I sat like this in my kennel, and, you know, I got tired of it. I decided to shake the old days - and shook them. He shook it so hard that dust spread all over the world!... Yes, sir. Excuse me, are you in a hurry now? That is great. Then let's start in order.

At that time, of course, I was younger, but not like a boy at all. No. And I had years of experience behind me. A shot, so to speak, sparrow, in good standing, with a position, and, I tell you without bragging, according to his merits. Under such circumstances I could have been given command of the largest steamer. This is also quite interesting. But at that time the largest ship was just sailing, and I was not used to waiting, so I gave up and decided: I’ll go on a yacht. It’s also no joke, you know, to go on a circumnavigation of the world on a two-seater sailing boat.

Well, I began to look for a vessel suitable for carrying out my plan, and, just imagine, I found it. Just what you need. They built it just for me.

The yacht, however, required minor repairs, but under my personal supervision it was put in order in no time: it was painted, new sails and masts were installed, the skin was changed, the keel was shortened by two feet, the sides were added... In a word, I had to tinker. But what came out was not a yacht - a toy! Forty feet on deck. As they say: “The shell is at the mercy of the sea.”