As Pug’s boat sank in the lock, Lady Miranda, Running Footman Will and Running Footman Liam arrived at the canal.

They’d been having a very difficult time of it.

First their train was late, then they couldn’t find the river, then they’d had to ask an awful lot of people if they’d seen a captain. Finally, exhausted, they’d stopped for ice cream and the kindly ice-cream seller had pointed them in the direction of the canal.

Lady Miranda tried to decide which way to go next. She couldn’t see any sign of Pug.

* * *

Pug found the journey along the canal much better than the race in the rowing boat. For the first time since Lady Miranda had made him a captain, he felt relaxed on the water. In fact he was a little disappointed when they arrived at their final destination – a seaport.

Pug was anxious to get on with becoming a famous captain so he could see Lady Miranda again. So, after barking his thanks to the Picnic Lady, he boldly walked down the plank. He was beginning to feel quite jolly when a naughty seagull swooped down and carried his sailor’s cap off in its beak.

Oh dear, thought Pug. Lady Miranda wouldn’t be happy about that. How is anyone going to know I’m a captain now? he worried.

Pug followed the smell of the sea air until he came to a harbour where there were more boats bobbing in the water than he’d ever seen in his life! Pug had never set eyes on the sea before. There was a lot of it!

Pug approached the first yacht he saw, but the crew were climbing ashore and just patted him on the head as they passed. They didn’t need a captain.

A second, slightly smaller yacht was nearby and Pug padded up to it in the hope of becoming its captain instead, only to discover the yacht wasn’t even in the water!

Then, to his left, he saw a teeny, tiny yacht. In fact it was more like a dinghy. There was a small girl on board.

‘Hello, little Pug,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘My name’s Lottie.’

Pug wagged his tail.

‘My dad is the captain of a big ocean liner that has just made her first voyage. I’m going to sail out to meet her – would you like to come along too?

A big ocean liner sounded scary to Pug, but he couldn’t miss the chance to meet a real captain so he agreed.

It turned out Lottie had a lot to teach Pug about sailing. He listened carefully.

‘We are going to have to tack out of the harbour because you can’t sail directly into the wind in a dinghy,’ she said to him.

Pug didn’t understand, so he tried his best to look knowledgeable.

They started out slowly and Pug thought he was getting his sea legs very well. Then all of a sudden the boat did a worrying thing – it lurched violently to one side.

The water seemed much too close. Pug quickly moved away from it.

‘Excellent tack there, little Pug,’ said Lottie. ‘You seem to know what you’re doing.’

Pug tried to wag in response but he was concentrating on keeping his balance.

Their dinghy made another turn and tipped the other way. Pug quickly scrambled to the high side of the boat. This wasn’t at all relaxing. In fact he was beginning to feel a bit sick. Perhaps that last scone had been a mistake.

Pug couldn’t understand why they didn’t just go in a nice straight line. He looked longingly at the shore and dry land.

Just then Lottie tacked again, but Pug was so busy trying not to be sick that he didn’t get to the high side of the boat.

Oh dear! thought Pug, as he was thrown from the deck and went sailing through the air.

‘Woof!’ he tried to say, as he plunged into the water.