question_answer 1)

 Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context. •honing our seafaring skills •ominous silence •Mayday calls •pinpricks in the vast ocean •a tousled head  

Answer:

Honing our seafaring skills: This refers to the effort by the author and his wife, to perfect or sharper their seafaring skills. They advanced towards making themselves fit to travel on the sea.   Ominous Silence: The silence here refers to an impending danger. The threatening absence of sound indicated a worse situation for the author.   Mayday calls: Mayday calls are radiotelephonic words which signal aircrafts or ships in danger stuck in an extremely important and urgent disastrous situation, the author called out for help, in vain.   Pinpricks in the vast ocean: This phrase expresses the insignificance of two small islands in the vast ocean.   A tousled head: This refers to hair in disarray or a disarranged hair of the author’s son Jonathan.