Grandpa Pops Old Jack's Boat

Oh, huh... Oh...

Good day to you.

# This is the place to be For Salty Dog and me

# Down by the harbour we'll be there

# Round every corner there's something to share

# Give us a cheer Our friends are here

# Just Salty Dog and me. #

Ha-ha, come on, Salty!

# This is the place to meet

# Down at the end of the street

# Seagulls flying up in the blue

# There's always a cup of tea waiting for you

# Out in the sun, heavens above Just Salty Dog and me

# Haul away, haul away Sing a song of the sea

# Hoist the sail, I'll tell you a tale of Salty Dog and me

# This is the place to go

# And these are the people we know

# The village is busy with things to see

# And there's the Rainbow down by the quay

# There's stories to tell, join us as well, just Salty Dog and me. #

MOBILE PHONE RINGS

Good girl, go on. On your bed. Good girl, that's it. Now then.

Today is a special day, Salty, do you know that?

Today, I plan to do absolutely nothing.

I'm going to sit here, listen to the distant sound of seagulls

and have a good snooze, so don't disturb me.

Bye-bye.

Oh, lovely.

How's it going, Sam?

Dan, your speaking tube is fixed and ready to be tested.

-Marvellous! Now I can talk to Jack whenever...

-Whenever you want.

Why not use your mobile phone?

They don't work on the Rainbow.

Apparently something magical happens to the signal.

THIS is the only way I can get Jack's fish order in.

Shall we give it a try?

Calling Jack! Calling Jack!

He is going to be dead chuffed to hear from us!

'Calling Jack! Calling Jack!'

Oh, what? Oh...

-What? Eh?

-'Calling Jack!'

-Oh, it's the speaking tube.

Who's trying to speak to me on this old thing? Hello!

'Jack! It's Ernie. Good news!'

Sam and I have got this speaking tube working again.

Now we can talk to you

-'whenever we want.'

-I am not sure it's a good idea.

-But it's the...

-Advance of modern communications.

-That's right.

You can't stand in the way of progress.

-Well, I was hoping to have a bit of a snooze, actually.

-Snooze?!

You're starting to sound like Grandpa Pops.

I'll call you back in a minute.

-Over.

-And out.

'Ha-ha!'

Huh! He says I sound like Grandpa Pops, Salty.

Ha-ha! Dear me. Do you remember him?

Oh, he was the oldest sailor in the world. Remember the day he ran away?

Hoo! Here, let me tell you the story.

Once upon a twinkly time, the Rainbow set off from Staithes,

waved goodbye to Whitby and disappeared over the horizon.

And as we sailed along the coast, we sang.

# Just Salty Dog and me Upon the silvery sea

# We're never too old for a sail in the sun

# It's never a bother We always have fun

# We'll sail on for years With the wind in our ears

# Just Salty Dog and me. #

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

Well, we had just finished singing when a voice cried out,

"Hello, young man!" "Young man?" I thought.

"It's been a while since anybody called me that.

"There's only one person it can be."

I looked at the shore through my trusty old telescope. Ha-ha!

And there he was, Grandpa Pops.

Now, Grandpa Pops had a beaming, sunny face.

He was an old man when I was a boy.

Some people in the village said he must be 114 years old.

The oldest sailor in the world.

And now he was sitting outside the old folks' home in his wheelchair.

He called out, "Jack, young fellow my lad, can I ask you a favour?

"Can you take me for a ride on the Rainbow one last time?"

Well, I called back, "I'd love to, but you've got really kind doctors

"and really nice nurses inside that old folks' home.

"Won't they mind if I take you out to sea?"

"No, they won't mind a bit," said Grandpa Pops.

And he wheeled himself down to the jetty at top speed,

saying, "Whee-ee-ee!" all the way down.

I was just helping him on board the Rainbow

when I heard voices calling out. "Grandpa!" they shouted.

"Grandpa Pops, where are you?"

I could see all the kind doctors and all the nice nurses

from the old folks' home looking for Grandpa Pops.

I said, "Grandpa Pops, I'd better take you back."

But he said, "No, lad, it's just a game of hide and seek. Let's go."

So we set out to sea, but behind us all the kind doctors

and all the nice nurses came running down to the jetty.

They shouted out, "Grandpa Pops! Grandpa Pops! Come back!"

But Grandpa Pops said to me,

"Don't worry about them, they're only having fun.

"Keep going!"

So we sailed along the coast, but all the kind doctors

and all the nice nurses kept chasing over the cliff tops.

They shouted, "Come back, Grandpa Pops!

"It's time you had your tea, it's time you went to bed! Come back!"

And now, I was a tiny little bit suspicious.

I said, "Grandpa Pops, are you being naughty?"

And Grandpa Pops gave a cheeky smile and he said, "Naughty?

"Why, Jack, I don't know the meaning of the word."

Then he took hold of the ship's wheel

and steered the Rainbow out to sea.

All the kind doctors and nice nurses stood on the cliffs

and watched us go until they became tiny little dots in the distance.

-And then...

-POP!

..they were gone.

Now, I'm not daft.

I knew that Grandpa Pops was being a little bit naughty.

But then I thought, "Maybe that is allowed,

"just once when you have had your 114th birthday."

Hoo-hoo!

So I said, "I don't mind a bit of fun and games

"but as soon as we return,

"I'm taking you straight back to the old folks' home."

But Grandpa Pops just smiled. Like he had a little secret.

And he whistled a sea shanty as we sailed far out to sea.

WHISTLING

After a while, Salty started barking.

She woofed, "I know where we are."

I looked around and said, "This is where Pearl lives."

Huh, and there she was,

Pearl, the mermaid - swimming, waving,

splashing the water with her long, silvery, mermaid's tail.

She called out,

"Hello, Jack! Hello, Salty! Hello, Grandpa Pops!"

I was a bit surprised. I said, "How do you know Grandpa Pops?"

Pearl said, "All the mer-people know Grandpa Pops."

"That's me!" said Grandpa Pops.

And he wheeled his wheelchair up to the edge of the boat

and then he jumped overboard into the water, splash.

"Goodness me," I said. "Be careful, Grandpa Pops!" But he could swim.

Grandpa Pops could swim like a bird flies through the sky.

All of a sudden, he didn't look old.

He looked as young as can be as he darted through the water,

laughing with Pearl swimming around him.

Salty and I were laughing, too,

cos we had never seen anyone look so happy.

Then Grandpa Pops said to Pearl, "I've come to collect my gift."

I said, "What gift is that, then?" And Pearl explained.

Once upon a time, Grandpa Pops did a wonderful thing.

The King of the Sea had a child, his only son,

but the boy had fallen into a deep, deep sleep

and no-one could wake him.

"Oh, dear," I said, "that is sad." "No, it's not," said Pearl,

"because the Sea King called out for help, and Grandpa Pops arrived.

"He looked at the boy in his deep, deep sleep."

"And what did he do?" I said.

Pearl replied, "He held a bottle of pop under the boy's nose,

"and the fizzy bubbles woke him up.

"That's why everyone calls him Grandpa Pops, because of the pop."

Then Grandpa Pops said, "The Sea King promised me a gift to thank me

"for saving his son all those years ago

"and now I've come to collect it."

Pearl said, "I will summon the King,"

and she blew upon a conch shell.

It made a loud, magnificent sound.

CONCH BLOWS LIKE A HORN

Then, the water rose up, and the sea spray curled back

like a huge fountain, and the mighty Sea King rose out of the water.

He sat on a big, tall throne made of coral.

I've never seen the Sea King looking so splendid,

all wrapped in seaweed,

carrying a trident, with shoals of mermaids

and mermen swimming all around him. I was amazed.

And Grandpa Pops called out,

"I'm here, oh, mighty King, can I have my gift now?"

The Sea King looked down upon us.

I have never seen eyes so ancient and powerful.

He didn't say a single word

but he lifted up his trident and pointed it at Grandpa Pops,

and magic came out of his trident, a swirl of stars and water

and glitter and magic swirled around Grandpa Pops.

He laughed and laughed like a tickle.

And I said, "Look at that, Salty."

The magic swirled around Grandpa Pops' legs,

and his legs began to change.

His knobbly knees faded away, and all of a sudden,

Grandpa Pops had a fishtail, all silvery and shiny,

just like the mermaids and the mermen. Now he could really swim.

With a whoop, he dived up into the air

then plunged down into the depths.

Then back up again, laughing and laughing as he went.

It looked like so much fun.

Then he called out, "Goodbye, Jack!

"Goodbye, Salty!

"I'm going to join the mer-people and swim with them for ever."

I said, "But what about the old folks' home?"

He said, "I'm not old any more!

"They won't have room for me.

"I am as ageless as the water now. I'm as young as a mountain spring."

And then the mighty Sea King sank beneath the waves,

and all the others plunged down alongside him.

I caught one last glimpse of Grandpa Pops, laughing with Pearl

and her sisters as they swam away into the underwater kingdom

to begin his new life.

And to this day, I still hear him sometimes.

When the wind is in the right direction,

I catch a drift of Grandpa Pops, far out at sea,

laughing and laughing with the mermaids and the mermen.

"Keep swimming!" I call to the waves.

"You keep swimming, Grandpa Pops! Swim for ever!"

'Calling Jack!'

Calling Jack!

And now for that snooze, Salty. All I need is a duster.

'Calling Jack. Calling Jack...'

There you are. Little trick I learnt from Grandpa Pops. There.

MUFFLED: 'Calling Jack!'

-Calling Jack! Jack, can you hear me?

-It should be working.

-I fixed it myself.

-You don't think he's avoiding us, do you?

-Jack?! No!

He'd never do that. Would he?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd