Sinking
- The sailmakers rush into action trying to patch up the leaks, and the captain orders ballast to be released in order to lighten the ship to keep her afloat.
- They ask Matt to help, and he dons the necessary gear to go up top. He sees Bruce Lunardi already in his gear, pale and nervous, and thinks to himself that he'll prove he's the more deserving junior sailmaker.
- Matt hitches his safety line into place and repels down the side of the ship, hastily patching the gashes whenever he finds one.
- Although there is immense satisfaction with each patch that he places, it might be too little too late—the captain continues to release ballast, which can only mean that the ship is sinking despite their efforts.
- A gust of wind hits and Matt sees poor Bruce upside down in his harness, flailing; Matt reluctantly helps him right himself, and goes back to his area of patches.
- Even though they're not even close to being done, the crew is called back aboard the ship. They need to help the passengers get into their life jackets to prepare for ditching the Aurora—they've lost too much hydrium.
- Matt makes his way up to the lounge to help with the preparations to make a water landing. He is devastated at the idea of abandoning his home.
- In the lounge Matt reassures Kate (and more importantly, Miss Simpkins) that they'll be just fine—they are part of his muster group, so they'll even be in the same lifeboat.
- Everyone is anxiously waiting for the command to assemble by the lifeboats when Matt spots mist out the windows. Mist at sea means land, dear Shmoopsters.
- The Captain begins to aim the ship at the island, which has a conical peak, a turquoise lagoon, and a long crescent of sand before it become densely forested.
- They make a rough landing on the beach, and on land the ship's damage is even more apparent than it was in the air. The crew tightly lashes the ship to trees and spikes driven in the sand until she is secure.