The Voyage of the Frog

David finishes draining the water; the task takes over four hours with the hand pump. He then begins to reattach the sails, which he hastily stowed when the storm first approached. Now, there is no wind at all, so the sails hang listlessly from the mast. He then inspects the cabin, which is still a complete mess of supplies and garbage. Feeling thirsty, he draws some water from the freshwater tank but realizes that he must take care to conserve his supply. He also locates a can of ravioli bites, which he eats slowly to savor it. After eating, he falls asleep, worn out from his injuries and his day of labor.

He is awakened in the middle of the night by a sudden jolt to the side of the boat and a loud scraping sound. He initially believes that he must have dreamed it, but decides to go up to the deck to check. He leans over the side of the boat and notices deep scratch marks in the hull. At that moment, a shark lunges from the water and throws itself at the boat, narrowly missing David’s head. The boat rocks violently, and David pulls himself into the center of the deck. He reflects on the fact that the shark is jumping toward him as if he were “bait” and reasons that it is probably attracted to the flickering light of the moon reflecting on the hull. David once learned that sharks are drawn to such lights because they resemble the movements of injured fish. However, the encounter still frightens David. The shark continues to throw itself at the side of the boat until the moon’s position changes and the light is no longer reflected. When the attacks stop, David returns to the cabin to sleep.

The next day, there is still no wind, so the Frog is unable to sail. David realizes that it has now been several days since he last cleaned up, so he decides to wash himself. He notices the large number of bruises and cuts all over his body. It occurs to him that the storm must have been very violent and that he must have been tossed around the cabin while he was unconscious. David also begins to think about how hungry he is. This feeling is only magnified by his knowledge that he must ration the boat’s meager provisions. He also realizes how thirsty he is, and his thoughts start to push him over the edge and back into panic. He calms himself by reminding himself that much of what he is feeling is “all in his head,” exacerbated by his circumstances. He decides to inventory the supplies in the cabin below.

David realizes that although he does not have as much food as he hoped, there is enough to allow him to survive for some time. The freshwater tank is almost full, and he estimates that the supply will last for about three weeks. David also assesses the usable tools and gear. Among the supplies, he finds fishing gear, a strange long rod with a net on the end, and a deflated rubber dinghy. He lays all the wet gear on the deck to dry it out. David also finds a heavy package wrapped in plastic to keep it water-tight. He unwraps it and finds a book, which turns out to be his uncle’s sailing log. David reads through several entries. Some are informative, including one that explains that the strange long net is for catching plankton. Others are more personal and intimate. David feels somewhat uncomfortable reading these diary-like entries, but he continues to read until he falls asleep.

In the middle of the night, David wakes up to a loud, vibrating hum. He recognizes that it is a ship’s engine. Upon heading out onto the deck, he sees a giant oil tanker. The ship narrowly misses colliding with the Frog. David assumes that if a ship that large avoided hitting his small boat, they must have seen him. He can see small figures moving about on the deck and attempts to get their attention by shouting and waving his arms. The ship continues to move past without acknowledging him. David grows desperate and tries to find a way to make a light. He locates a candle and some matches and slowly waves the lit candle above his head. The oil tanker sails onward, leaving the Frog in its wake.

Frustrated by his failure to get the attention of the oil tanker’s crew, David becomes deeply angry and “hateful.” He reflects on how much he hates his situation and even himself, wishing that he had never learned to sail. He takes out his uncle Owen’s sailing log and makes a new entry, guessing at the date. He recounts his near miss with the oil tanker and ends the entry with “I am alone” (95). Putting these words in writing makes them feel even more real, and David commits to figuring out a way to get home on his own. He goes to sleep. The next day, he observes that even though there is still no wind, the swells on the ocean have a different appearance. He surmises that some change in the weather must be coming, and he knows that he must prepare to sail and remain focused on his survival.