5. Afloat. Sophie writes that she and her fellow shipmates have begun their journey—The Wanderer has hit the waters. They are heading towards Block Island, where it seems that they’re going to stop, though Sophie doesn’t say why. Sophie also tells us that Uncle Stew came up with the idea that everyone aboard the ship should teach something to the whole crew. Sophie decides that she’s going to teach her “boat family” the stories that her grandfather Bompie has taught her.
The stop at Block Island, as we discover later, is the first in a series of stops Dock makes with the intention of encountering an old love interest of his. Sophie’s decision to teach Bompie’s stories to her family starts to show how she perceives the world through stories and fantasies.