56. Useful. After Cody writes that The Wanderer has sails again (in Wet), Sophie writes an entry saying that Brian and Uncle Stew have been using the sextant for navigation, since the GPS is broken. Sophie says that it’s frightening to be on lookout now, after her encounter with the giant wave. She also mentions that it seems like it’s been a hundred years since they were on Grand Manan. Further, Cody was able to contact a Canadian warship which verified The Wanderer’s position—they’re about 500 miles from Ireland, where they’ll land and drive to England. They’re less than a week away.
In the aftermath of the giant wave, the ship and crew are finally beginning to recover. Sophie’s comments early on in the novel about the sea’s way of altering her perception of time are echoed here, when she says that it seems like 100 years have passed since Grand Manan. After the storm, there’s finally a bit of hope again, as the crew verifies their position and the possibility re-emerges of reaching Ireland safely.