9. Beheading. Sophie writes an entry saying the crew has left Block Island and is headed for Martha’s Vineyard. Cody, she adds, annoys his father (Mo), Brian, and Uncle Stew by never saying any of the sailing terminology correctly. She says that they arrived at Martha’s Vineyard in half the time they expected, and that the reason they’re stopping in Martha’s Vineyard is to visit Uncle Dock’s friend Joey. Joey has spent the last five years refurbishing an old wooden boat, and it’s in impeccable shape with a high-end interior. Sophie says that Dock seems a bit jealous about Joey’s boat. While Sophie and Dock both admit that Joey’s ship is beautiful, they agree that they’d rather sail across the ocean in The Wanderer. After everyone has dinner in Joey’s cottage, Cody tells Sophie that he walked in on Dock and Joey having a serious conversation—but he’s not sure what it was about.
Cody’s lightheartedness and tendency to goof off grates on the nerves of Brian and Stew, who insist that using the proper words in order to describe the various parts of the ship is critical to everyone’s safety. Further, Sophie and Dock’s dedication to The Wanderer is emphasized here, as they prize its quaintness and the feelings it gives them over the luxury and impressiveness of Joey’s boat. Cody’s description of walking in on Dock and Joey is mysterious, and we’re left to feel like there is something happening in the adult world which Cody, Brian, and Sophie don’t have access to, but which somehow concerns their trip.