The Voyage of the Frog

David sails throughout the night, with the Frog steadily picking up speed. As dawn breaks, he finds himself surrounded by a pod of killer whales. He is initially fearful, wondering if they will capsize the boat, but he realizes that they are swimming in the same direction that he is sailing, and they only gently bump the side of the Frog. It occurs to David that they are likely “playing” with the boat, and he realizes that they are friends, not enemies. He offers a quiet prayer to the ocean, acknowledging the power and awe of these creatures. After several hours, the killer whales swim away, and David feels sad to see them depart.

Although David has sailed all through the night, he is surprised to realize that he does not feel tired. He continues to set a course to the east, and his mood is greatly improved. He eventually notices dark clouds accumulating on the horizon and surmises that he and the Frog are going to sail into a decent wind. He refers to the Frog and himself as “we” and lets the boat know that he is going to prepare to reef sail—a method of sailing with the wind, in which the sails are lowered to prevent damage. David successfully navigates the Frog into the growing swells before exhaustion overtakes him and he goes into the cabin to sleep.

David is awakened from his slumber by the intense rocking of the boat. He goes back to the deck, and although it is pitch black, he can see that the waves have grown larger and more intense. He navigates the Frog through the swells, maintaining a course to the east, but he eventually realizes that the waves are simply too big and the wind is too strong. He elects to change course, shifting to the southeast and harnessing the wind, allowing it to push the Frog with great speed. David enjoys the pace at which he is sailing, but then notices a change in the surf around him. Realizing that the boat is rapidly approaching a beach, he hastily jumps into action to prevent the Frog from running aground. He narrowly misses colliding with the sand and takes the boat further from shore. As he surveys the beach, he is elated to have finally found land, but he is also disappointed that the area appears to be uninhabited.

David has no idea where he is. After sailing for a couple of hours to investigate, he guesses that he is off the coast of Baja California—much farther south than he had hoped. He grows frustrated again, because he had assumed that if he found land, he would immediately be saved. Now, David spots a break in the shore and surf and realizes that it is an entrance to a natural harbor. He sails the Frog into the harbor and anchors for the night. Feeling safe and secure for the first time in days, he drifts into a deep sleep.

David’s sleep is interrupted by a terrible odor which nearly causes him to throw up. He gets up and feels that his hair and shoulders are covered in a strange, slimy substance. He is disoriented, but he soon realizes that the cove is full of whales. The whales are expelling air from their blowholes—the sources of the smell and the slime—and many of them are breaching and cresting out of the water. David watches them from the Frog for the entire day. When they eventually leave the cove, David is pained to see them go and decides that he will depart as well. Upon leaving, he quickly observes that a storm is heading in their direction.

This time, David handles sailing in a storm with more confidence and realizes that he has grown into a more skillful sailor. He puts all his effort into keeping the Frog and himself safe from the wind and the waves. When the storm subsides after the better part of a day, David notices a ship coming toward him out of the sunset. The people on the ship wave at him, and it takes David a minute to realize that this is his chance to be rescued. He waves at the boat enthusiastically, and they eventually stop and turn on their deck lights. David introduces himself, and the crew says that they know who he is. They tell him that everyone in Ventura has been searching for him, but he has been presumed dead. The captain of the ship, which is a whaling research vessel, offers to give David safe passage back home. However, he stipulates that David will have to leave the Frog behind, as there is no way to bring it on board or to tow it. David gives the matter some thought and decides to sail home on the Frog rather than abandon his uncle’s boat. The captain is initially surprised but admits that he would make the same choice. The crew gives David a large bundle of supplies and food before they depart. David then sails in the direction of home.