There is one thought that floats in his head as water splashes against him and wind pushes him along. Ryan. He never gave him a proper good-bye, even though he noticed the tear in the other boy's eyes...the image is forever singed into the back of his mind. He pulls on a rope, straining his arm and blistering his palm. He sticks his hand into the undulating water and cools his fingers. He doesn't like to think about it. The day is young and he has a lot of water to cover before the sun goes down and thinking about things that he has no control over is not going to get him to Tahiti any faster.