She feels as if the sea is calling her to be away, to be free. But she feels as if something is pulling her back at the same time. She only knows that sailing to Ireland in Uncle Dock's 45-foot sailboat, The Wanderer, to visit Bompie, is something she has to do. At first the voyage is idyllic. Sophie takes her sleeping bag out on deck and sleeps under the stars.
Dolphins play alongside the boat.
But not everything is hugs and kisses. Sophie has to pull her own weight on the boat. Some things are neat, like when she climbs into the bosun's chair and gets hoisted to the top of the mast to fix an anchor light. Neither her cousin Brian nor her cousin Cody will do that, but Sophie loves it. Everybody has trouble getting along, too.