On January 4, the voyagers got some respite. After 36 hours of continuous pumping they could pump much of the water out. Water was still coming in. The pumpers were to keep pace with the water. They could not set any sail on the main mast. So they hoisted the storm jib. Mary found some beef and biscuits. They ate their first meal in almost two days. But their respite was short lived. At 4 pm the wind was back to 40 knots. The waves were rising higher.

By the dawn on January 5, the situation was again hopeless. The narrator went in to comfort the children. Jon asked if they were ‘going to die’. The narrator assured him that they would succeed. His son replied that they were not afraid of dying if they could “all be together”. The captain used an improvised sea anchor. It was made of heavy nylon rope and 22 barrels of paraffin. Those were critical moments. Mary and the narrator sat together holding their hands. They both felt that the end was very near. But Wavewalker rode out (of) the storm and the wind eased by the morning of January 6.