Welcome to Thunderdome

He was stuck on the island for years because of the prevailing winds causing big waves a half mile out that he couldn't get past on a raft.

But then one day he is capable of making a sail, and then he has a deadline to build a new raft before the day the winds shift in a better direction.

It occurred to me today that an island usually has more than one side, and if he'd launched his raft from the other side, the prevailing winds wouldn't have been an issue, and he could have left at any time.

GORDON wrote: It occurred to me today that an island usually has more than one side, and if he'd launched his raft from the other side, the prevailing winds wouldn't have been an issue, and he could have left at any time.

The other side was surrounded by shallow corals, man-eating sharks, whirlpools, and volcanoes.

And no shipping lines with the currents carrying him off into nowhere.

Very early in his castawayness, he climbs to the top of the central hill and can see all around the island...and there's surf rolling in FROM EVERY DIRECTION.