 A weather-beaten old man is sitting near the wreck, and the narrator asks him how the boat came to be there, so far from the water.The old man begins to tell the story of a young boy who, years ago, was the most talented sailor in the harbor and who never missed an opportunity to prove it, performing feats that none of the grown men would dare try.One day the boy decided to out despite the storm brewing just outside the harbor and against the warnings of an old fisherman.