How is the hulk freed? The island party first sends a light line by kite, then uses it to haul larger ropes. The hulk's crew works capstans against the anchored line until the vessel is pulled clear of the imprisoning weed.
Who lives aboard the hulk? Passengers and crew have survived inside a timber superstructure for seven years, building a small society and families while defending themselves from the weed's creatures.
What happens during the final attack? Weed-men climb the ship as it leaves the region. The sailors repel them with blades and coordinated resistance, but the captain's wife vanishes and is presumed dragged overboard.
Do the survivors reach home? Yes. The rerigged hulk clears the strange seas and carries the combined company back to civilization. The narrator later marries Mary Madison and settles into domestic life ashore.
What happened to the other Glen Carrig boat? Josh and his companions survive the great storm separately. The narrator notes that he learned their fate only years later, keeping this account focused on his own boat's journey.
Themes and What the Ending Means
Seamanship as moral intelligence The bo'sun's authority comes from competence, foresight, and care rather than rank alone. Survival depends on attending to material limits.
Community against hostile nature Neither courage nor ingenuity belongs to one hero. Watches, repairs, signals, and battles succeed because people coordinate their labor.
An ecosystem without human privilege The weed-continent supports forms of life that treat human beings as prey. Its strangeness comes from biological abundance rather than emptiness.
Communication as rescue The critical breakthrough is not a weapon but a line capable of carrying messages and rope. Connection transforms two isolated groups into one working community.
Homecoming and memory The narrator reaches domestic safety but continues revisiting the monstrous region with the bo'sun, suggesting that survival does not end the experience.