Ellie herself was loving being on this boat. Girls together! When Christine had announced her desire to participate, young Ellie was right behind with her nautical know-how. The Russell's were sailors and thanks to her lack of brothers, she had sailed enough to be half decent at it. That and just by listening to your father talk about his the bits of his boat, the winds, the currents, and the catch you pick up stuff. But there was no substitute for doing instead of talking.