However, food eventually became more important to me than my sadness. I hadn't eaten since the day before and I thought there might be food on the ship, so I took off my clothes and swam to it. At first I thought I'd wasted my time- I had reached the ship, but it was too high for me to climb on to. I swam around it twice, trying to think of a way to get onto it. Just as I was about to give up and swim back to the beach, I saw a small rope hanging over the side. Making a huge effort, I managed to pull myself up.