Winter finally sets in. The men shear their sheep and plan to create felt from the wool. The men also attempt, for the very first time, to send a message to the outside world: They capture an albatross, attach a message around its neck, and let it loose to fly away in hopes that perhaps it will one day be discovered. Still bothered by the shaft into the sea, Cyrus finally climbs to the bottom using one of the old rope ladders. He finds nothing suspicious and returns to their home above. Harbert is enlisted by Pencroff to help sew the sails for their ship.

One evening, a whole host of foxes invades. After two hours of the men fighting the animals off, the remaining pack flees. At dawn, they discover they killed over four dozen of the animals, but they also discover Joop has been wounded. After many days of convalescence and meticulous care by the company, Joop recovers.

September marks the end of their island winter, and Pencroff completes the final stages of the boat. The hull is finished, rooms are made in the ship’s interior, and an appropriate tree is chosen to be felled for the ship’s mast. On October 10, the ship is finally launched at sea.