The journey ended
The little band of travellers are lucky to be alive and celebrate their success. They discover they have surfaced in Sicily. Their compass is also shown to be reversed. When the fireball swept the raft during the great storm, its magnetism must have switched the compass poles. They realise they reached the other shore after all!
On the evening of the ninth of October, they reach Hamburg once more. After more than four months away, they are happy to be home at last!