A ferocious polar blizzard completely upends the natural conditions of the ocean, casting a cavernous darkness over the Matutina as it plunges directly into the storm.
In these freezing northern cyclones, the traditional aesthetic of a tempest is inverted; the sky turns ink-black, while the sea transforms into an expanse of white foam, accompanied by silent, red copper lightning. Caught in this wild flight, the Comprachicos celebrate their perceived freedom from English authorities, but their brief triumph is immediately silenced by the doctor. Through the blinding snowfall, the group hears the distant tolling of a warning bell attached to a floating buoy. The doctor explains that because the westerly wind is carrying the sound directly to them, they have drifted to the wrong side of the beacon and are actively being driven toward the lethal reefs of Alderney.
The captain seizes his megaphone and orders the crew to furl the remaining sails to claw westward back toward open water. Despite their efforts, the structural and magnetic violence of the blizzard systematically destroys the vessel. Overwhelming waves snap the mast, shatter the bulwarks, and wash away the compass, the anchor, and the signaling lights. Desperate to maintain control, the captain has himself lashed securely to the helm, but a massive, predatory wave crashes over the stern, ripping away both the rudder and the captain. Completely disabled, the passive hull drifts blindly as the warning bell fades into a terrifying silence. Suddenly, a violent red glow pierces the dense fog. The survivors spot a lighthouse, identifying it as the ancient fire beacon of the notorious Casquets rocks. While useful to a navigable vessel, this stone tower and its iron cage of blazing wood offer only a tragic, ironic illumination to a helpless wreck, merely lighting the path to its inevitable destruction.
Driven relentlessly by the northwest gale, the Matutina drifts rapidly toward the shallow, rocky depths of the reef. The survivors can hear the underwater pounding of the waves and see the narrow, bone-filled cavern of the natural harbor beneath the lighthouse. The fire from the beacon illuminates the terrifying silhouette of the rocks, projecting sharp lines of light across the crashing waves. With the captain gone, the group leader relies on his innate Basque knowledge of the sea to navigate the final moments of the catastrophe. Just as the vessel is about to collide with the reef, it draws so close to the great northern rock known as the Biblet that the massive granite formation completely eclipses the light, looming over the doomed passengers like a giant dark figure beneath a crown of fire.