The Wreck of the Zephyr is a children's book written and illustrated by the American author Chris Van Allsburg, first published by Houghton Mifflin in March 1983.

The old man begins to tell the story of a young boy who, years ago, was the most talented sailor in the harbor, never missing an opportunity to prove it, performing feats that none of the grown men would dare try.

Back in the harbor, he encounters a fisherman who, surprised at the boy's return, tells him that they do not get any visitors because the island is surrounded by a treacherous reef.

Afterward, the old man claims, the townspeople never believed him, and the boy spent his life doing odd jobs and searching for the mysterious island.

He can be found on page nine, standing near the fisherman as he warns the boy against taking the boat out into the rough storm.