The Great Sea is home to many exciting and dangerous destinations that Link must visit during his quest to save the world, but occasionally he stumbles upon a quaint location that offers a much-needed respite from his duties. Link’s still a kid, after all, so it’s important to make time for fun. In one of the southern sectors of the ocean, Link can find this fun by way of the Boating Course.
The Boating Course, which is comprised of two minuscule islands, is exactly what anyone would assume it is: It’s a course meant to test the skill and luck of sailors and vessels alike. And Link has ample skill and, going by how many walls he had been flung into during earlier parts of his travels, even more luck.
Upon reaching the shores of the larger of the island, Link meets Loot, the lone inhabitant of the region and the operator of the course. He informs Link of the course’s objectives and rules (if Link is inclined to listen), and offers the hero the choice to take the challenge. There is a cost to participate, but the potential reward is enough to make the 30-rupee gamble worth it, especially for the ever-confident Link.
The goal of the boating course challenge is to race to the finish of the closed-off path, collecting as many rupees as possible along the way. The rupees float above barrels that float in the water, requiring Link to sail or jump over barrels to collect the prizes. Link must be careful as he does though, as sailing into any vertically positioned barrels will only result in Link being comically thrown from the King of Red Lions. These barrels must be jumped over, an technique that Link, if he’s spent any time in Gyorg-infested waters, should be adept with by this point.
Once Link accepts the offer, he moves his sentient vessel to the starting line. The countdown begins, then ends, and then Link is off, cruising down the trail at a brisk pace. He’s sailed through storms, swarms of Seahats, and tornadoes — the threat of losing some money would probably seem trivial at this point. But Link lacks the ability to turn off his determination, so trying isn’t the option: succeeding is.
Navigating the start of the course is simple enough for Link. The barrels are spaced generously and favorably and drift in the direction of the wind. Keeping an eye on the upcoming bends in the trail and timing his jumps like a Tektite, Link breezes through the opening.
It’s the latter half of the course that takes the time to care enough about Link’s need for excitement. The barrels drift closer together, some even resting right next to each other, requiring Link to make his jumps without error in order to clear the clusters. The bends in the route also become tighter, and the line of barrels also begins to trail off at sharper angles, requiring Link to make sharp turns by turning the rudder of his ship as he lands after a jump. And, to keep Link on guard in the most nefarious way possible, exploding barrels appear along the way and are eager to detonate whenever the seafaring adventurer approaches.
As a whole, the race is far from simple, but it’s even farther from difficult. Link keeps his cool and crosses the finish line in record time.
The race is won, so now there’s only one thing left to do: Answer the question, “What’s that over there?” The “over there” is the smaller island, which Link realizes can be reached via his Deku Leaf. Once he drifts over, he finds the entrance to a hidden cave. It’s a secret, and he is Link, so naturally, he jumps right in.
Depending on what mood he’s in, Link will be excited or annoyed to find one of the large, ominous chambers that are home to showdowns with gauntlets of enemies. Once Link deals with the pests, in a rather harsh but deserved manner, he earns the Submarine Chart, a bounty that will lead to much more booty.
Link, having plundered this small pit stop for all that it has to willingly and unwillingly offer, bids his new playground farewell and moves onto his next destination with his pep restored, wallet full, and handy new chart ready.
