There are a few very interesting pieces from this chapter: the Sobreiro, the Xebec, the usage of ships, and the reference to Carmin Burana.

Sola is said to have been reading Sobreiro earlier in the novel.  A sobreiro refers to the Quercus suber tree, or the cork tree, which is the primary source for corks.  Corks, often used as wine stoppers, and their connection to wine could be relevant later on, as wine comes up and should be analyzed.

A xebec, a common trading ship, is said to be “hauntingly familiar” for S, perhaps implying that it was similar to the ship that he was sailing on.  This is an interesting idea as the crew members do seem to be carrying some stuff around as they travel, and this would mean that that is their main goal, S is just an addition to their mission.  Together, there seems to be something very important about ships in general.  Perhaps it is the crew always doing the same thing, but something connects ships with tradition, a very important theme in the novel.

Finally, in the margins we also learn that F.X.C. loved to listen to Carmina Burana, a cantata composed by Carl Orf from the 1900s which was very troubling to German culture because it was said to have a hidden diabolical message.  What makes Straka’s said fascination with the song especially strange is that it is later proven that the song really has no message at all.  Perhaps this is what Straka wanted his work to be like, pure passion without an ulterior message or motive.