Having decided to open the ditty bag, Robie first reads the sheaf of papers she finds within it. The first paper is the flight manifest. Robie discovers that her name is not on the list. 

This comes with two frightening realizations. First, Robie has to face the possibility that her weight was unaccounted for on the plane, and therefore potentially a contributing factor to the crash, once the G-1 lost one of its engines. She rationalizes this away, clinging to the hope that Larry took her into account, but she cannot minimize the second realization: if she is not on the manifest, there is no record of her being on the flight, and no one even knows to look for her in the ocean. 

The next item Robie finds in the ditty bag is a laminated card, labeled, "Survival at Sea." It offers practical advice, including, "Do not drink seawater," and "Do not smoke." It also informs Robie that the two most common causes of death at sea are drowning and hypothermia (76-77).

She also finds a red notebook. Robie "glanced at the words on the cover, frowned, and fanned the pages.