This rejoinder seeks to build upon McElroy and Lucas’ excellent paper by exploring further the relationship between distances from small islands to their main markets and economic performance. It is argued that the nature of this relationship is not only statistically very strong but also that it is nuanced and multifaceted. A very fruitful set of areas for further future research awaits any researcher brave and energetic enough to pick up the baton and run (or swim – we are talking islands here) with it.