Dowell is halfway to the shore before she remembers something very important. Two things, actually.

The first is that devil fruit users can't swim. They sink like rocks in salt water. There's no scientific explanation for why it happens, but Dowell has always thought that it's the Devil's price for such power. Just folklore, of course. 

The second is that Captain Alveara is a devil fruit user.

Cursing, Dowell starts to look around for any sign of the intrepid captain. Losing a ship immediately on arriving in Paradise is bad enough, but losing a [i]captain?[/i] That's just plain embarrassing.