Ah, I see now how the whole "ship to the past" works, but, still, in the game it does not look that clear (it's like there is a missing scene to explain the event)
But hey, at least it wasnt a time travelling thanks to Celebi...! lol
By the way, something else does not feel right. Why the same guy who allows you to ride the boat would give you a free ticket? It'd sound better (in my opinion) that you win the ticket from somebody else, maybe like, from a Gym Leader, or something that would push the player into investigating a little (and is a perfect time wasting opportunity...)