I’m so lucky, in my world the island the gateway led to had a ship

Pick one direction and only move on that axis. End cities are generated on a grid so as long as you stick to one direction you will find another

Fun Fact: It’s about 70% reliable, but if you head in the direction the End Ship is facing, you will likely find another city. Sometimes you have to go a few thousand blocks though.

So what am I looking at here?

Get a spare elytra. Trust me. It should be alot easier and shouldn’t take too long if you use the elytra you just got and it means if you lose that one it won’t take another eternity to get a new one.

Oh rip