When a South Pacific trip takes an unexpected turn, one writer leans in to the adventure.
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Unfriendly clouds loomed as theStar Breezeeased out of the lagoon.
The wind and the swells picked up, and the seas turned a milky blue.
Hanavave Bay, off Fatu Hiva, one of the Marquesas Islands.Credit:Getty Images
Its going to be very windy, very wet, and not very pleasant, he intoned.
So we have taken the decision to head for an inaugural call in the Marquesas.
The nearest continental landmass is Mexico, which sits 3,000 miles to the northeast.
From left: Star Breeze’s watersports and swimming platform; Temehea Archeological Site, on the island of Nuku Hiva.From left: Courtesy of Windstar; David Swanson
From left: Courtesy of Windstar; David Swanson
This sort of detour isnt common.
In my decades of writing about cruises, its only happened to me once before.
Improbably, that trip also took place aboard theStar Breeze.
What is it about this smallWindstarship?
Its not that the vessel has any particularly noteworthy navigational tools that make significant changes easier.
Rather, its the flexibility and improvisational skill of the crew that make such on-the-fly revisions possible.
It reminded me of Dominica, in the Caribbean: steep, green, and bathed in mist.
Thankfully, the natural beauty needed no translation.
Our next stop, the island of Fatu Hiva, was less successful.
Razor-thin ridges dropped into deep valleys, while the tiny village of Hanavave provided a sense of scale.
Given the conditions, the ships busy crew recalibrated again.
From shore, the bay looked dark as coffee, and I hesitated to dive in.
But several islanders were swimming as were a handful of my fellow passengers.
The Marquesas are the kind of place you would never reach by accident.
And yet, we did.
It helped that the crew was willing to do everything possible to arrange activities ashore and on board.
Well, Im retired, Chris said, putting to rest any debate over whether we should stay aboard.
Joining us were 18 other guests who had also elected to keep the adventure going.
Soon enough we were snorkeling in Moorea and swimming inTahaa.
We even came back around to Bora Bora.
Approaching the island in the sparkling sunlight, we anchored in the aquamarine lagoon and set about exploring.
I went for a scuba dive and, through the crystalline sea, spotted a green moray eel.
On my first sighting, I only noticed the creatures toothy, gaping jaw.
