This will be a very short post on the most populous of the Cook Islands, Rarotonga. This volcanic island surrounded by a lagoon was to be the location for two excursions for us--"an intimate glimpse of Polynesian life on the lagoon islet of Muri, including a local market, musicians and performers, and optional swim or snorkel", and a "3.5 hour lagoon cruise on a glass-bottom boat viewing a colorful kaleidoscope of marine species, stopping at a motu to enjoy a stroll around the island while the crew prepares a sumptuous seafood BBQ". But it wasn't to be. We sailed into the designated anchorage, dropped anchor and let down the tender boat which headed to the shore to pick up the customs agent. He was brought aboard the ship, but the sea was so rough, there was concern about the difficulty and danger in trying to load and unload passengers on the tender. The captain pulled up anchor and sailed around to the other side of the island to see if the water was calmer there. It wasn't. The ship came back to the original side and took the agent back as the captain announced that, for safety reasons, we would have to forego our plans for this port. Our cruise director apologized and said, "If plan A doesn't work, you try plan B, and if it doesn't work, you go to plan Sea." So we got an unexpected sea day. The next two days will also be at sea where we will cross the International Date Line and lose a day. We will go from Saturday, Jan. 20 to Monday, Jan. 22 and arrive in Tonga on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
This will be a very short post on the most populous of the Cook Islands, Rarotonga. This volcanic island surrounded by a lagoon was to be the location for two excursions for us--"an intimate glimpse of Polynesian life on the lagoon islet of Muri, including a local market, musicians and performers, and optional swim or snorkel", and a "3.5 hour lagoon cruise on a glass-bottom boat viewing a colorful kaleidoscope of marine species, stopping at a motu to enjoy a stroll around the island while the crew prepares a sumptuous seafood BBQ". But it wasn't to be. We sailed into the designated anchorage, dropped anchor and let down the tender boat which headed to the shore to pick up the customs agent. He was brought aboard the ship, but the sea was so rough, there was concern about the difficulty and danger in trying to load and unload passengers on the tender. The captain pulled up anchor and sailed around to the other side of the island to see if the water was calmer there. It wasn't. The ship came back to the original side and took the agent back as the captain announced that, for safety reasons, we would have to forego our plans for this port. Our cruise director apologized and said, "If plan A doesn't work, you try plan B, and if it doesn't work, you go to plan Sea." So we got an unexpected sea day. The next two days will also be at sea where we will cross the International Date Line and lose a day. We will go from Saturday, Jan. 20 to Monday, Jan. 22 and arrive in Tonga on Tuesday, Jan. 23. 
Are you or David having any trouble with sea-sickness?
ReplyDeleteDavid has done better than I feared, but not as well as I. He's got a pretty sensitive inner ear, but wearing the sea-bands, staying where he can see outside, or lying down has kept him from getting too uncomfortable. Me, I obviously have very insensitive ears. Maybe it comes from having slept in a waterbed for 30 years.
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