With the Pitcairn Group in our wake we have set out across the wide stretch of the Pacific that lies between Ducie Atoll and Easter Island. Once again the greatest ocean in the world surrounds us and we are the center of our own world, isolated and alone, yet never disconnected from all that lies over our horizons.
There are so many ways to spend our time as we near the end of our voyage through remote southeastern Polynesia the day has raced by and some plans have had to be put off—maybe tomorrow. Talks from our Global Perspectives Guest Speakers, Paul Rose and Bob Brown, and from members of our natural history team and cultural experts, have helped us to wrap up the ideas we have explored on this journey and prepare for the final exciting landfall at Easter Island. The photo team has been busy helping us to edit and optimize the beautiful images we have made during the trip, with the help of a special guest photo expert (Tom Ritchie) who offered his unique perspective on How To Take Good Photographs! And, of course, Chef Lothar and his team have kept us well fed and much delighted with their usual fabulous array of comestibles.
It has been a day for reading, writing, and reflection on recent events and new memories. Perhaps for thinking ahead to the next adventure. Looking out across the wide expanse blue water under blue skies that surrounds us, some of us have found our thoughts travelling into the past, thinking of the earlier voyagers who made this long crossing long ago. First came the Polynesian navigators in their double-hulled voyaging canoes, followed by the European explorers, years away from home in tiny wooded ships with only a vague idea of where in the world they might be. These journeys are nearly unimaginable from our perspective, at ease and in comfort on our state-of-the-art expedition vessel. But perhaps we can catch just a hint, just an echo of the feeling of being truly at sea, on the face of the great Pacific Ocean.
