Leaving Papeete in the early morning is not good for one’s wellbeing.  A shrill buzzing from the phone at 4 a.m. woke me from my slumber; the officer of the watch, frighteningly happy for such a time, informing me that it was an hour to sailing.

Stagger into the shower, refreshingly cool, a shave and a dab of scent, (heaven knows who for) and into the pantry, coffee, vast quantities of it.

Onto the bridge, feeling considerably better and ready for departure.  We had docked bow-in, so once clear of the pier it was necessary to do a ‘wheelie’, turn through 180⁰ before exiting out of the harbour, through the gap in the reef.

We have to obtain clearance from the airport before we do so, the runway and its final approach are close and no pilot needs a 157 ft/47m high block of steel in his way, (nor do I).

Out to the entrance and a mere 34 miles away lies the north side of Moorea and Opunoha Bay, our anchorage.  Once more, through a gap in the reef, surf breaking either side of us and we drop the anchor. We lie surrounded by verdant hillsides and towering peaks; I expect a pterodactyl or two to do a fly-by.  It looks almost prehistoric and not dissimilar to Hawaii in that respect.

Over on our port side one can see the  guest rooms of the nearby Hilton hotel; they stand on legs, over the water

The lagoon provides a nice lee from the swell and our tender operations run smoothly; guests off to swim with rays, go sailing, 4-wheel drive, have beach breaks and the one I would have liked to do, a photography expedition.  Unfortunately, I am unable to make it, this time at least.

I do manage to jump into a tender though, during a quiet period and I, along with other officers took a jaunt across the lagoon on a photo shoot.  Typically, after long periods of sun, it decided to cloud over and even rain, so don’t be fooled or disappointed by the photos; it really is turquoise-blue water and sandy beaches.

Before I leave you, close friends and colleague, (now living in France) sent me a link to a video, which I post below.  It is the end of a once beautiful ship, one which I commanded years ago and he sailed on as Chief Engineer.  At the time she was spanking new and one of the largest ferries on the English Channel.  She goes out in style, still able to crank up the speed for which she was renowned.  It left me with a lump in my throat, seeing her go like this. 

www.gcaptain.com/pride-calais-turkish-shipbreaker-video