Author Login | Popular Articles | RSS Feeds | Sitemap

Sailing The South Seas

Ever since I read James Micheners book, Tales of the South Pacific, Ive dreamed of living amongst the waving palms and sugar sand beaches of the South Seas. In my youth, this dream actually drove me to move to Hawaii for a while where I settled down with a sweet girl of Hawaiian-Chinese-Filipino descent. Her name was Nani Houmaniwanui Pahia. It took me weeks to be able to pronounce her last name. Through Nani I got a glimpse into Polynesian culture few Hoales (outsiders) ever get. Her mother was pure Hawaiian and Nani knew lots of songs and stories her aunties (pretty much every older Hawaiian woman on Oahu) had told her. I loved Nani and the warm clear water and the rolling surf, the slack key music and the rainbows and the fish. I even got to like the poi and the poki, a ceviche like dish of octopus/squid,/rockfish/whatever we would buy and enjoy with a couple of Primo beers. Alas, after about a year in Hawaii my mainland motor just started revving uncontrollably. I guess I got what they call Island fever and I just had to go. I moved to Hollywood and became a producer/director of promotional films and commercials.

But I return to Hawaii any chance I can. Fortunately I still have friends I can see there, though Nani has since moved to the Mainland. A few years back, I was lucky enough to produce several promotional and marketing videos for a company called Aloha Pacific, which resurrected the old Matson Liner, Monterrey, and sailed her around the Islands. Good times! But, unfortunately, the Monterrey Hawaiian Cruise was done in by bitter competition and economics and now sails the Mediterranean where Im sure she pines for the old days.

My Father-in-Law, Bob Sinclair, recently took sixteen family members on a Sinclair South Pacific Adventure aboard the Star Flyer, sailing around Tahiti and the Society Islands. Talk about a busmans holiday! Ive taken over 180 working cruises in plying my trade with numerous cruise lines, and while the working conditions are great, its still work. Really, it is. Honestly. Going on a cruise strictly for pleasure seemed like too much of a good thing. Well it was. I couldnt resist shooting some stills with my trusty Nikon, posing my good looking Brother-in-Law and his wife, recording ambient sounds, interviewing the Captain and crew members, and generally doing what I normally do onboard a cruise ship. I kept forgetting they werent paying me to be there.
I guess I feel uncomfortable just kicking back and taking it all in. But this cruise was so beautiful and relaxing I found myself doing just that more and more.

The Society Islands, including Tahiti and Bora Bora, are picture perfect examples of Polynesian Paradise. You may know that Bora Bora was the inspiration for Micheners Bali Hai, the mysterious island that beckons you to come to her. Experiencing these beautiful islands from the deck of a true sailing ship with all sails billowing conjured up images of romance and adventure from the old Clipper Ship days of copra trading and rum. The copra trade isnt what it used to be, but Star Flyers bartender made sure we had plenty of rum available. And while the days of being welcomed by open-armed topless wahines seem to be gone, the people in these islands are among the most warm and friendly of any Ive met. The diving and snorkeling were first rate. The weather was perfect. We went swimming with rays and sharks and drifting through unbelievable coral gardens. By the end of the voyage I had quit taking pictures and just vegged out like the rest of the passengers. Now thats a relaxing cruise! It totally brought back the sun filled days and velvet breezes, starry nights and rustling coconut palm fronds of my Hawaiian idyll so many years ago. All together now, Sighhhhhhh.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Timothy K. Melchior, The Travelographer, works at The Association in Burbank, Ca.
Here is the Star Flyer Slide Show he made.

Tags: travel

, cruise

, ship

, sail

, Tahiti

, Bora Bora

, Society Islands

, South Seas

, South Pacific

, Hawaii

, i

| Print | Ezine Ready | |

Related....

Videos...

Recent Travel-and-Leisure Articles

Boutique Hotels - The Perfect Place For A Fun And Relaxed Vacation By: Gen Wright | Nov 8th 2009 - Boutique hotels are typically small, period-style, quirky hotels with an intimate ambience, perfect for some downtime on a family vacation.

boutique hotels

http://www.hopestreethotel.co.uk

A Superb Vacation Setting For You By: Lewis Dylan | Nov 8th 2009 - Hale Makai is a small paradise on earth. Offering the best services you can ever get. Whether or not you are a wealthy person, this is the right destination for you.

kauai vacation rentals

kauai vacation

kauai vacation renta

Sunshine Coast Holidays - A Tourist's View By: Roger Laganin | Nov 7th 2009 - The Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia is a great place to spend your holidays. But don't just take our word for it - check out what these British holiday makers said.

sunshine coast holidays

sunshine coast accommodation

Get The Best Value For Money On A Family Holiday In The Greek Islands By: Mark Kempster | Nov 7th 2009 - Greece was known for its cheap hotel rooms, free wine during hotel stays, and cheap food. But things have changed drastically since it joined the European Union. The new Euro currency has made prices at the same range as the United Kingdom, Germany and other EU natio ...

cheap holiday to Greece

lastminute holiday to Greece

bargain holiday to Greece

cheap holidays to Greece

last minute holidays to Greece

Save Money On Your Family Holiday To Tenerife By: Mark Kempster | Nov 7th 2009 - Find out how you can save money on your family holiday to Tenerife. Turn a great holiday into a great cheap holiday!

cheap holiday to Tenerife

lastminute holiday to Tenerife

bargain holiday to Tenerife

cheap holidays to Tenerife

last minute holidays to Tenerife

Honeymoon In Singapore - Land Of Honeymooner"��s Paradise By: Dolly | Nov 7th 2009 - Singapore has everything to offer to make the initial days of your married life together a very memorable one Singapore is not just for shopping and skyscrapers but we can find a lot more than a success story, and a vibrancy with lot of temples markets , natural beau ...

Singapore honeymoon tours

singapore honeymoon packages

What To Select, An Experience Or An Adventure Day? By: Chris Smiths | Nov 7th 2009 - Adventure days and experience days are very similar, but experience days are intended to help you develop a new skill or hone an existing skill.

experience days

Hotelscombined.com- The Best Search Engine In Hotel World By: phaniraj | Nov 7th 2009 - The best search engine to find availability and rates of hotels from all over the world is HotelsCombined.com, headquartered in Australia. Started in 2005 by a group of technology experts and executives of famous hotel sites like HotelClub.com, RatesToGo.com etc, Hot ...

Hotels

Blog de Hoteles

Programa de Afiliados

Cheap Flights To Bangkok, Reminiscing Budget Holidays By: Richard Johnes | Nov 7th 2009 - Through cheap flights to Bangkok, you will have a wonderful holidaying experience. There are various other things which you will love to see, watch and explore on your holiday.

Cheap flights to Bangkok

Cheap flights to Bali

Cheap flights to Manila

Cheap Flights to Amman

Search Flights online

Saving Money When Purchasing Tickets For Florida Attractions By: San Thomas | Nov 7th 2009 - Florida has the most extravagant attractions that everybody will surely enjoy. The only downfall sometimes is that they thought that it is expensive enough for the whole family.