We were greeted and asked for our booking slip. Dad might have gotten a receipt, but didn't bring it, so thankfully they had the seven of us written down and gave us our boarding tokens.
They also gave Maria a pink sarong, since we decided it was time to celebrate her birthday... Only four weeks early.
The ship was a bit smaller than I expected for it to fit 50 people. The fore and aft decks were maybe 20 square feet each, then there was a large booth inside where the fruit and pastries were. I got started on that champagne part of the champagne breakfast right away.
We "sailed" (not sure that sail was really doing any work) for about an hour and a half, getting near a couple of the other islands before anchoring in deeper water near Schooner Island. A motor boat grabbed half the passengers (including Deanne and me) and trundled to the island. It was sandy, but soon after the waves broke it turned into coral.
Deanne and I staked out a table and re-sunscreened while the boat went back to fetch the others.
First on the list was the kava ceremony. It was a large group, so the staff designated a chief to drink the first bowl of kava, then told us to try some during lunch. I forgot, so no sedating dirt water for me to try. There were three claps and a few words spoken as a group, then we were off to activities!
I was most excited about snorkeling. Our resort doesn't have any coral nearby, so I finally got to see some Pacific sea life! I recognized some fishes from Thailand last year and Belize in September, but don't remember seeing clams with the rippled mouths before. There were a lot of pearls at the gift shop we went to the other day, so perhaps that is where they come from!
Maria and Chris went in the glass-bottomed boat first, so we snorkelled out to meet them. The water was visible up to 20 feet, easily, and possibly more.
I was so intent on snorkeling that it took me a while to realize I was one of the few still out. I came back in to find that it was lunch time. A few different kinds of BBQed meat, coleslaw, salad - not quite the ridiculous buffet I was expecting, but very pleasant.
We talked to a lot of different folks on the cruise, from an extended family of 20 that's been doing this every other year for many, many years to a couple from San Diego that was trying the scuba diving while their mom was doing the power snorkeling. Everyone was very friendly, and at lunch, it was no different - a family with two sons in their twenties chatted about the connections to different American cities we have.
I was ready for more snorkeling (though I should have thought to apply a bit more sunscreen to my backside... Yes, that backside...) so hopped in with Mom and Maria. Mom was happy in the shallows close to shore, so when Deanne came out, she went in as we ventured out further.
I heard there was a giant clam underneath a grate. After half an hour, I found a guide with some other snorkelers and asked him. He pointed me to a buoy, where I found a pretty big clam under a tripod of metal stakes - not exactly what I thought I was looking for, but still a cool find nonetheless. Turns out, I did miss the giant clam - it was closer to shore. I'll just have to go back!
The guide also gave me some fish meat, so I got a chance to handfeed the blue and yellow striped ones, who also took the opportunity to feed on my hand! (Just little nibbles - turns out I don't taste very good.)
By the time I got back to shore, they were wrapping up the afternoon with a sand volleyball game. The island was just big enough for the dozen or so picnic tables to ring a volleyball court. I grabbed another beverage before sitting in the shallow water, waiting (and kind of delaying) getting in the boat on the way back to the schooner.
As we pulled up to the schooner, we saw a few brave souls take flying leaps from the upper deck. Not to be outdone, Valerie and I each had our moment of flying (then intense salt-water nasal cleansing). I went to the "honeymoon suite" to rinse off; it was a little dated and musty-looking, but it served its purpose for me. Just don't actually spend a honeymoon in there.
We sat on the upper deck and chatted for the ride back. Our serenaders played some singalong classics that we knew, so we joined in for "Sweet Caroline" and "Country Road, Take Me Home" and the two lines of "Brown-Eyed Girl" that I know.
We were back to port again - rain-free, over-sunned, and not too sleepy. I left my family to check on some of the dive booths that were at the port and booked a dive for January 1st! Many dive shops are closed, so I was happy to find one.
I found one of the crew when I didn't find my family, and he let me know to just take the next shuttle back to the Wyndham. I didn't have a key, so was glad when I knocked on our room and the door opened.
We hung out for a bit, then decided on dinner at the restaurant on the sand so we could watch the sunset. It was lovely, and we were just happy to not get the massive rainstorm we were witnessing across the bay! Burgers, pizza, and curry - some of the fastest service (or perhaps we weren't as hungry) and definitely a great view.
It was clearly game time when we got back, so a few rounds of Scattergories, then a round of Seven Wonders (that I didn't win! Good job, Valerie, for an all-time high score!). It was 10:30, and I wasn't exhausted, but knew I had to be up early for a taxi to Scuba Bula, where I'm doing two dives in the morning!
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