Journals from the week ending November 1, 1996
An Outdoor Adventure
by Nick Hurzeler
11/1/96, aboard ship...Think of a commercial on television...one that advertises a tropical paradise- with bright blue water, sandy beaches and swaying palm trees. The picture you probably have in your head is what came to life for the crew of Concordia when we first saw Tahiti, an island located in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.
While visiting this tropical paradise, we had the unique opportunity to go outrigger canoeing. An outrigger canoe is a Polynesian invention and is still used in Tahiti today. It is a regular canoe with an attachment that rides parallel and provides stability to the main body of the canoe. The canoes are built for six or twelve people.
We were lucky to have professional canoers from Tahiti demonstrate how to paddle for us. They taught us to paddle in sync while switching sides after a set number of strokes. After paddling (mostly out of sync) for a half mile, we came across a floating dock where everyone converged and went swimming. The water was warm and crystal clear and only about fifteen feet deep. We swam underwater to the sandy bottom and saw beautiful tropical fish. After we went swimming, there was a great Class Afloat crew race back to shore. Lined up ready to paddle, the signal was given and everyone tried their best. One canoe tipped over (perhaps with the prompting of the canoe alongside) and my canoe won by only a few feet.
This incredible experience taught everyone a little about the modes of transportation used in the past and present by the people of Tahiti. We also had a chance to talk with the professional canoers and find out what life is like living on the beautiful island of Tahiti. Throughout our whole experience on Tahiti, we learned alot and had a good time!
Highlights of Tahiti
by Michelle Lanteigne
11/1/96, aboard ship...Tahiti is a tropical paradise with white sandy beaches and bright blue water. I imagine Tahiti is not the same island it used to be when the Bounty arrived here thousands of years ago. You will still find beautiful beaches with clear blue water but you’ll also find noisy traffic and tall luxury hotels. Tahiti is now very developed and thrives on tourists. Their main industry is tourism. In fact, many cruise ships come to the island bringing people from all over the world.
There are lots of fun things to do while in Tahiti. Tahiti is well known for their fire dancers who perform day and night for tourists. There are many different restaurants to eat at from Italian to Chinese. Tahiti has been under French rule since 1842. The French influence is very evident as most people speak French and the boutiques and restaurants that line the streets remind me of the streets of France. The currency is Polynesian Francs which again parallels the French monetary system. Overall, I found Tahiti a beautiful place to have a relaxing vacation.
Gangway Watch
by Charlotte Redway
11/1/96, aboard ship...While in Tahiti or any other stop in our journey, everyone has to serve on gangway watch. What is gangway watch? Gangway watch is a duty given to two people. They are responsible for making sure that no one comes on the ship and they also answer questions from people who are passing the ship while at dock. We do gangway watch the entire time we are docked on land. The time is divided into two hour watch sessions. A group of four people divide the two hours between themselves. Sometimes gangway watch can be very inconvenient, especially when it is in the middle of the day because you have to return to the ship from whatever you were doing. When we are on gangway watch during the day we stand on the dock and talk to people passing by.
In Tahiti, most people speak French. Many Class Afloat students do not speak French, but managed to communicate very well anyway. While I was on gangway watch, I met a lot of interesting people. One man was a jeweler and had come to Tahiti to buy black pearls. Another man was a crew member on a large cruise ship. For me, gangway watch was fun because it gave me a chance to meet new people and share our adventures.
Watch Number One
by Jon Justice
11/1/96, aboard ship...While visiting Tahiti, each watch was able to plan their own activities for one of the days. After a brief meeting, my watch decided to take the ferry across to Moorea, an island off the coast of Tahiti. Once we arrived on the island, we took a long bus ride around half the island until we reached a place called Tiki Village, a reconstructed traditional Polynesian village. We where able to walk all around the village, looking inside all the huts where the people who worked there actually lived too. There were examples of traditional crafts, including the art of tattoo. After this we made a beeline for the beach where we went swimming. There was a large coral reef and the water was never deeper than five feet to the white sandy bottom. Once we finished our swim we ate lunch at the village. During our lunch, the villagers presented a traditional marriage ceremony with traditional songs, dances and a special performances for the bride and groom. When our day was coming to an end, we had a fun time waiting for the bus to come and take us back to the ferry dock even though we had to wait for almost two hours!
Ocean Challenge / e-mail: ocean@oceanchallenge.com / Class Afloat '96-'97
(c) Copyright 1996, Ocean Challenge