It was nothing short of spectacular to watch as the Pacific Princess began to navigate Pai Pai Pass between Raiatea and Taha'a, en route to Bora Bora. The shallow water depth of the lagoon required the ship to weave its way, followed by a small freighter making the same gentle curves. By the time the sun rose, it was behind the island of Taha'a, and G had found me on the terrace behind the Panorama Buffet. By 6:30am, the Pacific Princess made its way out of Pai Pai Pass into the open ocean and, while Taha'a remained on our starboard (right) side, Bora Bora began to appear as a shadow on the northern horizon.
Sabatinis wasn't yet open for breakfast, so G and I grabbed coffees and went down to the Promenade Deck to watch the Taha'a shoreline go by.
By 7:30am, we were getting closer to Teavanui Pass into the Bora Bora lagoon but instead of joining the crowd on the upper decks, we chose to watch our entry into the Bora Bora lagoon while having mimosas and breakfast in Sabatinis. We were the only passengers in there and it was the perfectly peaceful place to watch as the view of the Bora Bora motus filled the window next to our table.
We were not in a huge hurry to go to shore and so waited until most of the passengers tendered over before we did the same. We spent some time walking around the Vaitape pier and seeing some of the locals we knew from last year. One business we had frequented last year offered us the use of their WiFi, and we gratefully accepted. We were able to check on things at home and with our accounts for the first time since Hawaii, and I was thrilled to receive a few photos of the twins' 12th birthday party, which was held today. Their birthday is actually tomorrow, and it's the first time in their lives I have missed it. It was also the hardest part of leaving home this early, but, judging from the pics, they are not pining for me. ;-)
We returned to the ship around 11:30am to eat an early lunch, and then dressed for a day on the water. When I had asked G months ago what he wanted to do in Bora Bora, top on his list was to jet ski around the island again. You might remember that last year we justified the expense of this excursion by installing a sliding glass door ourselves. This year, our whole Pacific Princess trip was justified by remodeling our deck ourselves, and we finished the installation of 50 feet of railing just before we left home. A big project...but our savings were already earmarked for the cruise, not jet skis. Once again fate stepped in and, just as we were considering the jet skis, our cruise price dropped by exactly $500. With the stronger U.S. dollar, what cost $539 last year was $481 this year. Surely this was proof that we were meant to do the jet skis again...at least my husband saw it that way.
And so once again I found myself bouncing across the Bora Bora lagoon, hanging on to my jet ski so tightly that it took an hour after I returned to the ship for my hands to uncurl. Our trip with Moana Adventures started out innocuously enough...our guide this year was Vincent, originally from France (of course) but a 17-year resident of Bora Bora. He gave us the option of following him while he went to the Hilton Bora Bora Nui on Motu Toopea behind where the Pacific Princess was at anchor, or waiting for him to return with two people staying there. Well, heck, let's consider this...an extra half hour of jet ski freestyling in that gorgeous lagoon in front of the Hilton Bora Bora Nui or waiting in the Moana Adventures office.
That half hour of slowly jet skiing while I took lots of photos of the resort and the lagoon and the reef and Raiatea in the distance while waving and yelling "Ia Orana!" (hello!) to all the passing boats was exactly my style. No scary waves, no speed, no being the distant last in a line of jet skis...this was a sport I loved. Then the honeymoon couple from the resort joined us and we were off and roundIng the southern part of Bora Bora around Matira Point. I remember this was the scariest section last year because of the way the wind blows and creates some wavelets in the lagoon that rock the jet ski from side to side. I do NOT like that sensation! This is also the point where it is so rough that, last year, my iPhone went flying off my wrist and landed, floating on top of that gorgeous blue water and I had to turn around to retrieve it.
The rest of the group became dots in the distance but, luckily, pulled up to a beach next to the overwater bungalows of the St.Regis, giving me a chance to catch up. And breathe. And take lots more photos. Once again, I could have been happy doing just that to finish out the tour, but no...after a short break we were speeding across the azure water while I held on for dear life. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted one of Patrick's excursion boats leave his motu and begin its return to the Vaitape pier, and I wondered, if I hadn't married an 'action man' 32 years ago, I might not, at that exact moment, be sated with suckling pig and French champagne and riding safely in that motorized outrigger back to the ship while listening to Maretto play the ukulele while he steered the boat with his feet.
But then, I wouldn't have learned two things today. First, only 1/100th of a second separates exhilaration from pure terror. I finally started hitting my stride and catching some air and then in the next moment was forced to cross a wake and was certain I was going to die. And, second, G saying he can't tolerate long, rough boat rides because they bother his back is simply an excuse. There is nothing rougher than riding a jet ski, and his back is fine tonight. I'm quite suspicious...
By the time we were skiing past the Pacific Princess and waving at the passengers watching us from the open decks, I actually was flying and passed G for the first time. I'm not certain if I had finally conquered my fear or simply spotted the 'barn' and knew this venture was almost over. But I survived. Go me!
We were given a 10-minute ride back to the ship where we quickly boarded a tender. How familiar is Bora Bora to us when we actually recognize the paddlers in outrigger canoes attempting to surf the tender's wake? Pretty darn familiar.
After a quick clean up (no snorkel gear to rinse out) we made it to the Elite Lounge for the first time in days, and then to dinner in the Club Restaurant. It was Italian night, and penne arrabiata topped with chicken strips really hit the spot after an afternoon on the water. We made it to the 7pm performance of production show Motor City and thank God we did...the upbeat show energized me enough to get this post typed. It is after 10pm now, and I'll attempt to get it published, WiFi permitting. The alarm is set for 5:30am for our arrival in Moorea tomorrow. I'm so glad that cruising is such a wonderfully relaxing vacation!! ;-)