Something about Twenty-Somethings

With twenty-somethings, you have to wait for it—that moment. I thought it would come the instant they plunged into the warm, turquoise water, officially washing New York City off their skin. But it didn’t. Nor did it happen at the hard-earned Three Coconuts Trail viewpoint, where the cool breeze kissed our sweaty brows. It wasn’t even when dolphins leapt from the waters of Cook’s Bay.

The magic moment arrived on the starboard trampoline at sunset. And best of all—it happened almost every night.

Of course, not every moment has to be magical to be memorable. The rum tasting at Rotui Juice Factory—at ten o’clock in the morning—definitely qualifies.

So does the descent from the Three Pines Lookout through ananas (pineapple) fields, our grand snorkel in Ha’apiti Bay, and the banana exchange in Oponohu.

I’ll never forget the hours spent bracelet-making and chit-chatting in the cockpit. They paused their square stitches to “fix” our Spotify account and now it plays cool music.

If I’m honest, I think Mira and Zachary were most excited about the food. It didn’t matter if it was a simple crudités lunch onboard Gerty, roadside poisson cru, or sweet and savory crêpes at the glamorous Toatea Crêperie—they relished every bite. They tried everything from dragon fruit to gardenia ice cream with coconut milk at the Lycée Agricole d’Opunohu (Agriculture College), and even cooked for us! No, it wasn’t just Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts (GORP) around here this week—it was a nonstop feast, right down to the last matzah ball.

They’re long gone now. With the six-hour time difference, their plane is set to touch down in New York this morning—just as we arrive in Raiatea this afternoon. Our overnight sail from Tahiti has been an easy one. Michael moved around the deck as fluidly as he used to skate around the rink in his ice-hockey days. And me? I’ve gotten over my seasickness—it only took five years!