(May through December, 2012)
Cruising is famous for its social aspects, and all the travel and discoveries alongside others is a strong breeding ground for friendship. Rich and I were already familiar with this as we’ve met a lot of great people on our past cruises to Mexico and Hawaii and made some incredible friends. But this aspect has reached a surprising (to me) new level and intensity with this particular cruise. An obvious difference is the length of time we have been on this trip verses others, but there is something about crossing an ocean to come to a small island in the middle of that ocean that builds some sort of special bond.
The best way I can describe this feeling is to compare this trip to a puzzle. Each boat is a separate piece, and all these pieces combine into the final picture of your trip. The people on these boats range from dear friends to casual friends to acquaintances to even brief encounters that were helpful in some key way. We have met many, many wonderful people on this trip, but what differentiates certain people from the group and makes them part of our ‘puzzle” is that, friends or acquaintances, if we were to live this part of our lives over again without them, their presence would be missed.
Maybe we shared one dinner or many dinners, drinks in a bar, lunch, a hike, a laugh, a bay, a commiseration session, or even just a brief exchange of information, but whatever it was, Rich and I will always be grateful for your presence. Here, in alphabetical order, are our “puzzle pieces” from the south pacific cruise of 2012.
Alaeris, Beau Soliel, Bright Angel, Brio, Cat Weazle, Dawnbreaker II, Diamond Girl, Dream Time, Evergreen, Gato Go, Gypsea Heart, Gypsy Blues, Kahia, Kindred Spirit, Katydid, La Luz, La Morgan, Lady Bug, LightSpeed, Lisa Kay, Local Talent, Morning Glory (and Tom), Musketelle, Off Tempo, Picara, Sam, Sea Turtle, Sea Wings, Segue, Sockdolager, Spiip, SuperTed, and Tanga.
Thank you all so very much! –Cyndi and Rich
