Ahoy there once again, mates! After roughly 2 1/2 days and 1,500 miles of sailing WNW from Bora Bora, we finally made landfall in Samoa.

On the way, we crossed the International Date Line. That means we went to bed on Monday night and woke up on Wednesday morning. Yeah, you read that right. Talk about some time travel!

We are actually in the Independent State of Samoa. In the 19^th century, Germany and the US established control over different parts of Samoa. The western islands were German Samoa, and the eastern islands were American Samoa.

New Zealand took control of German Samoa following World War I. In 1962, Western Samoa gained independence from New Zealand, becoming the first Pacific Island country to gain independence.

The Nautica was greeted upon arrival by a group of locals who performed native dances on the pier while the ship docked. Who needs a welcome mat when you’ve got a group of islanders moving and grooving right on the pier?

Samoa is a relatively large Pacific Island. It is a little more than 1,000 square miles (slightly smaller than Rhode Island).

We took a short bus ride around a part of the island, culminating in a Samoan lunch. We watched in awe as a dude casually scaled a coconut tree like it was his morning stroll. Then, a father a his young son put on a display of Samoan war dance that would make even the most battle-hardened pirate take notice.

Tattoos are serious business in Polynesian culture. They’re not a fashion statement – they’ve got deep tribal meanings and are always a single color.

After six hours in port, it was time to set sail for our next destination. It might take some time to get there, but mark my words; it’s gonna be worth every second of the wait.

Until next time…