The Southern Cross

Some of the teens from the ship had listened to a lot of radio in Los Angeles. Some of the popular songs were “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” by Chicago, “Abracadabra” by the Steve Miller Band, “Eye in the Sky” by the Alan Parsons Project, “Maneater” by Hall and Oates and “Mickey” by Toni Basil.

Another song we listened to during that time became one of my all-time favorites because it turned out to have a lot of significance for us. It was “Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills and Nash. The Anastasis did not have air conditioning so as we got further and further south, we started sleeping out on the open decks for cooler and fresher air. They kept separate areas for single men and women and families. 

“Southern Cross” is a song about a man who sails the world following a failed love affair but that wasn’t the significant part for us. The Southern Cross refers to a constellation in the southern hemisphere with four stars in the shape of a cross. They are featured on the flags of New Zealand and Australia. One of the lines from the song goes:

“When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, You understand now why you came this way.” 1

When you’re out in the middle of an ocean with no light pollution, the night sky is stunning. You can really see that the earth is in the middle of a galaxy. As we sailed into the southern hemisphere, laying out on the deck, listening to the foaming ocean, playing “Southern Cross” on the boom box and looking up into the vast canopy of billions of stars at the Southern Cross - it was one of those extraordinary life moments you never forget.

Another line from “Southern Cross” is, 

“She was makin' for the trades on the outside, And the downhill run to Papeete.” 1

Papeete is the capital of Tahiti, the largest island in the South Pacific island chain of the Society Islands and that was our next stop to stock up on water.

The Society Islands is one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever been to. You know how when you go somewhere and the reality is never quite as beautiful as the pictures? Well the reality of these islands actually lives up to it. 

The Society Islands are part of French Polynesia, annexed by France in 1880. From Tahiti you can also see the amazing island of Moorea. Further down the chain is my brother’s favorite island and probably the most famous island in the world – Bora Bora. The landscape is deeply verdant with rugged volcanic mountains and crystal clear ocean water.

We only stopped in Tahiti briefly so we didn’t get to do a whole lot. It wasn’t a very developed place, so if you weren’t a tourist with money there was not a lot to do. About all we did is go up a hill to a clearing and mess around with some coconuts. But if you do have money, you can stay in some of the most amazing hotels in some of the most amazing locales in the world.

The international date line is an imaginary line running from the north to the south pole which separates one day from the next. When you cross the date line going west, you lose a day. When you go east, you gain one. As we crossed it heading southwest on the way to New Zealand, they announced that Thursday was cancelled due to lack of interest.


1. Copyright 1974, 1982 Gold Hill Music Inc. and Three Wise Boys Music LLC

Comments

  1. I received a tongue lashing in French for climbing someone’s coconut tree.

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    Replies
    1. I think a lashing was well worth climbing a coconut tree in Tahiti.

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