Tuesday morning, March 8, 2005...

We wake to see the sun rise on the port city of Papeete, Tahiti. Soon we will clear customs and immigration and can go on shore. We will throw a post-cruise party tonight at a local hotel for the Captain and crew to thank them for their tireless work on our behalf. Some among the science party will be met on shore by friends and loved ones who have traveled to Tahiti for a week of island-hopping, surfing, scuba-diving and exploring. Others, like this writer, will catch the first plane home, to reunite with family and friends we left six weeks ago. It’s been an enormously successful cruise and we thank you for following us on our journey.