What I missed

If you can find a map of Easter Island, you will see that it is triangular. The town (speaking generously) is in the southwest corner, and that is where the "facilities" are -- things like piers where small boats like our tenders can dock. Unfortunately, at the time of our arrival the ocean swells made that option impossible -- imagine trying to get passengers to board and disembark while leaping up and/or down a foot or more from and to an unsteady surface. It would be a challenge for the physically adept, and many of my fellow passengers are far from that.

But there is a second option. On the northeast side of the island is a beach -- the only one on the island and probably where the original Polynesian settlers landed, since everywhere else the island meets the sea with distinctly unwelcoming lava rock faces that fairly scream, "Go away!" So the Captain pulled us around to the beach side and dropped anchor in the lee of the island where the ocean swells were somewhat tamer. The ever-resourceful crew created a makeshift pier, and started ferrying passengers across the water, about a 15 to 20 minute ride. Planned excursions were rerouted to start from there, islanders with souvenirs to sell drove over to the beach, and all seemed to be well.

But even the tamed swells were borderline manageable. Eventually, one wrecked the pier, one of the tenders missed the beach and smashed a hole in its hull -- remember that lava? and, despite pleas from the captain for passengers with "mobility challenges" not to go ashore, a few with canes and at least one with a walker decided to make the trip, complicating matters.

The crew were magnificent. They got everyone to and from Easter Island, though they had to carry some people onto and off of the tenders They got the wounded tender back to the Amsterdam for repairs, and no one fell in -- at least no passenger. I can't imagine that the temporary pier was constructed without someone getting his feet wet.

All in all, I suspect the decision to try the beach landing was a near thing, possibly influenced by a great uproar in Punta Arenas, where it was clear that not sailing into a hurricane would require some changes to the itinerary. The uproar consisted of several hundred people saying in unison, "But I booked this cruise to see Easter Island!" And so , come hell, high water, ferocious lava, and people with highly unrealistic estimates of their own capabilities, by God! the passengers of ms Amsterdam saw Easter Island!

Except me, of course. But I got a new, scary housekeeping crew, about which later.