April 16 & 17, 2026
One of my duties as Entertainment Manager was attending plaque-exchange ceremonies. When a ship calls at a port for the first time, local officials and senior officers gather for a ceremony. Ours usually took place in the Observatory. True to its name, the Observatory is a lounge on the deck immediately above the bridge, with a great view of wherever the ship was pointing.
The bar staff served mocktails – it was usually around 10am- and fancy snacks (which hardly anyone ate). Plaques, and sometimes gifts, were exchanged; short speeches were made; and pictures were taken. The plaque from the port would then be displayed somewhere on the ship (most of them in the midship hallway). I’ve also seen plaques from ships displayed inside cruise terminals.
It’s a maritime tradition that is a novelty to experience at first, but this was our first voyage around the world – practically every port we visited held a ceremony. I would usually show up, sip some soda-juice, smile for the photo (proud to be one of the very few female senior officers) and go back to work.
When we arrived in Waingapu, it initially appeared that this would be a day like all the others. As one of two female senior officers currently on the ship, I was the only one to show up for the ceremony, so I was presented with a handmade headband. It was a delightful surprise.
After the ceremony, there was a twinkle in the Captain’s eye. He announced that anyone who needed to return to work was welcome to do so, but he wanted to sit down and chat with our guests.
I was still fighting misery that seemed to tighten its grasp whenever I was in my ‘office,’ and made a quick assessment: no work was more urgent than being present in that moment with a Captain who deeply cared about the people around him. I sat down and joined him and his buddy, the Chief Engineer, and we chatted with the locals.
The previous year, this port had welcomed only three cruise ships. We weren’t considered a nuisance flooding the streets, we were a novelty. The people of this little island wanted to figure out how they could encourage more visitors to come.
Captain Val asked what there was to do there, and I piped up. I hadn’t presented the Port Talk, but I was still interested in what there was to do! I asked about the wild horses and waterfalls.
They showed us a video of the waterfalls.
Captain Val was very impressed. He said he would like to see these waterfalls and the wild horses.
After some whispering, they said, “Captain, if you would like to see the waterfalls, we’ll take you. When would you like to go?”
Well, the Captain had some work to do today, but how about tomorrow? Around 9am?
I reminded him that we had a drill at that time. He didn’t seem to think that was a problem.
They asked the Captain how many people would come with him. He turned to me and asked if I wanted to see the horses and the waterfall.
“Absolutley! Can I get out of the drill, too?”
He told me I had connections.
Anthony, the Destination Manager, had come up for a coffee.
It was decided: the four of us – Captain, Chief Engineer, me and Anthony – would meet at the gangway at 9am the following morning.
It seemed too good to be true.
That afternoon, the email was circulated about the next morning’s drill. There would be a pretend stowaway. After the announcement, each department would report to its department head, who would then report up the chain. The Entertainment Manager, Chief Engineer and Captain were all key players in the scenario.
Meanwhile, the locals had set up booths with food, drinks, souvenirs and entertainment right outside the ship.
Anthony and I went to check it out.
We still weren’t sure whether the plan we had made that morning was actually going to happen. Anthony had applied at Villa Vie because he had previously worked with Captain Val at another company. Eugen, the Chief Engineer, had worked with Captain Val 18 years earlier. They lived in the same town and were old friends. Now they were finally working together again after all of those years.
When Captain Val returned from vacation, the whole ship cheered – myself included. Eugen and Anthony hadn’t just been happy that their favorite Captain was back; they were excited to see their friend.
Anthony had become my closest ally, and I often found myself sitting with these three gentlemen after work.
Anthony and I marvelled at how easily Val and Eugen could sit, laugh and enjoy each other’s company at the end of the day, seemingly free of stress. They were the people with the most responsibility on the ship, and we knew without a doubt that they took those responsibilities seriously. What baffled us was that they didn’t seem burdened by the weight of them – which was exactly what I was struggling with.
These three guys treated me like a person. They respected me and listened to my opinions, while my direct supervisor did not.
The band outside was awesome. They took a break so that local dancers could perform.
Then a couple of guys rode up on little horses – right beside the ship!
The next morning, Anthony and I arrived at the office early. We still weren’t sure whether the drill or the excursion would be postponed (though I’d packed my bag just in case).
Then the email appeared. It was addressed to the Staff Captain, with the rest of the ship copied:
Good Morning,
Kindly ask you to excuse for the drill: Chief Engineer, Destinations Manager, Entertainment Manager and Last, (but not least 🙂 ) – myself Thank you!
We couldn’t believe it.
I loved this tiny ship – and the friends I’d made.
I prepared my team to handle the drill without me, and then Anthony and I headed to the gangway for an adventure.
Outside, we were met by Isabella, whom we had met the day before, and her friend Andy.
They told us that it would take about an hour to reach the path to the waterfall. Once we arrived, we could ride motorcycles from the parking lot to the falls.
Motorcycles?!
I deferred to the Captain – you know, for safety reasons.
As we drove, we saw goats, bulls, and cows. We had to stop so that wild horses could cross the road.
My aunt Wendy would love this!
As we drove I asked Isabella about Waingapu and her life.
She had grown up on one island, and attended school on another. Her parents were originally from Sumba (where we were). Her dad had ridden a horse to school – that’s what most kids did on Sumba. When her parents moved back to Sumba she and her husband came to live with them.
Each island in Idonesia has its own language or dialect. So Isabella spoke the language of the island where she had grown up, the language of the island where she had attended school, the language of Sumba, and Indonesian.
Her husband came from yet another island, and spoke that island’s language as well. She said communication could be tricky.
It turned out that Isabella had been the one to help arrange all of the festivities beside the ship!
Her family had brought the horses, and the dancers were her neighbors.
Sumba is known as the Island of a Thousand Hills. Unlike many Indonesian islands, it has no volcano – but it does have a thousand hills.
Isabella told me that the traditional houses were built with three levels: the bottom was for the animals, the middle was for the people, and the top was for God.
I kept an eye out for these traditional houses.
Traditionally on Sumba, when a man proposes marriage, he offers his fiancée a horse and a traditional necklace instead of a ring.
Finally we reached the path to the waterfalls.
Captain Val said that he was too nervous to ride on the motorcycles, so we walked instead.
We stopped to rest in the shade and drank coconut water – straight from the coconut. Captain Val brought out his drone for a test flight, only to discover that it hadn’t been charged properly. He would have to be strategic with the remaining battery.
Then we made our way down some very precarious stairs, and there it was…
When the water was lower, people could walk along that way, but it wasn’t safe now.
It was so peaceful. The water – and the adventure- almost made me forget my ship distress. Like the restaurant in Bali, this was one of those moments that make all the stress and drama feel worth the trouble.
The turqoise water was spectacular. We climbed a hill and found some residents swimming in the cool water.
Too soon, it was time to head back.
We all had work to do on the ship – the Captain, especially – but we assessed that there was just enough time to stop and visit a traditional Sumba village.
They gave each of us a wooden gift. Mine was a pair of serving tongs that now live in Wendy’s kitchen.
When we returned to the ship, Isabella and Andy joined us for lunch at the Captain’s table.
These are the best days – the ones when I get to meet the local people, learn about how they live and see places I probably would never have stumbled upon on my own.
My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.