Arriving 4,210 mi from home to a place I’v only ever dreamed of was one of those moments where everything feels as if it’s fallen into place. Everything makes sense and you experience the overwhelming feeling of being exactly where you need to be in that instant. Where you have a flutter in your heart, and it’s not sparked by a person, but a place. Supplemented by a cappuccino and excitement for the unknown, I was spending my first few hours in Papeete, Tahiti waiting for my inter island flight to depart to Raiatea where I would be embarking on a journey through the islands of French Polynesia to meet two sailboats filled with strangers. In other words, the community and company that is the Sailing Collective.

Dayyan + Ross, founders of the Sailing Collective were hosting their maiden voyage in the South Pacific, and I was on it. A week sailing through the Society Islands, and being introduced to this chain of islands for the first time. I had been following Sailing Collective’s journeys and worldwide charters a while before booking my first cabin, and when this destination was listed, it called to me.

Days here were spent indulging in sailing, swimming, napping, exploring and intimate moments with nature that go beyond words and even interpretation. The feeling of experiencing a new place by vessel is one that goes and continues to prove to be irreplaceable to me. The perspective you get of a destination when spending it at sea provides a sense of stillness and beauty that is incomparable to what an experience on land provides. Although both valuable, there’s something about stepping off land that holds mystique.

Mornings begin with the sunrise light pouring through your open cabin hatch, and days end with unobstructed views of stars and galaxies you’ve never seen so clearly. All while peacefully floating in nature. You feel small, thankful, humble and removed.

The photos included are of moments captured during our journey sailing through the islands of Raiatea, Huahine, Ta’haa and Bora Bora. Everyday presented a new experience, in a new location and a constant reminder of how beautiful our planet is. Thank you to Sailing Collective for charting, providing and captaining this intimate introduction to French Polynesia.