Posted on 08/28/2026

What’s it like to captain a ship that sails year-round in exotic French Polynesia? I got to ask the captain of the Paul Gauguin during a visit to the bridge on a week-long voyage around the Islands of Tahiti. 

It’s a bucket-list trip for many of us – and rightfully so. Nowhere in the world compares with the tropical romance of the South Seas, and the Paul Gauguin doubles down on everything to feed your travel imagination: 

The Paul Gauguin is part of a ‘fleet of 1 ’, so to speak. It’s the only ship for Paul Gauguin Cruises (although the cruise line is now part of Ponant, the luxury French expedition cruise line)

That singularity – and the fact that the ship sails year-round in French Polynesia – has made it possible for the Paul Gauguin to completely immerse its guests in its destination. 

• The ship is designed like a land-based boutique hotel. It may be the only ocean cruise ship I know that so perfectly reflects its destination: polished teak and brass, and nautical references, yes. 

  But also Polynesian art and artefacts and installations in staterooms, in public spaces like the lobby, the murals of tropical jungles, teak wood carvings of French Polynesia’s national flower, indigenous pieces and European art depicting early voyages to the South Seas. 

• Art created by Paul Gauguin himself, the late 19th-century French artist who famously relocated to Polynesia and made its people, land, and seascapes renowned worldwide.

• The beloved ‘Gauguins and Gauguines.’ Many other small, luxury ships have local entertainers, artists, and artisans VISIT on board at various ports of call. Because the Paul Gauguin only sails here year-round, cultural ambassadors (inspired, of course, by the name of the ship) actually LIVE on board. 

  Resident cultural ambassadors mean they are part of everyday life and interactions with guests throughout the days and evenings, bringing song, dance, music and storytelling, as well as sharing lifestyle through arts, crafts, music and dance lessons, even how to securely tie yourself into a colorful local pareo wrap!

• French cuisine meets Polynesian fresh ingredients. This corner of Polynesia reflects its ‘French connection.’ With extraordinarily fresh seafood and tropical fruit and vegetables and local vanilla, available in abundance from local fishermen and growers, cuisine aboard the Paul Gauguin includes both the French-Tahitian dishes like ‘poisson cru’ (raw fish, like a coconut version of ceviche which is the national dish of French Polynesia) and lobster in Tahitian vanilla beurre blanc sauce; as well as France’s most iconic artisanal butter, and baguettes baked using French flour, delivered straight from France. 

That sets the scene for a voyage through French Polynesia that is truly immersive in the culture, land, and seascapes of this region, a wonder of the world.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Meet the Captain of the Paul Gauguin on the Bridge

Even after years with the ship, Captain Rene-Paul Boucher is still under the spell of French Polynesia and the unique experience of sailing the Paul Gauguin among these islands. 

In fact, I called him a ‘poet’ for the way he described the islands, how the Paul Gauguin is unique among ships that sail there for its ability to navigate around the islands, the extraordinary geography of the land and seas, from mountains and islands, atolls and lagoons. 

And especially the crew and the Gauguins and Gauguines on board, who connect the ship so completely to the islands, people, and culture of French Polynesia. 

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Video and story: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel journalist and expert 

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