Crossword Genius

Group of islands I spy, alone at sea (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

polynesia

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'group of islands' is the definition.
'polynesia' can be an answer for 'islands' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'group of' bit.

'i spy alone at sea' is the wordplay.
'at sea' indicates anagramming the letters.
'i'+'spy'+'alone'='ispyalone'
'ispyalone' with letters rearranged gives 'POLYNESIA'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for polynesia that I've seen before include "Islands including Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, etc." , "large group of islands" , "Extensive group of Pacific islands" , "Pacific island group" , "Pacific islands incl. N Zealand, Samoa and Hawaii" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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