SLOEPMOUCHE --- 46’ Norman Cross trimaran --- 5’ draft --- September 2001

 

Dear SSCA,

                After 7 months in the Marquesas and 4 months in the Tuamotus, we are cruising Tahiti and the Society Islands. In this letter, we will cover Tahiti and Moorea, where all of you, who cruise the S.Pacific, will undoubtedly spend some time. Now, why not enjoy yourself while waiting for those parts to arrive from the US or Europe? Apart from fixing all kind of things on your boat and provisioning, you can sightsee and do all kind of cultural and sports activities!

Few boats cruise around Tahiti, but you can find plenty of nice and protected anchorages around the island and it’s ‘presqu’ile’(peninsula).

                Pointe Venus anchorage: well protected and convenient if you come from the Tuamotus and you may not get in Papeete before nightfall. Still you need good light to enter the small pass and to approach the beach. We had a really calm night in this historical anchorage.

                Yacht Club of Arue: on the inside of the lagoon, you can go to the protected yacht club of Arue, where you may be lucky to rent a mooring or get a space to the dock. Prices are good but spaces are scarce since this is not a commercial marina but a yacht club. Good security, fuel dock, bar/restaurant, dinghy dock, showers, washing machine, mail, fax, ... The moorage area is exposed to the Easterly winds when they wrap around the N. point of Tahiti and accelerate along the coast.  There are plenty of channel markers to follow if approaching from north or south, but a good bow watch is still recommended.

                Port of Papeete docks: med-mooring to the wall, right in the center of town. Not cheap, dirty and choppy waters, security risks and noisy place doesn’t make it one of our recommended places!  The anchorage area is a little better if you really must be in the center of town, but there are fees and you must run a long stern line ashore.  Heard reports of wakes from the ferries reeking havoc among the yachts there.

                Maeva Beach hotel anchorage: being on the NW corner of the island, the anchorage is a lot more protected. The water is cleaner, the setting nice looking and just a short distance away from the rickety dinghy dock; you find trash disposal bins, and phone booths next to the bus stop to Papeete. The buses (called “trucks”) run 24h and cost about 1$ for the 15 min ride to center of Papeete. For 2 years now, some hotel owners have tried to evict all boats from the anchorage but the Association of the Sailboats of Polynesia, formed by a group of local boat owners, has fought it in court successfully so far! A donation of 20$ is well appreciated to help with legal expenses for this on-going battle!  Older guides may speak about moorings and facilities in this area at $40/mo. but there are no longer any facilities, except garbage (paid by the Assoc.), and moorings are private. The dock at the Maeva Beach Hotel can be used for dinghies, but please keep the front clear and put a good strong stern anchor to keep the dink from drifting under the dock.

                Taina Marina: if you insist on being at a Marina, but there can be surge from passing boats or a strong S or SW swell.  Fuel dock, water, no laundromat.  Many yachts anchor in the shallows just out from the marina where there is good sand and clear water.  You can leave your dink at the Marina, where there are security guards.  You maybe charged a fee, and the “trucks” do not have 24hr. service here.

                Marcia Davock’s guide is excellent describing the circumnavigation of Tahiti. A must if you plan to spent some time in the Society Islands!  A few recommended anchorages: Maraa bay (pk 28) (pk=km marker on the main road)> nice visiting the Maraa cave where you can take a swim and have a walk in the nice surroundings. Ataiti bay (pk 49) > visit the small waterfall, don’t miss a relaxing bath in the natural spring water baths, inland of the main road toward Papeete, and make the great hike to Lake Vaihiria. The hike to the lake is about 10 miles, you can also walk further (another 2 miles) to the tunnel going to the top of the mountain separating both sides of the island. If you continue for another 10 miles (?) you reach a campground and further you rejoin the road on the East side.  The 4x4 tours often take this route as an excursion over the mountain.

                Taravao: Port Phaeton could accommodate lots of crafts, it is probably the best place to weather any cyclone in French Polynesia. The marina/ yard was taken over recently by Nautisport (the big ship chandler in Papeete) and they seem to run a clean operation. Prices here and in the 2 yards of Raiatea are surprisingly similar to those in the Caribbean (while most other items are so much more expensive here!) and more and more cruisers leave their boats here while they return home for a few months! Since the boat can stay up to 12 months in any 2 yr. without being taxed while people themselves can only stay 2 times 3 months (2x6 months for EEC), when you come back from home, you can start another 2x3 months if you like! Taravao is the second town on Tahiti after Papeete so you can find a lot here (supermarkets,...). Nice hikes on the plateau or on both sides of Tahiti Iti (take those bicycles out!).

 

                Luc worked 5 months as driver/tour guide on the island so this is his recommended tour of the island

that you can do either by renting a car (more expensive unless you share with other cruisers, watch out to not miss the sites!) or by booking a tour with Tahiti Nui Travel (advantage to have the comments of an a knowledgeable guide but could be in a big group! > booking desk at Sofitel Maeva Beach hotel or at Centre Vaima in town). Go clockwise if you start after 8:30 am (traffic jams in town will be over). You drive through Papeete, take avenue Prince Hinoi to go out of town. 1. Point of view of the Taharaa > 2. Pointe Venus: lighthouse, Cook’s landing, see Sonia for the best choice of pareu and other Polynesian souvenirs > 3. Trou du souffleur (Blowhole) > 4. The 3 cascades (waterfalls): beautiful valley and one easy and scenic waterfall to access + two waterfalls nice to swim in (take path going to the left after the bridge) > 5. If you drive, it is worth to go at the Belvedere on the peninsula to get a great view of both sides of the island and to see a different landscape. You can visit the milk and cheese farm on your way up (they sell great cheese starter making kits!) >6. Musee Gauguin (if you like the French painter) and Jardin Botanique > 7. If you didn’t take a pic-nique, check the restaurant snack Motu Ovini between the Gauguin museum & the botanical garden. > 8. Grotte de Maraa (swim where Gauguin swam) > 9. Distillerie Avatea: visit the oldest distillery on the island and sample their excellent liquors made with fresh fruits of the island (26 to 100 proofs! Watch out if you drive!) > 10. Marae Arahurahu to see a well restored ancient site >11. Museum of Tahiti & her islands, turn left just after the Tamanu shopping center (not to be missed! You can easily spend half a day if you read everything)

 

.               Some of the sports activities on the island:

water-ski: see the Ski Nautique Club at the Maeva anchorage

scuba diving: see Aquatica dive center at the Beachcomber hotel

4x4 safari tours: see Tahiti Safari Expedition (42 14 15) or Patrick Adventure (83 29 29)

 

                Local businesses that may be useful:

Tamanu oil producer (skin care) > Tahiti Kamanu Oil (53 46 75) howan.yen@mail.pf

Solar panels, wind generators, fridges, pumps, regulators, ... > Soler Energie (43 02 00) soler@mail.pf

Sail repairs > Tiki Voile, located at Maeva anchorage (42 85 48) tikivoile@mail.pf

Ship chandlers > Nautisport (50 59 59) and Sin Tung Hing Marine (45 05 15)

Machining, turning, milling, prop shaft & bearings > Poly Industries (43 28 40) polstrie@mail.pf

Diesel engine repairs and parts > Dieselec (42 25 76) dieselec@mail.pf

Internet-cafe (cheapest) > Galaxie Games (42 63 63) galaxie@mail.pf

Pharmacy (will find equivalent medicines to your foreign medicines) > Pharmacie du Port (42 00 69)

Rigging repairs & fabrication + sail repairs > Api Marine (Gilles 77 92 45)

Tohatsu parts & oil, sparkplugs > Marcel Vanfau (43 80 62)

Manufacturer & repairs of spear guns > Pacific Sub Tahiti (41 28 45) pac.sub.tahiti@mail.pf

Air Marine wind generators, aluminum boats, solar panels > Chanson Imports (42 57 40)

Marine Insurance agent > Poe-ma Insurances (45 00 96) poema@mail.pf

Marine woodworking projects, spray painting, refrigeration repairs > Christian Fuller (48 36 01) cfuller@mail.pf

Bookstore with marine charts & guides > La Boutique Klima (42 00 63) klima@mail.pf

Hamburgers, locally made beer &spirits, local food gifts ... > Ariki Boutique (54 48 42) jones@mail.pf

Optical and Sun glasses > Optique Gimond (42 82 95) or Europtique (45 08 08)

Marine surveyor > Jean Pellissier (42 54 34) jean.pellissier@mail.pf

Airborne Express > Airborne Express Tahiti (50 90 54)

Batteries (marine, deep cycle, golf cart) > PSA (42 47 22) gdpsa@mail.pf

Laundry services > Blanchisserie Iaorana (53 24 54 –pick-up services)

 

 

MOOREA: so close and so different from Tahiti! You can find anchorages all around the island (weather dependant, of course, but here are the ones we liked the best.

                Pointe Tipae (SE point): nice clear water (10’) in the middle of the channel. Access thru the easy pass Teruaupu. We did the whole West coast by dinghy (up to Club Med).

                Hotel Ia Ora (ENE corner): nice clear water (6’ to 20’), 2 anchors recommended as winds often change direction radically, can be uncomfortable in strong Easterlies.

                Cooks Bay: poor visibility of water inside the bay, we elected to anchor outside of the bay in the NE corner; clear water (10’) on the plateau between the channel along the coast towards the Bali Hai hotel and the outside reef. Can have a swell at an angle to the current coming from the reef!

                Opunohu bay: better water inside the bay but we choose again to anchor behind the outside reef along the channel leading to Cooks Bay (just before it gets too shallow to pass but by dinghy). Little swell here.

                Club Med anchorage: next to the Club’s boats moorings, there is space for few boats. Nice motus to visit nearby.

 

                Activities:

-          ride your bike around the island in a day (40 miles) or by scooter > Tehotu Location 56 52 96 in Vaiare or Cook’s bay or by car > Europcar 56 34 00

-          hike or hitchhike to the Belvedere (Point of View) for views of Cooks and Opunohu bays

-          hike across the island , recommend start at Vaiare and end up at Cooks Bay

-          visit the waterfalls near the town of Afareiaitu, about an hr’s walk to each from the main road

-          visit the Kellum garden in Opunohu bay –mornings only- (56 18 52)

-          visit the fruit juice factory,  or the agricultural school,

-          scuba with a local dive center (reefs, shark feeding, rays, ...) > Bathy’s Club at Beachcomber Hotel or Top Dive/Must in Cook’s bay or Moorea Fun Dive (56 40 38)

-          interaction with dolphins > Dolphin Quest (55 19 48) at the Beachcomber Hotel

-          snorkel along shallow reefs just about  anywhere

-          internet-cafe outside of Cook’s bay > Maria Tapas

-          massage > Drive Life Massage (Edith 56 35 26) or Massage Traditionnel (Isabelle 73 93 46)

-          Polynesian authentic dinner show > Tiki Village theatre (55 02 50) – shuttle

-          Lunch or dinner at some of the good local restaurants : in Cook’s bay > Restaurant Honu Iti > Alfredo’s restaurant > Restaurant Snack Caprice des Iles > Chez Michele > Snack L’Ananas Bleu / on West coast > Painapo Beach (Chez Ron)

-          Shopping for pearls > Pai Moana Pearls (56 21 04 -free limousine!) or Atelier Bijoux Piru (56 21 96 – will mount your pearls)

-          The Lonely Planet Guide has more ideas and more details

 

Boat repairs:

-          diesel and outboard repairs, alternator, starter & genset repairs : see Francois 79 91 45 (will come on your boat, speaks English and Spanish)

-          welding of steel, SS and aluminum : see Hubert 79 99 52

-          marine carpenter: see Baudu 73 93 46

 

Next letter, we will tell you about Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora and Maupiti.

Enjoy French Polynesia as much as you can, so you won’t regret not having spent more time!

 

Commodores Luc Callebaut, Jackie Lee and Zoetje.

 

PS: if you didn’t check < www.noonsite.com > yet, the cruiser’s #1 internet portal, please do ... so you can get all the information about 190 cruising countries on the globe. Access is free, easy and fast! We copy on a diskette the info about our next cruising destination from an internet-cafe and we have all up-to-date info available at our fingertips on our laptop!

 

===============================================================================SLOEPMOUCHE --- 46’ Norman Cross trimaran --- 5’ draft --- February 2002

 

Dear SSCA,

-          11 years after having worked here as sports directors on Windsong, a 440ft sailing cruise ship, we are now back in the Leeward Islands but this time on our own vessel! Things for sure have changed: more development and more people BUT the islands are still worth visiting for their beauty and for the nice people you will meet. Prices for most things are lower than 11 years ago and availability is much better! Knowing in advance what you can do in all the islands will let you better plan your (short) time thru the islands! A bike or scooter on board is a plus, as the roads are mostly asphalted now,  it is a excellent way to tour the islands. We bought 2 mini-scooters in Papeete and it makes it so easy to explore at our own leisure. These scooters weigh about 38 lbs, drive at 20 mph and the 1.5liter tank of gas lasts over 40 miles! You can buy them here (contact us for more info )

 

HUAHINE:

Having unusual S winds during our approach from Moorea, we choose to make our landfall to the East side of the island, entering passe Farerea. That’s the pass the cruiseships take to enter & anchor in Maroe bay so it’s no problem entering. We decided to go anchor in the crystalline and shallow waters next to Motu Muri Mahora. There’s plenty of white sandy bottom in less than 20 ft of aqua blue water. It’s well protected from the E and W by the motu and the island, N and S you have more fetch but  the reefs keep it from getting bad. The people we met on the motu were very nice and you can get cantaloupes from the growers direct. There’s a ferry boat that transports people and melons that let us use their dock on the mainland,  a easy place to go ashore to explore  There’s also a concrete fisherman’s dock further North with water faucets that sometimes worked..

When the wx switched back to normal, we motorsailed to the other side of the island via the N and anchored in Fare, the main town. We anchored just after entering passe Avamoa, in front of the old abandoned Bali Hai hotel. You can find good sand (except very close to the beach) and reasonable depth in front of the old hotel and the villas just  to the right as you look toward the beach.  There are a few deep isolated coral heads, so you may want to buoy your chain.  Just on the edge of town,  you have a visitor’s dock (where you can leave your dinghy), the main cargo dock in front of town and the fishing dock (where you can get non-potable water (and sediment if it has rained)).

In Fare, the following businesses can be useful:

Ao Api- New World, internet – cafe with all parallel services, you can even hook up your own laptop!

Pension Guynette: nice terrace bar/snack (the only one open on Sun!) with ex-yachtie Marty (US) who is a mine of local info!

Quad Evasion: exploring the island on 4 wheeled all-terrain vehicles

Huahinematic: great laundry services with a smile!

Huahine Nautique: tour of the island in jet-ski and other lagoon trips by outrigger

Europcar and Huahine Locations to rent a car or scooter

Snack Restaurant Tiare Tipanier: nice inexpensive touristic menu, walking distance from dock

The supermarket across from the cargo dock has fresh bread twice daily and is the largest on the island with a good selection of items.

                We then sailed down the west coast, inside the lagoon, with fluky winds due to the bays and mountains, to the bay of Avea where you have nice anchorages  either on the shallow bank or in about 40-50 feet  in front of Pension Mauarii (internet facilities and dive center) or the Relais Mahana (the best table on the island according to the natives). There is also a car rental facility here, but no food stores.

                On our way back North we anchored in front of Mt Teapaa where an old millionaire’s exclusive resort lay abandoned. The bungalows were made in the trees and a beautiful vegetation was abundant. Alas, they could not make a viable business so nothing was fixed up after a hurricane ruined it!  It’s been bought by another American who thinks he can do better, so for the moment, you can visit the beach area, but not venture up into the higher areas.

                You can anchor in several of the bays of Huahine, but from what we saw on our scooter tour, most of them are relatively deep all the way in, and you end up anchoring in a tight area with shallow, hard reef shelf all around.  You can also get accelerated wind gusts sweeping off the mountains.  If you like snorkeling, and you didn’t get to enjoy enough of the Tuamotus,  you can anchor out of the channels in beautiful, clear waters less than 20 ft  all along the West coast.  Go in good sun and as always, monitor the weather for wind shifts, and enjoy the snorkeling on the coral heads and reefs inside the lagoon. 

                Huahine is a good place to take a tour or rent a car, especially if you visit only a few anchorages, because there are some interesting sites (the Marae at the N end, the ancient stone fish traps, etc) and good vistas all around the island.  It is small, but touring around the fiord-like bays and crossing the bridge connecting the two lobes of Huahine make it varied and interesting.

On approaching Huahine coming in from Tahiti or Moorea, be VERY careful of the southern reefs of Huahine, and plan to navigate well away from it.  This area  is notorious and even the natives hesitate to negotiate this area because of treacherous currents and frequent large southerly swells.  This last sailing season, a large yacht was swept up unexpectedly and thrown up on the reef in this area.  They thought they were well of f the reef , but got caught up in a series of swell and waves.  The boat was towed off the reef  from the interior of the lagoon and taken to the boatyard with a huge amount of effort.

 

RAIATEA:

                What changes since 1990! The waterfront is now looking like so many in the Caribbean, ready for cruise ship passengers. Both marinas are overbooked between local residents and the numerous fleets of charter sailboats. Don’t expect to make any advance reservations as they manage day by day! No wonderful anchorages located out of Uturoa. A few possibilities are outside Marina-d’en-ville (hard, corally bottom & exposed), next to Airport Control tower (shallow, sand but small anchorage and long dinghy ride to shore as you cannot go thru the runway!), outside of Marina d’Apooti (deep, corally bottom), outside the 2 boatyards ( deep, far from town). There seems to be sometimes space available at the private marina of the Chantier Naval des Iles S/Vent (VHF 72, ph: 66 10 10 or raiatea.marine@mail.pf).  You can tie up for a few hours  for fueling or provisioning at the town quay at the Mobile fuel dock or just beside it.

 

A few businesses  you may need:

Gilles Triboulat, marine surveyor & naval storage (66 28 47)

Alunox Marine: ss, aluminium welding & fabrication (66 46 30)

Tahina Automotive Parts & Service (66 22 28) close to airport

Hemisphere Sub: Padi dive center, filling station, ... located at marina Apooti

Te Mara Nui Plongee: dive center located marina of Uturoa

Phenix internet cafe (quartier Tahina, between Uturoa & airport) (66 20 66)

Bleu des Iles laundry service (quartier Tahina): free pick-up & delivery (66 29 64)

Supermarket Champion: on the waterfront of Uturoa

Andre’Topspot: outrigger lagoon tours (79 22 03)

Europcar (66 34 06) & Location Motutapu (66 33 09): car rentals

Jeep Safari Raiatea: 4x4 tours (66 15 73)

Le Napoli Italian restaurant (66 10 77) free pick-up from marinas or boatyards or town.

 

                We finally hauled out (after 3 ½ years!) at Raiatea Carenage Services (VHF 68 or 66 22 96 or raiateacarenage@mail.pf )on their slipway. For us, on a multihull, it was the least stressful haul-out on the boat (and on us!) we ever got! They have also a travel lift. Dominique, the yard mgr, and his crew were nice, competent and helpful. Now, things go better and faster generally when you bring your materials and do the job yourself, but that’s true anywhere! Many boats stay there on the hard during the cyclone season while the owners fly back home. Next to this boatyard, you find the equally well run Chantier Naval des Iles S/Vent (see contacts above) where they have a hydraulic trailer (with the advantage to not to have to loosen the standing rigging). Both yards provide a lot of specialized works (painting, mechanical work, refrigeration, welding, wood & epoxy repairs, ...). We think Raiatea offers more relaxed and more cruiser friendly boatyards than Papeete!  The Haul and lay-day costs for us as a multihull were very reasonable compared even to many yards in the Caribbean.

 

                We circumnavigated the island couterclockwise and used the following anchorages:

                West coast: anchored on the barrier reef side of the channel in less than 10 ft over beautiful white sand in the area between the boatyards & pass Rautoanui. Did drift snorkel the pass. You have to go on the outside from that pass till 2 passes South before you can circumnavigate inside the barrier reefs. We reentered thru passe Toamaro and anchored in Baie Vaiaau (55 ft, mud). We dragged the next morning (30-35 kts gusts) so we decided not to chance it and looked a long time to find a suitable anchorage, we finally found a place on the barrier reef side, across the channel from the school at 16d51’615S-151d29’205W (sand, 10 ft, clear of coral heads)

                South Coast: anchored on the West side of motu Naonao (sand, 10 ft). Beautiful snorkeling over the coral heads that line the drop-off between deep and shallow water.  Also snorkeled and  SCUBAed  NaoNao Pass on the side closest to the motu.  Be sure the current is entering before you go.  While at this anchorage, we had a few days of high winds and rainstorms from the Sand SE, but the reef kept the water smooth and our anchors held well in the good sand; however, we did help one boat that anchored too close to the motu, and got pushed up on shallow sand when the wind suddenly went W following  a strong rain squall.

                SE Coast: anchored on the sand bank in 6 to 10ft off some distance away from Ilot Oatara.

                East Coast: took a mooring in Faaroa bay. You can get 1^st night free mooring in front of Stardust Yacht Charter, see Pierre Liron, the mgr. Possibilities to get water and connect to internet, or eat at a restaurant.. You can also anchor off Ile Iriru, a communal motu near the pass closest to Faaroa Bay.(settled wx only). Another little known bay, but very well protected anchorage is baie Vairahi. You will find less than 50ft in the south part, in front of the beach, away from the 3 moored French boats. You will find 2 dinghy docks to go ashore and may enjoy a visit to a nice young couple of artists, Alain & Celine, who make silver custom jewelry with all sea materials (coral, shells, black pearls, ...) Look for a sign on the road “Atelier du Margouia”. The Kaoha Nui Ranch is nearby with it’s horseback riding for beginners & advanced, hiking & trekking to waterfalls & restaurant.  Another nice anchorage is in Baie Tepua, off pass Teavapiti (convenient when arriving or going to Huahine). Take one of the 3 free moorings of Pension Tepua (Watch out for the large coral patch on the way to the most in-land mooring) and have a nice lunch or dinner at this charming pension, run by Joe & Guylaine.

                A footnote on Raiatea, we were surprised to find that there are local residents and businesses that are quite cool towards  “people on sailboats”.  There are many residents that are convinced that we come in and break the coral with our anchors, and throw trash into the lagoon.  This sentiment is not exclusive to Raiatea only; we heard comments on many of the Society Islands.  Of course, people do not differentiate between the cruisers, the bareboat charterers, and the floating wrecks of those who came to stay and can barely pay the marina fees.  What it means is that we, as SSCAers must go out of our way to prove that there are those who do leave a clean wake.  We ask permission, we do not go to the luxury hotel docks to showers and start to wash the laundry in buckets or walk past the swimming pool with our smelly garbage bags, or leave our dinghies on the dock where the excursion boats need to tie up to take passengers, or run over and cut the mooring upon leaving. These are actual complaints we heard.  It’s not always easy to know where we can land or dump garbage or take water, but we can at least make a trip ashore first to find out.

 

TAHAA:

 

                Barely 2 miles away from Raiatea, here lies calm Tahaa. This is the most undeveloped of all the islands in the area. It had the least amount of paved roads, altho, there are roads covering almost all the island. There are no large supermarkets, but basics can be found. We will also circumnavigate (you can stay inside the lagoon the whole way!) counterclockwise. In our old and excellent cruising guide (by Marcia Davock), she calls Tahaa, the deepwater bays. Today, we could add ‘with moorings available all around the island’! Many local businesses decided to install free moorings for customers close to their shore to attract charter boats and us the cruisers (most monitor VHF 68). As long as you patronize their business they will let you stay. So if you like to get a drink, a meal or buy some arts&crafts, you will have many moorings to choose of instead of anchoring in those deep waters.  Caveat: there are no regulations on how to install moorings around any of the islands, some are very well made and inspected regularly, others are not...if you stay in bad conditions either check the mooring yourself or get info about the suitability of the mooring.

                South Coast: Baie Apu: pretty deep water all around (100 ft) but you can pick a mooring from Marina Iti. They have a restaurant, water, internet access & laundry services. Pension Api (restaurant & inexpensive take out) between Pointe Tutava and the village of Vaitoare plans to have a few moorings soon. Opposite that village, you have also the famous “trou de la pieuvre” cave diving site (only for experienced divers – see local dive operators).

                SE side: Baie Haamene. At the head of the bay, you can anchor in 25 ft (would consider this as a possible hurricane hole?!). We anchored also on the sand bank in front of Ile Mahaea (pass Toahoti) for a motu view and the snorkeling in the pass. There is a huge and complex fish trap in the pass near Ile Mahaea and it is very impressive to snorkel next to it and see the hundreds of fish milling around unable to find the exit.  10 yrs ago we did an exciting drift dive in this pass with a dive center.

                NE side. You can anchor or pick up a mooring in front of the new “Yacht Club Atara” (ilot Atara) opened by friendly Giuliano, who was also making the round of anchorages in the morning offering fresh bread and pastries.

                N coast: The channel is now marked to pass North of the reefs between the village of Hipu and Patio.

During the time we were there, the winds were strong and we could not anchor near the chain of motus to the N of Tahaa, but we heard and read in our guide that there are nice shallow water anchorages, and good snorkeling in several locations.

                NW coast: You can anchor off the new hotel at Ilot Tautau (can be choppy and you have to anchor a long way off the motu because shallow depth) or you can pick up the mooring in front of Pension “Au Phil du temps” (family cooking, 4x4, bikes).

                SW corner: pick a mooring at restaurant “chez Louise” very nice Tahitian couple with excellent seafood. Hurepiti bay: This bay can be quite windy with gusts funneling in from Haameme bay! A few moorings are available (one off the “Shark Dive” dive center, run by very nice people: Bertil and his Russian wife ‘Miraflora’!, two further, belonging to Vanilla Tours).

 

BORA BORA:

 

                Only one staightforward pass leads inside the lagoon. If you proceed NE, once entered, you will get to the famous Bora Bora Yacht Club (under new management since Nov 01). Free use of moorings, dock, showers. Garbage disposal and more for clients of the bar/restaurant. The local disco nearby may entertain you all night on your boat on WE! Further South, you will get the main town of Vaitape, the moorings off the famous Bloody Mary'’ bar/restaurant and all the way South, the nice crystal water anchorage SE of the Hotel Bora Bora. It is not possible to round Point Matira so you will have to tour the island clockwise to get to the East coast.

                Topua island: beautiful anchorage West of it or off the newest hotel in the South (you can go around).

                Airport anchorage: keep East of the channel leading to the airport jetty where the shuttle boat go back and forth. Nice sandy bottom, 20 till 2 feet deep, can be a little choppy if strong Easterlies.

                Nice eyeball navigation (also well marked with cardinal & lateral markers) around the North of Bora island to reach the Eastern pat of the lagoon. Good shallow, sandy anchorage just South of the Meridien and Lagoonarium. Close-by, at 8am they perform a manta rays feeding show.

 

 

Next letter, we will tell you more about the Tuamotu as we will go back to explore the West part we didn’t do last year.

Enjoy French Polynesia as much as you can, so you won’t regret not having spent more time! There are serious rumors about introducing a cruising permit instead of the expensive import duties levied so far after the boat has been here for more than a year (excluding time in dry storage)! Let the local businesses that you patronize know that you are a cruiser, so they realize our impact on the local economy! Quite a few boats this season decided to go North to the Line islands and Hawaii before coming back here later!

 

Commodores Luc Callebaut, Jackie Lee and Zoetje.

 

SLOEPMOUCHE --- 46’ Norman Cross trimaran --- 5’ draft --- January 2003

 

Dear SSCA,

                After our 2-month visit in the Western Tuamotus, we are back in Tahiti. Here is the update to our last letter about Tahiti.

Pointe Venus anchorage: in our Tahiti letter we said there was a “small pass” which is not correct. It’s wide open but you have to be really careful when you round the point to go far South enough before you head for the coast and start to go up North towards the anchorage (not to do at night if you don’t know the place!) 

                Maeva Beach hotel anchorage: the AVP ( Association of the Sailboats of Polynesia) is now more alive with different happenings thru out the year: nautical fleamarket in July, cyclone awareness conference last December) and a planned gathering with Jimmy Cornell mid-May at the Arue Yacht Club.

                Taina Marina: new docks have been added

                Quai of Papeete: has been expanded and can accommodate mega yachts

                Tahiti Iti: there’s a new marina on the West coast built by the community, in Nov. 02 the toilette/showers were being finished.

                Expanded bus service: now you can more easily visit the NE coast and S to Taravao except Sat/Sun.

.              

More activities on the island:

Surfing: go with the Tura’i Mataare surfing school, see Olivier 41 91 37 / 77 27 69 (inexpensive, free pick-up)

New scuba diving center Deep Star, see Bernard (20 yrs exp) 70 55 55 (20% www.Noonsite cruiser’s discount)

Harrison Smith botanical garden re-opened: when you tour the island, next to Gauguin museum

Museum of Tahiti & her Islands: a must! Look for road just before Tamanu commercial center, between big bridge over the Punaruu river and hotel Le Meridien.

 

                Local businesses that may be useful:

Electrician > see Raoul (74 78 27)

Therapeutic Massage > Rikardo (73 18 18) will come to you or has massage salon in town. Unkink after those boat projects.

Laundry services > Blanchisserie Iaorana (new owner- very accommodating) (85 43 71)  free pick-up

Marine equipment imported from Europe/USA > see Alain at the Maeva Beach anchorage  (72 33 07)

Bosun of Tahiti: splices, knots & moorings > see Patrice (73 50 53)

Money exchange > MG Finances at cruiseship dock , best rates in town! (43 22 77)

Internet access: Tiki Soft Cafe in town (open late )

Internet access & photocopies: ABC diffusion , rue Cook (close to Paofai hospital) (45 29 29)

Outboard & inboard repairs: Taina Plaisance, see Eric at workshop in Marina Taina (77 43 66)

Honda distributor: Honda Generation Pol  (next to Mamao hospital) < hondagene@mail.pf >

All ni-cad, nimh, and small batteries + 12/24v light bulbs > Tahiti Piles & Lumieres (43 83 70) rue Cook

Black pearls quality proven with X-ray! > Pearly Shell – in street opposite cruiseship dock, high-end quality, prices start at $300 (see Evelyne, our friend and ask for the same discount as us!)

Panoramic view restaurant > Le Belvedere (42 73 44) free shuttle, reasonable prices, great for groups!

Yacht broker > Tahiti Yacht Broker, Daniel (79 81 24)

Lowest car rental rates > Tahiti Auto Center (54 33 33)

Marine consultant surveyor > Bernard Baudry (77 19 15)

Fedex/Marama Express > from/to outer islands – from/to int’l (45 36 45) globalac@mail.pf

Telectronique > anything to do with electronics, sales & repairs (50 52 21) telec@tahiti.net

 

Commodores Luc Callebaut, Jackie Lee and Zoetje.

 

PS: now, you can get all the info on www.Noonsite.com by email, easy & free. Send a blank message to < text-help@noonsite.com > for instructions.