INTRODUCTION The Society Islands of French Polynesia offer some of the best cruising in the South Pacific Ocean.. Chapter 1 An Introduction To Tahiti And The Society Islands Of French Po
Trang 3P.O Box 130, Stamford, CT 06904
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher
1st Edition - 1985
Library of Congress Card No 85-50922 ISBN No 0-918752-04-3
SAN No 210-5810
Trang 4Table of Contents
Editor's Preface 4
Introduction .•.•• 5
List of Charts in This Book 6
I AN INTRODUCTION TO TAHITI AND THE SOCIETY ISLANDS OF FRENCH POLYNESIA 8
2 PLANNING THE VOYAGE: ADVANCE PREPARATIONS 10
Visas .• 10
Bonds, Health Requirements II Customs, Pets and Firearms, Things to Bring 12
Things Not to Bring, Flags 13
Mail: Where to Have It Sent Honorary Consuls 13
Amateur Radio Operators •• • • • 14
Charts, Navigational Publications • 14
Yacht Chartering 16
Travel Agencies 18
The Last and Most Important Preparation 18
3 PASSAGES TO FRENCH POLyNESIA .•.• 19
4 ENTRY AND EXIT FORMALITIES 21
Ports of Entry, Entry Procedures 21
Dealing with Officials 21
Cruising Check-In Ports 22
Special Permission, Crew Changes 23
Departure from French Polynesia 24
5 CRUISING THE ISLANDS: WEATHER AND NAViGATION • 25
Climate, Barometer, Temperatures, Rainfall, Winds 25
Currents •• •.• • • • 26
Tides, Visibility, Tropical Depressions and Cyclones 27
Charts in this Book 29
List of Abbreviations and Terms used on French • 30
Charts Aerial Postcards 31
Weather Reports and Radio, Time, Variation, 32
Radar Returns Lights, French Polynesian Light List .• 32
Buoyage System in French Polynesia 34
Coral Reef Navigation 36
Anchorages and Anchoring Techniques • 37
6 LIFE IN THE ISLANDS 40
A Brief History 40
Land Flora and Fauna 41
Marine Flora and Fauna 43
The Islanders Today 46
Government, Economy 47
Language 48
Religion • 49
Education, Land and Housing 50
Family Life •• •.• • 51
Social Life 52
Special Customs • • • 53
7 PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR CRUISERS 54
International Communications, Money 54
Medical Information 55
Measures and Metric Conversion Formulae 57
Water, Fuel and Power 57
Supplies, Food and Drink, Polynesian Cuisine 58
Clothing, Going Ashore, Transponation • 60
Restaurants, Hotels and Nightlife • • 62
Tahitian Feast (Tamaaraa) 62
Recreation, Holidays , •• ••.• 63
8 TAHITI: THE BIG ISLAND 64
INTRODUCTION 66
SUB-CHAPTER I Papeete: The Classic South 68
Seas Capital Anchorages 70
City Map .• • 76
Supplies and Services 80
Transponation 83
Restaurants, Hotels, Night Life 84
Recreation 86
SUB-CHAPTER 2 Maeva Beach and the 88
West Coast SUB-CHAPTER 3 The Southwest Corner 94
SUB-CHAPTER 4 The Sheltered Bays of 97
the Atimaono Basin SUB-CHAPTER 5: Heart of the South Coast: 101
Botanical Gardens and Gauguin Museum SUB-CHAPTER 6: The Hurricane Hole: 106
Port Phaeton SUB-CHAPTER 7: Tahiti-Iti's West Coast 112
SUB-CHAPTER 8: The Wilderness Coast 120
of Tahiti-lti SUB-CHAPTER 9: Tahiti-lti's Nonh Coast '" 132 SUB-CHAPTER 10: The Windward Shore: 139
Tahiti's East Coast and The North Coast SUB-CHAPTER II: Matavai Bay: The 146
Historic Coast 9 MOOREA: SPECTACULAR SCENERy 152
INTRODUCTION • • ~ 152
SUB-CHAPTER I East and West Coasts: 156
The Least Visited SUB-CHAPTER 2 Opunohu Bay and the 162
Nonhwest Comer SUB-CHAPTER 3 Cooks Bay and the 171
Northeast Corner 10 HUANINE: UNSPOILED 179
II RAIA TEA: CAPITAL OF THE LEEW ARDS 196
Uturoa 200
East Coast • • 210
South Coast 213
West Coast 217
12 TAHAA: DEEPWATER BAyS 222
13 BORA BORA: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 236
Vaitape Village 243
14 MAUPITI: THE SMALLEST JEWEL 256
Trang 515 MOPELlA: A CLASSIC ATOI.L 261
16 THE PASS-LESS SOCIETY ISLANDS 266
BIBLIOGRAPHy 269
INDEX TO PLACE NAMES 271 Envelope at rear of book contains sketch charts:
lies Sous Ie Vent The Society Islands French Polynesia
Photo by MarCIS Qavock
I "'fM
'I) " I
Victorian gingerbread Pao Pao, Cooks Bay, Mqorea
Photo by MarCia Davock
SPYC Charter Yacht~, Apooiti Bay Marina, Raiatea
Trang 6EDITOR'S PREFACE
Who has not dreamed of romantic South Sea Isles wind
whistling through palm trees and gentle waves lapping on
beaches in calm lagoons? The French Society Islands are one of
the world's great cruising areas Steady trade winds fine winter
and spring weather (our summer and fall!), and great interest
ashore One feature appealed to this inveterate island hopper
You enter a sheltered lagoon via one or more passes and you
cruise around inside for days, all that wind and no waves! Then
off to another isle and do the same thing We had a ball
Bora-Bora, Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Taaha, Huahine-these names
will forever conjure up memories of wonderful cruising
These French Society Islands are a cruising crossroads You'll
meet boats from all over the world at Papeete's downtown yacht
quai, anchored at Maeva Beach on Tahiti, at Cooks and
Oponohu Bays on Moorea, and at Bora Bora Yet we had many
anchorages all to ourselves in Isles Sous Ie Vent (Raiatea,
Thaha, Huahine, Bora Bora) and there are equally spectacular
lonesome anchorages all over Tahiti and Moorea Our crew was
divided as to which is the most beautiful isle My vote goes to
spectacular Moorea, but none of us will ever forget Bora Bora's
massive slab-sided twin peaks, lovely' motus, and beautiful
lagoon The French Society Islands live up to their billing as a
cruising paradise The area deserves the massive effort which
Marcia Davock has put into this cruising guide
Not all round the world sailors are dropouts Certainly not
the author, Marcia Davock or her husband "Mugs." who have
gone more than halfway east to west from Seattle (Majorca at
this writing), stopping off to see the sights and replenish their
cruising kitty Marcia is blessed with an inquisitive mind and a
great pair of eyes, as well as good work habits You're going to
"see" Tahiti and the French Society Islands via the eyes of a
trained observer and an excellent sailor and navigator We feel
fortunate to have persuaded Marcia to do this definitive work
the only complete detailed guide to these beautiful islands
Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan
Marcia was an award winning medical writer and P.R specialist
for the University Hospital in Seattle This isn't her first book
In 1980 she wrote The Need for Skin Disease Research for the
U.S Dermatological Societies She has been a contributing
writer and/or photographer for several northwest area and Ann Arbor Michigan newspapers and magazines, and has written extensively for boating magazines in London, Australia and in the USA Marcia is attractive, intelligent and conscientious
I greatly enjoyed cruising the French Society Islands with Marcia Together we developed the format, outline, agreed on coverage, charts photos and specifications for this book Wescott Cove is proud to present her work to you We believe it meets our objectives for cruising guides, to tell you everything
of interest that you could possibly want to know about these lovely islands; where to find supplies services entertainment sightseeing, recreation, anchorages marinas, beaches, restau-rants-with all these points of interest located on charts; to give you all pertinent information on navigation charts communi-cations, chartering, customs procedures, regulations, cli-matological data, currents, anchoring techniques history, government economy, money, cuisine, transportation and ev-erything else you need to help you get to and around these beautiful islands
This book would not have been possible without the plete cooperation and generous assistance of South Pacific Yacht Charters who runs a first-class charter operation at Raia-tea The book would not have ben possible without permission from the French Government (Hydrographic and Oceanographic Marine Service) to use their excellent charts as
com-a bcom-asis for our own mcom-arked up chcom-arts which you'lI find throughout this book Our charts are intended to supplement the official French charts and are not intended to be used for navigation We found the French charts to be excellent and recommend you buy them
We had great cooperation and friendly assistance from one we met in the Society Islands from the tourist bureau down
every-to Polynesians on remote islands One of the delights in these islands are the friendly, happy people Their ways are soft and pleasant Go there and enjoy
Julius M Wilensky Stamford, cr
January, 1985
Julius Wilensky leadina three cheers for beautiful Opunohu Bay, Moorea
Trang 7INTRODUCTION
The Society Islands of French Polynesia offer some of the
best cruising in the South Pacific Ocean The scenery of these
high volcanic islands is spectacular; the anchorages are
pro-tected by barrier reefs; the tradewind-dominated weather is
excellent; navigation among the islands is relatively easy;
plen-tiful supplies are available in the larger towns; and your hosts,
French Polynesians, are honest, likeable, handsome and
fun-loving people you'll never forget
This yachting guidebook to the Society Islands is meant to
help you decide what you want to see and provide you with
information about how to get there, including passages to and
through the islands, courses through coral reef passes,
informa-tion on navigating interior barrier reef channels, and the
loca-tions of desirable anchorages We include voluminous
informa-tion about facilities and sights on shore that will make your trip
easier, more pleasant and interesting
This book is based upon three trips to the Societies The first
was in 1973, cruising aboard a friend's boat for six months The
second was in 1981, cruising for six months aboard our own
boat, the "Shearwater," a Rhodes-41 sloop built by Pearson in
1965 (IO-fool, 5-inch beam and 6-fool draft) The Ihird was a
short but intensive visit of a month in late 1982, cruising aboard
a South Pacific Yacht Charters' Peterson 44 and a Nautical 39
All the practical information in the guide is based upon
conditions observed However, we stress, conditions change A
big storm can cause a river mouth's previous anchorage to silt
up, rapid coral growth can obstruct a formerly accessible
an-chorage; buoys and markers are added by men, then su btracted
by storms Stores, restaurants and discos spring into action and
then die the following season Prices always increase
On the other hand, "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme
chose." While we've noticed some changes during our visits
over 10 years, we've been surprised at how much has not
changed
Information in this guide is based on passes and channels we
scouted ourselves; beaches, coves and harbors where we
an-chored; and facilities on shore that we investigated by walking
the coasts
We have also given many personal opinions aboul places we
liked and places we didn't like, because we've found a frequent
failing of cruising guides is that they present only objective
information, and the reader can never tell "Well, did they like
that spot or not?" We've also prioritized the anchorages
some-what so that you can pick the best spots if you have only limited
time on a certain island Our cruising companions and other
sailors didn't always agree on their favorite harbors Take as
much time as you can to enjoy the wonderful cruising in the
Society Islands You'll have the same problem everyone does,
deciding which are your favorites
This guide is not meant to substitute in any way for proper
nautical charts and Pilots (the sailing directions published by
American, French and British naval or marine offices) Rather,
the guide should be used in conjunction with these sources
Although we've been all over these islands several times, and
had expert help from people who have been on the scene for
many years, and great care has been taken to make this book
accurate, the author and publisher cannot ensure that the guide
is error-free We would appreciate hearing from you regarding
changes which can be incorporated into future editions Send us
your notes, observations, sketches and comments, so that
fu-ture cruisers following in our wakes can benefit from what we've
all learned You can reach me through the publisher, address on
title page
This book was in no way supported by any commercial
busi-ness, government, magazine or publication, or sailing or
cruis-ing organization In compilcruis-ing this guide, I talked with and
5
interviewed many officials, local residents, storekeepers, taurant owners, hotel managers, port captains and, of course, other cruisers However, rarely did I mention I was writing a yachting guide I posed as a normal cruiser, seeking information
res-so as to avoid any special treatment
In almost all cases, the people of French Polynesia are whelmingly willing to help you and to provide information ThIs goes a long way toward making your cruise of the Society Islands more interesting and enjoyable You'll be welcomed there
over-Marcia Davock Papeete, Tahiti
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks go to the Tahiti Tourist Development Board, especially Moe Le Caill and Tini Colombel, who helped me with photographs; Don and Linda Pixley, who helped make our charter a success; to the Papeete Immigration, Customs and Port Captain officials, who patiently answered my numerous questions; to Superprint Photographic Service in Sydney, who quickly and expertly handled all my film, to three New Zealand families (the Gilmores Harrises, and Beardsleys), who loaned
me their houses in Papua New Guinea while I completed the manuscript; and to the many, many Polynesians we've come to know in our cruising
This book couldn't have been written without the support of two people to whom lowe special thanks My husband, Mugs Davock (also the skipper of our boat), patiently put up with my meanderings through nearly every pass, channel and anchorage
in the Society Islands He read and criticized my manuscript, and was unfailingly good-natured and supportive throughout the year-long project And special thanks go to the publisher, Julius Wilensky, who taught me more about researching, writ-ing and re-writing a cruising guide than I dreamed possible and whose wonderful encouragement helped me complete the proj-ect
Photo by Marcia Olvock
Author's "Shearwater," Cooks Bay, Moore
Trang 8LIST OF CHARTS, MAPS, AND DIAGRAMS
See note on page 29 We have been given permission by the French Hydrographic Service to use their charts as a basis for our own The charts in this book are intended to be supplementary, and not to substitute for proper chans on board your boat
CHARTS AND STREET MAPS
Tahiti (overall chart) 64-65 Raiatea, W Coast Anchorages Toamaro Tetuatiare Passes 218
Tahiti Papeete Pass and Faaa Channel to Maeva Beach 68-69 Raiatea, W Coast Anchorages Rautoanui Pass 219
Papeete City Map 76-77 Raiatea NW Coast Rautoanui Pass 221
Key to City Map Numbers 74-75 Tahaa (overall chart) 222-223 Tahiti NW Coast Maeva Beach Faaa Taapuna Pass 88 Raiatea · Tahaa, Grand Banc Central 225
Tahiti W Coast Punaauia 92 Tahaa SW Coa.~t Anchorages Papai Pass 227
Tahiti W Coast, Paea 93 Tahaa NW Coast Anchorages 229
Tahiti SW Coast, Papara District Passes and Anchorages 95 Tahaa N and NE Coast Anchorages 230-231 Tahiti S Coast Popoti Bay 97 Tahaa SE Coast Anchorages Toahotu Pass 235
Tahiti S Coast Atimaono Passes and Anchorages 98 Bora Bora (overall chart) 236-237 Tahiti S {'oast Rautirare Pass 101 Bora Bora Passe Teavanui 240
Tahiti S Coast, Botanical Gardens Passes and Anchorages 103 Bora Bora, Teavanui Pass Anchorages at Yacht Club, Tahiti Port Phaeton Taravao 107 Vaitape, Faanui Bay 241
Tahiti Port Phaeton Taravao (larger scale) 108-109 Bora Bora Town of Vaiatape 245
Tahiti Town of Taravao 111 Bora Bora, S Tip Anchorages Topua Povai Tahiti-hi (overall chart) 112 Hotel Bora Bora 247
Tahiti-IIi W Coast Tapuaeraha Basin Vairao Anchorage Bora Bora N Coast 251
Channel from Vairao Bay into Teahupu Basin 114 Bora Bora NE Coast Motu Anchorages 252
Tahiti-IIi W Coast Tapuaeraha Pass and Bora Bora S Tip Anchorages PI Matira 253
Vairao Anchorage 116-117 Maupiti (overall chart) 257
Tahiti-IIi W Coast Teahupu Havae Pass I 19 Maupiti Onoiau Pass 258-259 Tahiti-hi S Coast Port Beaumanoir 120 M opelia (overall chart) 26 I Tahiti-IIi Southern Tip Vaiau Basin Pari 123 Mopelia Taihaaru Vahine Pass .• 263
Tahiti-hi SE Tip Pari Coast 125 Mopelia village only 265
Tahiti-hi SE Coast Pari Coast and Paofai Anchorage 126-127 Mehetia 267
Tahiti-hi E Coast Vaionifa Pass and Anchorage 128 Maiao 267
Tahiti-hi NE Coast Tautira Basin and Cook's Anchorage 131 Tetiaroa Atoll 267
Tahiti-hi N Coast Port Pihaa and Taharoa Pass 132 Tupai 267
Tahiti-hi N Coast Pueu Passes and Anchorages 134 Manuae 268
Tahiti-Iti N Coast, Taravao Bay 136-137 Motu One 268
Tahiti E and NE Coast 138 Sketch Chart of the Society Islands Inside Tahiti E Coast Port Vaitoare Passes and Anchorages 141 Sketch Chart of French Polynesia back Tahiti E Coast Hitiaa Passes and Anchorages 142 Sketch Chart of the lies Sous Ie Vent (Leeward Islands) cover Tahiti E Coast, Faaone Passes and Anchorages 143
Tahiti NE Coast, Boudeuse Pass and Anchorages 145
Tahiti N Coast PI Venus Matavai Bay 147 DIAGRAMS AND DRA WINGS Tahiti NW Coast Yacht Club 149
Tahiti NW Coast, Taunoa Pass 151 Illustration of Island and Reef ('nnfigurations 9
Moorea (overall chart) 154-155 Southern Hemisphere Cyclone 28
Moorea East and West Coasts 15M-I 59 Drawings showing buoyage system 34-34 Moorea NW Coast and Opunohu Bay 163 H ow to do a Bahamian Monr 38
Moorea Opunohu Bay and Tareu Pa~, 164-165 Tahiti seen from the north 70
Moorea NE Coast and Cook~ Bay 173 Havae Pass seen from a half-mile from the entrance Moorea, Cooks Bay and Avaroa Pass 174-175 Tahiti-hi I 15 Moorea Bali Hai Anchorage and Irihonu Pass , • 17K Correct course into Vaionifa Pass with Mt Toaeno H uahine (overall chart) 180- I 8 I bearing 2330 T Tahiti-Iti 129
Huahinc Avamoa Pass Fare IX3 Sketch ofTaunoa Pass Tahiti 150
Huahine Town of Fare 185 Sketch of Vaiare Pass Moore" 157
Huahine N Coast IX7 Sketch of Tareu Pass Moorea 167
Huahine W Coast Anchorages Fare Avamoa and Sketch Moorea walk to Belvedere Viewspot 170
Avapehi Passes 189 Sketch Moorea Marae Sites in Opunohu Valley 170
Huahine S Coast Anchorages 191 Sketch Avaroa Pass Moorea 171
Huahine, Farerea Pass 193 Sketch arerea Pass Huahine 193
Huahine E Coast Anchorages Farerea Tiare Passes 195 Sketch Teavapiti Pass Raiatea 200
Raiatea and Tahaa (overall chartl 197 Sketch Irihu Pass Raialea 210
Raiatea NE COllst Uluroa, Teavapiti Pass 198-199 Sketch Teavamoa Pass Raiatea 2 I 2 Raiatea N Coast Apooiti Bay Marina Airport Sketch Nao Nao Pass 216
Yacht Club 203 Sketch S Coast Raiatea 216
Raiatea Town of Uturoa 205 Sketch Punaeroa Pass Raiatea 2 I 7 Raiatea E Coast Anchorages Teavapili Irihu Passes 20~ Sketch Toamaro Pass Raiatea 217
Raiatea E Coast Irihu Pass Faaroa Bay 209 Sketch Paipai Pass Tahaa 226
Railltea SE Coast Anchorages, Teavamoa Pas, 211 Sketch Toahotu Pass Tahaaa 233
Raiatea SW Coast, Punaeroa Pass 214 Sketch, Teavanui Pass Bora Bora 237
Raiatea S Coast Anchorages Naonao Pass 215 Sketch Maupiti Viewed from HI miles away 3010 T 256
Trang 10Chapter 1
An Introduction To Tahiti And The Society Islands Of French Polynesia
French Polynesia is a group of 130 islands that occupy two
million square miles of the southeastern Pacific Ocean They
extend from about 8· to 28· south latitude, and from 1330 to ISS·
west longitude, and are situated in one of the most remote
corners of the Pacific, mid-way between California and Aus·
tralia The total area of the islands' land mass is only 1,544
square miles yet they are' spread out on an area of ocean the
same size as the European continent, or equivalent to the
distance from Miami to Montreal and New York to Omaha
Many people think of all South Pacific isles as farther west
than French Polynesia If you draw a line south from An·
chorage, Alaska, you'll run over Thhiti If you draw a line west
from the north border of Chile, you'll run over Tahiti Tahiti lies
east of Hawaii
French Polynesia is an overseas territory of France
Geo-graphically and administratively, the islands are divided into
five major groups: (1) the Society Islands (les lies de la Societe);
(2) the Marquesas Islands (les lies Marquises; (3) the Tuamotu
Archipelago (l'Archipel des Tuamotu); (4) the Gambier Archi·
pelago (I' Archipel des Gambier, sometimes included in with the
Tuamotus); and (5) The Austral Islands (les Iles Australes)
The capital of the group is Papeete, Tahiti
The Society Islands, which this book covers, are compo.sed of
14 islands divided into two main groups: (1) the Windward
Islands (les lies du Vent) -Tahiti, Moorea, Maiao, Mehetia
and Tetiaroa; and (2) the Leeward Islands (les lies Sous Ie
Vent)-Huahine Raiatea Tahaa, Bora Bora, Maupiti,
Mopelia, Tupai, Manuae and Motu One Of the Society r~lands, eight have passes and are easily visited by sailboat-Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora, Maupiti and Mopelia Each of these islands is described in detail in this guide The remaining six islands (all are atolls except Maiao and Mehetia) can be visited only by anchoring off the reef and attempting to land the dinghy through the surf Please only on calm days! These islands are described in the "Pass-Less Is-lands" chapter 16
Most of the Society Islands are high volcanic islands, with rocky summits that are the eroded remnants of volcanoes, and a surrounding lagoon protected by a coral barrier reef (Tahiti and Bora Bora, for example) Other islands in French Polynesia are high volcanic islands, but with little or no surrounding reef or perhaps only small attached fringing reefs (most of the Mar-quesas, for example) A third type of island is the coral atoll, a ring of coral around an interior lagoon, thought to have been formed when a volcano inside a barrier reef gradually subsided
or eroded away, leaving only the coral ring (most of the Tuamotus and MopeJia) for example
The important feature of the barrier reef is that it provides a lagoon sheltered from ocean swell, where cruising yachts can find excellent anchorage You can tie the stern off to a palm tree, open a cold Tahitian beer, and watch the sun set over the waves crashing onto the nearby barrier reef, and your boat will
be resting motionless on the placid lagoon waters
But first, let's get you to Polynesia
Photo by Tahi.ti Tourist Board
Readying for the start of a pirogue rac:e
Trang 11ISL-ANDS AND ~EF CONFIGURA TlONS IN FRENCH POLYNESIA
Trang 12Chapter 2
Planning the Voyage: Advance Preparations
VISAS
If you are chartering from South Pacific Yacht Charters or
other charterers, and fly to the French Society Islands, you need
no visa or bond Canadians, Americans, and other nationals
from countries listed below under 2 and 3 need only a valid
passport and a return airplane ticket If you come in with your
own boat, or want to stay longer than one month, here's what
you must do
Yacht owners and crew members will need to apply for visas
requesting visa application forms from the nearest French
con-sulate, filling them out and mailing them back, along with your
passports and service fee The process can take up to two
months, so prepare ahead On the other hand, we once got a
three-month visa at the French consulate in Honolulu in 24
hours, a very easy and streamlined process
Here are the requirements for citizens of various nations who
are requesting tourist visas:
1 Valid passport, no visa required, unlimited stay, for citizens of:
France (national identity card, or passport expired for less than 5
years are also accepted)
Central African Rep
Congo (People's Rep.)
Dahomey
Gabon
Ivory Coast Mali Mauritania Morocco
Niger Senegal Togo Upper Volta
2 Valid passport, no visa required, for stays not exceeding three
months, for citizens of:
West Germany Cameroon Vatican City
3 Citizens of the following countries whose passports are valid, are
admitted:
Without a visa for stays not exceeding one month
With a visa issued without the High Commissioner's approval for
stays of longer than three months
Mexico Norway New Zealand Pakistan Portugal Spain Sweden Switl.erland Tunisia Turkey United States
4 Citizens of the following countries whose passports are valid, are
admitted:
With a visa issued without the High Commissioner's approval for
transits without any stop or with a stop-over of 10 days maximum
With a visa issued with the High Commissioner's approval for
stays longer than 10 days
Belize Kuwait and other Somalia Botswana Persian Gulf states South Africa
India Papua New Guinea Western Samoa Indonesia Philippines Yugoslavia
5 Citizens of the following countries whose passports are valid, are admitted with the High Commissioner's approval:
(People's Rep.) Paraguay Vietnam
Czechoslovakia Poland These are the published regulations concerning visas for tourists entering the islands of French Polynesia These regula-tions also state "Captains, passengers and crews (of yachts) must have valid passports and previously secured tourist visas."
It is highly recommended by nearly all yachtsmen who have visited Tahiti that you and your crew obtain visas in advance It will smooth your path with officials You won't have to waste valuable time waiting for approval, or rushing from office to office trying to explain your case in halting French Several yachts that arrived in Taiohae in the Marquesas with no visas had to wait there a week or so until visa permission was obtained frorn Papeete
In addition, if you arrive with no visas, some officials have been requesting to see that you have adequate funds on board to sustain you and your crew members during your visit This requirement is about U S $350 per month for each person on board It is rarely checked except in the case of yachts arriving without visas, and those who appear tu be without adequate funds, or who have caused problems for officials
Even if you arrive in the territory with no visas and obtain them from Papeete the total length of stay permitted will date from your entry into French Polynesia, not from the date of receiving a visa
Visas are issued for several different lengths of stay, but most common among cruising yachts are three-month and six-month visas If you apply in advance for a one-year visa, it takes a lot longer, as it must be approved by the High Commissioner A three-month visa obtained in advance outside the country usually costs about U.S $10 per person in service fees and stamps
Trang 13Visa extensions are easily obtained for up to a six-month stay
After six months, a request for renewal must include a letter to
the High Commissioner of the territory stating the reasons for
the requested renewal and total length of time already spent in
the territory You must apply for this at least 15 days before your
present visa expires An additional six months, up to one year
total, can usually be obtained, but the rules state that "captains
will have to take into consideration the meteorological forecasts
for the time of visa expiration." In other words, if your one-year
visa expires in the middle of hurricane season, you will still have
to leave
Extensions past one year are extremely rare Even if you do
receive an additional extension, you will have to pay duty on
your yacht to "import" it into French Polynesia Import duty
varies considerably from yacht to yacht The boat will be
in-spected and the amount of duty charged will be based upon the
age condition, size and value of the boat
A rule being newly enforced is that if a yacht intends to
re-enter French Polynesia, it has to have been out of the territory
for as long as the last stay For instance, if you stayed in French
Polynesia six months, you cannot re-enter until you've been
outside the territory for six months Otherwise, you may have
to pay import duty on the boat
Tourist visas cannot be converted into work permits Work
permits are extremely difficult to obtain They are issued to the
employer for a maximum period of one year This means that
the employee who has found a job in advance (usually outside
the territory) can apply to reside and work in the territory for
one year, and can usually extend this as long as he or she is still
working for the same employer
Another regulation which is definitely enforced is: "The
holders of tourist visas are not allowed to work or trade." We
have heard of one yachtsman forced to leave French Polynesia
when officials learned he was selling his scrimshaw to a Moorea
boutique
For information on check-in requirements, ports of entry and
crew changes, see "Entry and Exit Formalities," Chapter 4
BONDS
French Polynesia requires each visiting yachtsman (captain,
passengers and crew members) to post a bond equivalent to the cost of one-way air fare to their home country, or to possess an air ticket home The repatriation bond, or "une caution," as it is called in French, remains in one of the I"dpeete banks during your stay, and then is refunded to you upon departure when you check out from one of the entry-exit ports
Usually the bond will be requested upon application for a visa when you are still outside the country You must show a receipt
to the visa-issuing consulate before the visa will be processed This is a simple procedure T.'lke your money to the correspon-dent local bank of one of the French Polynesian banks (the French consulate will tell you which one), and telex it to Pa-peete, receiving a receipt Show the receipt to the consulate and then keep it to show officials when you arrive in French Poly-nesia
It will usually be much cheaper to telex your money in vance to French Polynesia, than to wait until you've entered the territory, then telex a request to your home country for the funds and receive the telexed money Instead, carry enough money on board to pay the bond when you arrive, if you haven't previously posted it
ad-In 1981, most U.S citizens were paying bonds of about U.S
$850 per person In 1982, perhaps due to the rising strength of the dollar, some U.S cruisers reported paying about U.S $450 per person Citizens of the United Kingdom and continental Europe were paying about double these rates, up to U.S $1,500 per person However, we heard many cases of individuals from the same country paying different bond rates, depending upon where they posted the bond money
Other yachtsmen have purchased one-way air tickets back to their home country, which in some cases they found to be cheaper than putting up the amount of bond money required by the French consulate We did this once, and then had trouble getting a refund from the airline The tickets had to be sent back
to the airline's country of origin (New Zealand, in this case), and
it took the airline nearly four months to process our refund Our money was tied up for a much longer time than had we merely deposited the bond in a French Polynesia bank and received it back on the day of departure
Marcia leaving Gendarmerie Fare, Huahine
11
Trang 14We have been informed that you can deposit your bond in an
interest-bearing account in Papeete However, you cannot draw
any of the bond money out until you check out at your last
French Polynesian port
Those who arrive in French Polynesia with no visas, or who
have not yet posted bonds, will be asked to do so immediately
upon arrival Years ago, yachts arriving in the Marquesas took a
lackadaisical attitude toward posting the bond, but now that
there is a bank at Thiohae (Nuku Hiva), cruisers must
imme-diately post their bond or get plans underway to have the money
telexed The situation is similar checking into Atuona (Hiva
Oa)
If you think that posting a bond here is unfair, remember you
will get it all back Other Pacific countries charge outright
non-refundable fees Vanuatu: S60 entry fee; Solomons: $100 light
maintenance fee; Papua New Guinea: many visa fees, bonds
after several months ranging from $400 per person up to the
$30,000 requested of one yacht, $30 per person departure tax;
Australia: $20 per person departure tax; Indonesia: about
$100-$150 to obtain visa through an agent; Sri Lanka: $150 or so
a month
Return of your French Polynesian bond money is fast and
efficient You can usually obtain it the day before you leave, in
traveler's checks or most any major currency See "Entry and
Exit Formalities," Chapter 4 for more information
Yachts staying in French Polynesia for only a few days to a
week usually have the bond requirement waived
If you fly to the Society Islands for a bareboat charter from
South Pacific Yacht Charters, you need no visa or bond You will
need only a valid passport and a return trip airline ticket
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
You are required to possess an international certificate of
vaccination, but no vaccinations are required unless you are
coming from an infected area Usually, officials will not ask to
see the certificate
There is no need to take anti-malarial drugs since malaria
does not exist in French Polynesia You should, however, bring
along the normal medicines you use and a first aid kit
Medi-cines in French Polynesia are from France, and you will
proba-bly not recognize their names, although their generic
compo-nents will often be the same
Before leaving home, you might be interested in writing the
International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers
(IAMAT), an organization that exists on voluntary
contribu-tions to provide helpful medical literature and physicians'
names of physicians who speak English to travelers around the
world For further information, write IAMAT, 350 Fifth Ave.,
Suite 5620, New York, NY 10001, USA
CUSTOMS
Here is what you can import, duty-free, per person, into
French Polynesia:
400 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500 grams of tobacco
1 liter of alcoholic beverages
Qothes, personal belongings jewelry (500 grams maximum)
2 still cameras with 10 rolls unexposed film
1 movie camera with 10 rolls unexposed film
1 each: Thrntable, tape recorder, typewriter portable radio,
binoculars, musical instrument
All normal yachting equipment
Sports equipment (water skis, surfboards, etc.)
Motorcycles, cars, bicycles, scooters, canoes: may be granted
temporary admission under bond by customs
Motorcycles less than 45 cc's, can be landed without duty or
bond, but you must show to customs a receipt for purchase of
insurance Cycles larger than this may mean payment of duty or
a bond
Professional photographers can bring any desired equipment
into the territory, but must post a bond and apply in advance for permission to: Service des Relations et Echanges Culturel, Immeuble du Gouvernement, Papeete, Tahiti The application letter should list, in triplicate, all items of equipment, including camera bodies, lenses, rolls of unexposed film, and the value and serial number of each item
PETS AND FIREARMS
The regulation on bringing pets into French Polynesia reads:
"Entry is strictly prohibited In some cases, an exceptional authorization to import an animal will be given by the High Commissioner, if the animal comes from a rabies-free area However, it is allowed to have animals in transit, as long as they remain on board If you desire to land the animal you must make a formal request through the Papeete Customs only Any animals landed without the necessary authorization will be destroyed."
Regulations are strict on firearms- "Entry prohibited." This means that you must declare your guns, their serial numbers, and ammunition to Customs upon entering and surrender them
to Customs in each island you cruise In some ports, particularly the Marquesas, yachts have not always had to do this This routine can be a big pain in the neck We don't carry guns, ourselves, but we have watched cruisers all across the Pacific checking their guns into and out of each island and sometimes every separate harbor Departures were delayed hours and sometimes as much as two days because Customs officials hadn't gotten around to returning the gun One yachtsman cruising northern Tonga found that officials had used his gun and some of his shotgun shells!
This is not much of a problem in French Polynesia, where dealing with Customs is usually efficient However, laws are very strict for unauthorized or illegal use of guns by cruisers Though trading shotgun shells with locals formerly occurred, it
is illegal
Cruisers leaving from the U.S with guns aboard should declare them to U.S Customs to obtain a certificate of ownership Otherwise, they may be confiscated when you arrive home
THINGS TO BRING
French Polynesia is expensive Cruisers formerly estimated prices at about double those in the U.S However, with recent devaluations of French currency (Tahiti's currency is tied to the French franc) and coincidental strengthening of the U.S dollar, expenses in French Polynesia have moderated
Nevertheless, to avoid overspending, we'd advise you to bring everything possible with you Cruising the outer islands, Marquesas, Tuamotus and Australs is usually not hard on the budget because there's not much to buy But Papeete can really dent the cruising kitty Editor's note: While cruising the French Society Islonds in 1982 on one of South Pacific Yacht Charters Peterson 44's, we spent about $150 per person per week in addition to what we paid them for stocking the boat with food and beverages The $150 went for dinners ashore replenishing per- ishable groceries, taxis, car rental, admissions, and souvenirs This is about what we've spent bareboat chartering in other popular cruising areas You could do it on a lot less, but we were there to enjoy
It's more advantageous to carry traveler's checks rather than cash as they are safer and they bring a slightly higher exchange rate Credit cards are recognized at major resorts, car rentals, and other establishments in Papeete, but are not widely recog-nized in the other French Society Islands, nor in outlying parts
of Tahiti Nobody wants personal checks
Bring all these items with you: medications and a complete emergency medical kit, eyeglasses, cameras and film, a French-English dictionary (you can buy one here), marine supplies and
Trang 15OUlside public markel, Papeele, Tahiti
spare parts (especially non-metric ones), tools, food-as much
as you can carry that will keep during your cruise For food, see
approximate prices and availability information in the "Food
and Drink" section of the Tahiti Chapter 8, under Papeete
Bareboat charterers needn't carry any food SPYC's
commiss-ary is very well stocked
It is cheaper to reprovision in other South Pacific ports, such
as Pago Pago, American Samoa; and Suva, Fiji, than in French
Polynesia
For comfort aboard the boat, these items are essential: a
large awning for shade; sun hats; sunglasses (preferably
Polar-oid to best see reefs); protective sun lotion; foul weather jackets
and an umbrella; a rainwater catchment system (particularly for
atolls where water is often in short supply); a hose for those
ports with dockside water; self-steering gear or autopilot;
cock-pit dodger Bareboat charterers will not need catchment
systems or self steerers Hoses are aboard SPYC's boats Water
is available in all of the major French Society Islands
Bring enough fuel (diesel, gasoline, propane, kerosene) to
get you through to Papeete, as these are sometimes not
avail-able in outer islands such as the Marquesas, and practically
never in the Tuamotus Fuel is available in all of the major
Society Islands Also frequently in short supply in the outer
islands are eggs, onions, and other vegetables
Particularly bring every spare part you can for your main
auxiliary engine and refrigeration system, the two systems that
break down most frequently and cause some yachts never to
venture beyond big city ports, "waiting for parts."
Bring along plenty of items you can use for gifts or trade
Some of the most popular items are: printed T-shirts (anything
with "Hawaii" on it tops the list); rock cassette tapes (reggae
very popular); 2-yard lengths of colorful cloth; sports-type
clothing (usually new); baseball hats, costume jewelry;
per-13
fume, cosmetics; cigarettes; canned foods, rice and sugar; or fishing tackle (hooks, line, leader) Fresh bread and baked goods you've made are excellent gifts in islands with no bak-eries Carry a good supply of color postcard-sized photos of you, your crew and the boat There will be many opportunities
to paste these in guest books, or just give them to new friends When trading with locals, such as you might in some of the Marquesas and Tuamotus, watch carefully that you are making
a fair trade While Polynesians are nearly all very honest, in some areas where they've dealt with many yachts, they're very
"trade-wise." The two items you'll trade most for are food (usually fruit and fish), and souvenirs such as carvings, shell leis and shells Take a look in Tahiti Chapter 8 under Papeete for some approximate values of these items before you trade Don't trade a pair of jeans for two papayas and a handful of lemons nading is practically non-existent in the Societies, although gift items will still come in handy
THINGS NOT TO BRING
Illegal drugs or narcotics of any type; undeclared firearms, explosives or weapons; or an empty wallet!
FLAGS
In addition to your home country flag, you should have a yellow quarantine flag and a French courtesy flag It's tricolor with red, white and blue vertical sections, and is easy to make Some yachts also fly the Tahitian flag, which has two horiwntal red stripes, separated by a white stripe
MAIL: Where to Have It Sent
General Delivery, known as "Poste Restante" in speaking countries, is very reliable in French Polynesia Mail is retained for one month, and often longer You need your pas-sport to claim it
French-You can receive mail addressed to you in care of Poste tante at Papeete, Tahiti; Teavaro Post Office, Moorea, a long walk from popular anchorages; Fare, Huahine; Uturoa, Raia-tea; and Vaitape, Bora Bora The best way to have your letters addressed is:
Res-Name (last name clearly printed and underlined) Yacht Name
Poste Restante City, Island French Polynesia Mail can also be sent, by prior arrangement, to local Papeete banks if you intend to do business with them:
Banque de I'Indochine et de Suez, B.P 120, Papeete, etc Banque de Polyensie, B.P 250
Banque de Tahiti, B.P 1602
If you are an American Express card holder, you can have mail sent to American Express, Thhiti Tours, B P 627, Papeete
"B P." means" Boite postale, " or post office box
Receiving mail in the outer islands is more difficult In the Marquesas, yachts have traditionally received mail in care of Maurice's Store, Taichae, Nuku Riva, French Polynesia Other small post offices are at Hiva Oa and Ua Huka (Mar-quesas); Rangiroa, Tuamotus; and Tubuai, Australs
HONORARY CONSULS
The following nations have honorary consuls in Papeete, some of whom may be willing to accept and hold mail for nationals of the countries they represent, but we'd recommend writing ahead to make sure
Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein: Marcel Krainer, Res Paradis Mahina, Papeete
Chile: Guy Bechaz, I Pirae, Papeete
Trang 16Denmark: J R Desvaux de Marigny, Res Lutus, Punaauia,
Papeete
Finland: Janine Laguesse, 2 Place Notre Dame, Papeete
Italy: Augusto Confalonieri, B.P 420, Papeete
Norway: Victor Siu, B.P 306, Papeete
Sweden: Michael Solari, Ets Solari et Fils, Avenue General
de Gaulle, Papeete
West Germany: Claude Weimnamm, B.P 452, Papeete
AMATEUR RADIO OPEATORS
Licensed amateur radio operators must apply for a reciprocal
call sign to operate the radio while in French Polynesian waters
This can take up to several months to obtain Send a letter
requesting the call sign and a photocopy of your license to:
Radio Communications, Direction de I'Office des Postes et
Telecommunications, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
CHARTS, NAVIGATIONAL PUBLICATIONS
Bring it all with you We'd recommend purchasing French
charts, as they are detailed and excellent British and American
charts are certainly adequate To interpret French charts, you
need some French A French-English dictionary won't contain
all the technical words and abbreviations French publication
Symboles et Abreviations figurant sur les Cartes Marines,
pub-lication No I-D still doesn't offer translations, though the
il-lustrations are helpful We have included a short list of
abbreviations and terms translated into English in this book in
the "Cruising the Islands" chapter 5
Many French charts do not have compass roses, though they
show true north and magnetic north This makes plotting
courses and hand bearings more difficult using parallel rules
Some French charts we purchased new from Paris, updated to
1982, had longitudes based on a Paris meridian, rather than
Greenwich! We have corrected these longitudes in the charts
used in this book If you have such French charts and want to
correct the longitude, the difference is 2° 6', i.e., Paris is 2° 6'
east of Greenwich Subtract 2° 6' to convert Ouest Longitude to
Greenwich Many more French charts have many more
de-tailed coastline views than American or British charts
You will also need a Pilot: either the U.S Sailing Directions
for the Pacific Islands, publication 80, Volume III (The
South-Central groups); the French 'Instructions Nautiques: lies de
rOtan Pacifique, Serie K, Vol IX, 2< volume (A I'est du
Merid-ien 170° Est); or the equivalent British Admiralty Pilot The
French and British Pilots are more expensive than the
Amer-ican loose-leaf Pilot
We have used both the U.S and French Pilots and found both
good One would have more detail in a certain section than the
other Both are out of date about popUlations, shoreside
facili-ties, and other minor points Spellings of place names differ
considerably between the two Sometimes one or the other is in
error, i.e., two passes' names are transposed on the south coast
of Tahiti; one Pilot says the tiny island of Mehetia is one mile in
diameter, while the other Pilot says four, etc
Other handy books to have aboard are lists of lights and
radiobeacons; Ocean Passages for the World, published by the
Hydrographer of the British Royal Navy, 1973 with current
supplements (good on route planning); the U.S Atlas of Pilot
Charts, South Pacific and Indian Oceans (with good weather
information); and your normal celestial navigational reference
books
Bulletins of the Seven Seas Cruising Association, P.O Box
2190, Covington, LA 70434, USA, has helpful up-to-date
cruis-ing information about various South Pacific and other islands
and anchorages Local knowledge from French Polynesians is
generally better than in most other areas of the South Pacific,
but it still can range from accurate to dangerously inaccurate
Pay strict attention to your charts and keep a good lookout
Some French charts are available in Papeete See the Tahiti Chapter 8, sub-chapter I, sub-heading "Books." It is best to obtain charts in advance Here are some addresses where you can obtain them:
Editions Maritimes et d'Outre-Mer, 17 Rue Jacob, 75006 Paris, France
Service Hydrographique et Oceanographique de la Marine,
13 Rue du Chatelier, Epshom, B.P 426, 29275 Brest Cedex, France
Warsash Nautical Bookshop, 31 Newton Road, Warshash, Southampton S03 6FY, England
Nautical Instrument and Services Co., 140 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013, USA
Captain's Nautical Supply, 1324-2nd Avenue, Seattle, WA
98101 ,USA Boat Books, 35 Hume Street, P.o Box 69, Crows Nest, 2065 Sydney, Australia
The approximate prices of charts in 1985 were:
American charts of French territories, $11.50 each British charts of French territories, $16.50 to $20.00 each delivered by air in USA
French charts, purchased in France, 55 Fr francs each, proximately $9 to $10 delivered by air to USA (1984)
ap-French charts, purchased in Papeete, 870-1150 CFP francs each (1982) A French franc (January, 1985) is only worth about
$.1024 U.S Historically this is extremely low and is bound to go
up long term The Central Pacific franc (CFP) (Colonies
Fran-"aises du Pacifique) is tied to the French franc at a rate of one French franc worth 18.18 Central Pacific francs See Chapter 7,
"Money" for more information on currency Prices given for services and products in this book are given in CFP francs, not French francs, unless otherwise noted
A complete list of available charts follows:
American Charts for French Polynesia
1607 French Polynesia
83020 Marquesas Islands
83023 Rangiroa to Katiu, Tuamotus
83035 Raiatea to Tutuila, American Samoa
83035 Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
83218 Hiva Oa, Tahu Ata and Motane, Marquesas
83251 Tuamotu and Gambier Archipelagos
British Admiralty Charts
1993 Raiatea to Tutuila, American Samoa
998 Makemo, Tuomotus, to Tahiti
1060 Huahine to Maupiti
1103 Tahaa and Raiatea
1107 Plans in the Society Islands: Port of Uturoa; Passe Papai; Bora Bora; Passe Rautoanui; Port of Fare and Approaches; Passe !riru
1158 N Coast of Tahiti, Papeete to Papenoo
1382 Tahiti and Moorea
1640 The Marquesas and Plans in the Marquesas Bays:Viergcs, Puamau, Hane, Taiohae, Con-troleur, Anaho Vaitahu, Hakahetau Vaipaee, Taaoa
3137 Port Phaeton, Tahiti
3731 Papeete Harbor
4607 Southeast Polynesia
29 Rapa southern-most Australs
1112 Gambiers, Rikitea Harbor on Managareva
1175 Plans in the Tuamotus, mostly northwest Tuamotus
3664 Plans in the Tuamotus, mostly southeast Tuamotus
Trang 17French Charts
Because of the large number of French charts, we'll divide
them into island groupings The titles have been translated and
annotated to explain where each is situated on an island When
ordering charts, order by number, not name
6035 Tahiti to Cook Islands, including Australs
6597 Marquesas, N Tuamotus to Maupiti
Papeete Coast, Taapuna to Pt Venus
W Coast, Faaa to Maraa
S Coast
Pt Phaeton and W Coast of Tahiti-Iti
Plans of Pt Phaeton and Tapuaeraha Harbor
S Coast, Tahiti-Iti, Vaviia R to Arupa Pt
E Coast, Tahiti-lti, Vaitoto to Arupa Pt
N.Coast, Thhiti-Iti, Pueu to Vaitotok
E Coast, Faaone to Pihaa
E Coast, Faaone to Mahaena
E Coast, Mahaena Pass to Taravao Bay
NECoast
N Coast
Tahiti and Moorea (listed above)
Moorea
Cooks and Opunohu Bays
lies Sous Le Vent
6688 lies So us Le Vent (Leeward Islands)
6033 Archepel de la Societe (Society Islands pelago Details of Manuae, Maupihaa, and Motu One
Archi-Huahlne
6434 Huahine Ralatea, Tahaa
6283 Tahaa
6281 S Tahaa
6280 N Raiatea, Port of V turoa
6282 N Raiatea and passes between Raiatea and Tahaa
6284 S Raiatea Bora Bora
6002 Bora Bora Western Islands
A5991 Fatu Hiva and plans; Bay des Vierges (llanavave), d'Omoa
Photo by Marcia Oavock
Flower sellers, Papeete Public Market, Tahiti
15
Trang 18Takaroa, TIkei, Fangatau, Fakahina, Puka Puka
Tepoto, Napuka, Takapoto
Ahe, Manihi, Reianui, Tenupara, plans: Apataki,
Arutua
TIputa and TIkehau, Rangiroa, Mataiva
Plans on above, passes
Temao, Makatea
Arutua, Kaukura, Apataki
Aratika, Rotoava, Taiaro, Fakarava, Kauehi,
Raraka, Niau, Toau
Mangareva passes and anchorages
Temoe, Portland Reef
Other Cruising Guides
While no other guide covers cruising throughout the
So-cieties, several other sources discuss either portions of the
island groups or give brief overviews to French Polynesia as a
whole Opinions stated below are those of the author
Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands of Frf!nch Polynesia
(Tahiti) by South Pacific Yacht Charters Published in 1981 by
South Pacific Yacht Charters, P.O Box 6, Smithfield, Utah
84335, USA, price $15 This 65-page guide covers most of the
lies Sous Le Vent (Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora and Huahine),
the principal cruising grounds of yachts chartered through
SPYC See the "Yacht Charter" section in this chapter) It does
not cover Moorea or Tahiti Information is concise and accurate
about passes and anchorages Well-drawn charts, based on
French charts, show courses through passes and anchorages
The charts cost $8 extra Unfortunately, the book has very little
information about facilities and sightseeing ashore
Landfalls of Paradise by Earl Hinz Published in 1980, by
Western Marine Enterprises, Inc., P.O Box Q, Ventura, CA
93002, USA, price $29.95 This good-looking and helpful
cruis-ing guide covers the entire South Pacific, with useful
informa-tion on the island groups, check-in procedures, a bit about
weather, facilities and anchorages The book is strong on
deal-ing with officialdom and correct procedures, but very weak on
possible anchorages For the Society Islands, it describes only:
Papeete (harbor map); Moorea (mentioned only briefly in text,
no map); Bora Bora (good map; no more infonnation) This
book is good for an overall view of South Pacific cruising, but
contains only 29 pages on the Societies
A Cruising Guide for the South Pacific by Terry Harper
(Published in 1980, with two successive printings, by the author Harper Communications, P.O Box 731, Venice, CA 90291, USA, price $24.95 This book is a direct reprint of the U.S Pilot, which is not copyrighted and therefore can be reprinted More than half the information is directed at merchant vessels
of great size and has no applicability to yachts There is a map of Papeete Harbor, but no information on where yachts moor! Besides some mis-information, there is some totally out-of-date information The book has 38 type-written pages on the So-cieties, including a few sketch charts, no photos
South Pacific Handbook by David Stanley, second edition,
1982, Moon Publications, P.o Box 1696, Chico, CA 95927 USA, price $14.20 postpaid in U.S This not a cruising guide, but rather a backpacker's guide for the Pacific Islands Author Stanley and his partner have done an excellent and usually accurate job of researching each island group, and we've found this book a worthwhile travel companion wherever we've been Oriented toward the low-budget traveler, the book's style is terse and abbreviated, but packed with info sometimes not found in the flossier traditional guides The book has a total of
~4 pages on the Society Islands, photos, maps and drawings of mterest
YACHT CHARTERING
Tahiti is just coming of age for the yacht charterer While individual yachts have been available for charter over the past two decades, they were rarely publicized outside French Poly-nesia Potential clients even travel agencies abroad rarely knew of their existence
Today, two developments have encouraged charterers to visit and cruise these beautiful, under-visited islands First, the es-tablishment of South P'dcitic Yacht Charters on Raiatea, and then, aggressive new encouragement of charter opportunities
by the Tahiti Tourist Board
South Pacific Yacht Charters, Inc (SPYC), an American firm with headquarters in Utah, inaugurated a yacht charter service
in 1981 SPYC already has a very successful bareboat company operation in the more remote Vavau Islands of Northern Tonga
We remember seeing their first Peterson 44 delivered to their new base on Raiatea in 1981 while we were cruising the island aboard our own boat The fleet rapidly grew to seven yachts, based in the new Apooiti Bay Marina, not far from Uturoa
In late 1982, I flew back to French Polynesia and cruised the Societies again, aboard one of the SPYC's Peterson 44s with the editor of this book, Julius Wilensky, and four other friends We were well pleased with the experience The boat was immacu-late, well maintained, stocked with a good variety of food to please everyone's taste (and we had four fussy eaters aboard) SPYC local managers, Linda and Don Pixley, transport char-terers from the airport, a two-minute ride, and see that all pre-departure check-outs are made They have had long experience
in Caribbean yacht charter management
SPYC is growing quickly and now has two Nautical 39s and five Endeavour 37s besides the 7 Petersons 44s SPYC's yachts all have the usual creature comforts of charter yachts including
massi~e ~e.frigerator a~d f~eezing systems, excelle~t dodgers
~nd Blmml tops, electnc wmdlass for hauling anchor,
snorkel-mg equipment, plenty of berths, more water and fuel than most cruising yachts use in half a year
The cruising range of SPYC's yachts is the Leeward Islands (lies Sous Ie Vent) only; not Moorea and Tahiti, unless given prior special permission for the overnight sails We had such permission, and found, to our discomfort, that only two berths
on the boat were usable at sea beating to windward at night, since there were no "lee boards" or cloths installed on the bunks This would not affect day-sailing charterers in the Leeward Islands
Rates for SPYC boats are: Peterson 44, U.S $1,995 for 7 days
or $3,990 for 14 days; Nautical 39, $1,750 for 7 days or $3,500 for
Trang 1914 days; Endeavour 37, 1545 per week Full provisioning is an
additional $15 per day per person Partial provisioning is
avail-able at $13 per person per day, for those who plan on eating
some dinners ashore in restaurants Beverages are additional If
you want paid hands, add $45 a day for skipper, $40 a day for
guide, $35 for a cook These costs include meals for the crew A
$500 security deposit is required
To reserve a yacht, contact South Pacific Yacht Charters, P.o
Box 6, Smithfield, Utah 84335, USA The toU-free phone in the
U.S is (800) 453-2730 From other parts of the world, phone
(801) 753-6240 Telex is 910-971-4000 In Polynesia, contact
manager Don Pixley, B.P 165, South Pacific Yacht Charters,
Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia, phone 63593 In
conjunc-tion with Robin Lee Graham and John Neal, SPYC also started
offering 7-day cruising courses in 1984
Many other types of charters can be arranged through the
Tahiti Tourist Board, B.P 65, Papeete Thhiti; or through Mer
et Loisirs (Sea and Leisure), B.P 3488, Papeete, Tahiti Mer et
Loisirs represents the yachts listed below with 1983 rates quoted
in French Polynesian francs Rates are per day, for the
max-imum number of passengers the yacht carries Rates drop
slightly if fewer people are aboard SPYC also handles bookings
for 15 crewed boats based in Tahiti or Raiatea
The following yachts are all with skipper and one crew and
rates include all meals:
"Eryx II" Schooner, 25 meters, 6 passengers, 100,000 francs
"Shaitan of Tortola" Naviral 75, 23 meters, 6 passengers,
100.000 francs
''Alpha Centauri" Swan 65, 20 meters, 6 passengers, 95,000
francs
"Targa II" Ketch 63, 19 meters, 6 passengers 90,000 francs
"Striana" Ketch 60, 19 meters, 5 passengers, 66,000 francs
"Kebir" Ketch 57, 17 meters, 6 passengers, 69,900 francs
"Mimatega" Ketch 54, 16 meters, 6 passengers, 70,000 francs
"Manuatea" Taiwan 47, 14 meters, 6 passengers 75.000
francs
"Jehol" Cutter, 13 meters, day sails for up to 10 passengers
3.950 francs per person
Charter Power Boat: "Tohitika" Ocean trawler, 16 meters 6
passengers, 100,000 francs, plus fuel
The following yachts are bareboat, no meals included Some
have a skipper only aboard
''Alliance'' Cornu 50, 15 meters, 5 passengers, 35,000 francs
"TIare Moana" Neptune 135 13.8 meters 7 passengers
"First" First 3D-E, 9.7 meters, 5 passengers, 19,000 francs
Other North American charter agents:
Island Yacht Charters, 1236 Coast Village Circle Santa
Bar-bara, CA 93108, is offering crewed yachts and bareboat
char-ters
Windward Leeward Sailing Tours, 680 Beach St., Suite 494,
San Francisco, CA 94109, USA Phone (415) 441-1334
Bare-boat or crewed
Yacht Holidays International 23241 Ventura Blvd., Suite
224, Woodland Hills, CA 91364, USA Phone (213) 702-0111 or
(714) 966-0256) Bareboat or crewed
Ocean Voyages,I7D9 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA
Phone (415) 332-4681 Crewed boats
Criterion Charters, 2515 Maricopa St., Torrance CA 90503
USA Phone (213) 328-5627 Bareboat or crewed
17
Photo by Julius M Wilensky
Don Pixley SPYC Manager with part of their charter neet Apooiti Bay Marina, Raiatea
Photo by Julius M Wilensky
Linda Pixley SPYC office Apooiti Bay Marina Raiatea
Trang 201Tans-Seas, Inc., 207 Queen's Way West, Toronto, Ontario
M5J IA8, Canada Phone (416) 364-9098 Bareboat or crewed
OverseaS Charter Agents: Europ Sailing Agency, 148 rue de
Chevilly, 9240, L'Hay Les Roses, France Crewed boats
TRAVEL AGENCIES
To help plan your trip in advance, it's useful to gather as much
information as possible Many local U.S travel agencies
par-ticularly those in major cities on the west coast, have helpful
brochures on Tahiti and the French Society Islands
Also write to the very helpful Tahiti Tourist Development
Board B.P 65, Papeete Tahiti French Polynesia
In USA or Canada, write to 1Tansportation Consultants
In-ternational (representatives for Tahiti in the U.S and Canada),
Charlotte Hyde, 4405 Riverside Drive Suite 204, Burbank, CA
91505, USA
In other countries:
Tahiti Tourist Board, B.N.P Building, 12 Castlereagh St.,
Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
Tahiti Tourist Board 4-F, Sun Building, 4-1-2 Roppongi,
Minato-Ku Tokyo, Japan
Orient Consultants International, Metsijsdreef 3 B-1900
Overijse, Brussels, Belgium
Local travel agencies in Tahiti:
Kia Ora Tours, Blvd Pomare, B.P 706
Manureva Tours, Blvd Pomare, B.P 1745
Pacific Travel, Rue Lagarde, B.P 605
Tahiti Express, B.P 4236
Tahiti Nui, Vaima Center, B.P 718
Tahiti Tours/American Express, Rue 1 d'Arc, B.P 627
Tahiti Poroi Fare Ute, B.P 83
Tahiti Voyages, Place Notre Dame, B.P 485
Teremoana Tours, Rue des Ecoles, B.P 475
Voyageance Tahiti, Blvd Pomare, B.P 274
Vahine Tahiti Travel, Vaima Center, B.P 1699
THE LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT PREPARATION
Learn French!
The most common comment we've heard from other cruising
yachts is, "We really liked French Polynesia but if only we'd
bothered to learn French, we could have talked to the people
and learned so much more."
The point can't be stressed enough This is the single most
important thing that cruisers regret when leaving They had
trouble communicating with these wonderful, attractive and
open people, usually through their own lack of knowledge
English is spoken in the centers where tourists roam In
Papeete, for example, you can speak English with anyone in the
tourist industry, with taxi drivers, waiters, hotel personnel,
customs and immigration officials, and most shopkeepers But
with few exceptions, they won't give you any information except
the few sentences and pat answers they give to every tourist in
English Don't expect to strike up a long conversation or be
invited home for dinner School children and teenagers, who
are learning English pride themselves on being able to
recog-nize English speakers at a distance They'll holler hello to you
and will be able to carryon very simple conversations You
should be able, at minimum to do the same in French
The majority of French residents living in this part of the
world have studied English and can speak from perfect to poor
English However, the French residents often won't make
par-ticular efforts to help you, possibly out of Gallic pride in using
their own language; perhaps because they don't want to
embar-rass themselves by making a faux-pas in your language; maybe
out of disdain for English-speakers/touristslyachties; but most
likely, because they're just too busy with their own affairs But if
you come up with some French, some humor and a smile, they'll
often go out of their way to help you
Unless you speak French you won't be able to exchange a single word with the Polynesians living more traditional life-styles outside the cities, who are involved in their daily activities
of gardening, fishing, cooking, cleaning, and tending children You'll miss not being able to converse with such lively, attractive and interesting people
If you can't study French in a language school or adult tion class, buy a course with both book and cassette tapes that you can listen to (and repeat after) aboard the boat This is a perfect alternative for yachts, since French Polynesia is very far from anywhere and when you're in a small cruising boat, you'll have many days to listen to the tapes en route My husband first studied Morse code while sailing from Seattle to Hawaii He passed the novice ham radio exam a few days after arrival
educa-A knowledge of Tahitian also can be very beneficial, ticularly when cruising the outer islands where less French is spoken Tahitian dictionaries, phrase books and grammar books can be purchased in Papeete See also the Tahitian vocabulary under "Language" in the "life in the Islands" Chap-ter 6
par-The best way to study Tahitian is to take your phrase book ashore on one of the smaller islands, sit under a shady tree, and try pronouncing the words out loud You'll soon gather inter-ested "teachers" of all ages
Photo by Marcia Davock
Maroe Village children, Uuahine
Trang 21Chapter 3
Passages To French Polynesia
The best route to a given destination is not always the shortest
one, unfortunately Contrary winds, currents, windless
station-ary highs and seasonal climatic variations make it necessstation-ary for
yachts to cruise courses that at first appear ridiculously lengthy
and out of the way
Cruisers departing for French Polynesia should make a
care-ful study in advance of as many sources as they can find that will
instruct them on the optimum dates, courses and expected
weather they will encounter Some of the best sources for this
are; Ocean Passages for the World, published by the
Hydro-grapher of the British Royal Navy, 1973 with current
supple-ments; the Pilots, or Sailing Directions American, British or
French; and the current U S Atlas of Pilot Charts, South Pacific
and Indian Oceans, with excellent weather information
The following brief information has been gleaned from the
above sources and discussions with other cruisers who 've made
the passages It is intended to help you plan best routes and
seasons for an ocean passage to French Polynesia
Distances in Nautical Miles Between Papeete And
Other Pacific Ports
Australia, Sydney
Fiji, Suva
Guam
3,308 1,874 4,335 5,140 Japan, Yokohama
Marquesas, Taiohae,
Hiva
Nuku 761 New Caledonia, Noumea
New Zealand, Auckland
618 1,236 1,468
Honolulu, Hawaii 2,381
Los Angeles, California 3,571
San Francisco, California 3,663
Seattle, Washington 4,296
From Panama and the Galapagos
This long haul is certainly one of the longest passages most
cruisers will ever make, a month or more It is 860 miles from
Panama to the Galapagos, another 3,050 miles to the
Mar-quesas, and yet another 700 to 1,000 miles to get to the
So-cieties, depending upon your route through or around the
Tuamotus
The optimum month of departure for the Societies usually
depends less on weather for yachts leaving Panama than it does
on their past and future cruising plans Some yachts prefer to
cruise the Caribbean during the dry and non-hurricane season,
mid-December through June, then head to Panama, which is
south of the Northern Hemisphere hurricane belt They set sail
for French Polynesia during the following months, some
plan-ning on arriving in Tahiti for July "Fete" Others prefer to leave
Panama between October and April, when winds are usually
19
light and from the north in the Gulf of Panama, January and early February are said to be optimum In the opposite season, May through October, winds in the Gulf may be more westerly
or southwesterly These are actually tradewinds, the easterlies of the Southern Hemisphere, but due to the conti-nental land masses, the wind is deflected and blows more westerly in the Gulf Nevertheless, yachts leave Panama for Polynesia throughout the year
south-Ocean Passages recommends getting south as quickly as sible, departing Panama, to gain the southeast trades However
pos-it states; "South of 50 north and west of 800 west, between the
mainland (of South America) and the Galapagos, the wind is between south and west all year round and fairly strong." Most yachts seem to head toward the Galapagos, whether stopping or not Permission for a stay longer than a few days for "emergency repairs" has been very difficult to obtain in recent years Two yachts that left Panama in March reported light, fickle winds around Panama one mentioning a southwest-setting current of
up to 40 miles a day One yachtsman reported heading south to about 90 south and following this parallel to the Marquesas, in easterly trade winds Other yachtsmen reported reliable south-easterly trade winds that blew force 4 to 5, developing half-way
to the Galapagos In the opposite season, May through tober, some yachts experienced no southeasterlies at all nearly all the way to the Galapagos However, once past the Galapagos, most yachts find pleasant trade wind sailing all the way to the Marquesas
Oc-Most cruisers really revel in the scenic beauty of the quesas After such a long ocean passage, who wouldn't? Ports
Mar-of entry are at Taiohae on Nuku Hiva, Hakahau on Va Pou, and Atuona on Hiva Oa Note that Fatu Hiva is not a port of entry Continuing from the Marquesas to Tahiti, some cruisers choose to head west before turning south on Tahiti's longitude
to avoid the low-lying, nearly invisible Tuamotuan atolls Other yachts head right through this "dangerous archipelago," stop-ping most often at the northern islands such as Ahe, Manihi and Apataki To visit the Thamotus you must have previously checked in with authorities in the Marquesas or Societies The only port of entry in the Tuamotus is Rikitea on Mangareva far away in the southeast corner of French Polynesia The only cruisers who check in here are those few coming from Pitcairn
or Easter Island
From Hawaii
This passage of about 2,400 miles usually takes between 20 and 30 days although one yacht we knew took 54 days Add in a few extra days if your landfall will be the Marquesas, which may entail more close-reaching or even beating to windward The trick in leaving Hawaii is to gain easting as soon as possible Around the blustery Hawaiian Islands this is some-times diffi -ult and uncomfortable However in the Northern Hemisphere, trade winds blow predominately from the north-east, usually making it easier to obtain easting when heading south, than in the Southern Hemisphere's winds which tend to blow from a more easterly quadrant Current also will sweep you west except in the Doldrums
The Doldrums region also known as the Equatorial Trough
or Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a low-pressure belt usually about 150 miles wide in the eastern Pacific The belt
Trang 22is permanently located north of the Equator in longitudes east
of 160° west The Doldrums separate the northeasterly trade
winds of the Northern Hemisphere from the southeasterly trade
wind system of the Southern Hemisphere
To better plan your passage, it is important to know, and
often difficult to find out, just where the Doldrums belt is
located The belt of Doldrums moves slightly each season
toward the pole that is enjoying its summer Thus, in the
North-ern Hemisphere summer, May through September, the
Dol-drums are slightly farther north, between about go and 12°
north In the winter, they move south, and are usually centered
around 4° north in January
Weather in the Doldrums often consists of light winds,
com-bined with squally conditions, thunderstorms and intense rain
However, the big advantage of finding the Doldrums on a
pas-sage from Hawaii is the equatorial counter-current that exists in
this belt The counter-current will sweep you toward the east at
the rate of 15 to 25 miles a day, helping you gain easting
However, once: past the Doldrums and south of the Equator, the
current again will be strongly west-setting Some yachtsmen
have estimated they were pushed west at 30 to 60 miles a day
Yachts that do not gain their easting, especially multihulls, have
been known to arrive in Samoa instead of French Polynesia
Dockside "experts" in Hawaii will tell you never to leave in
the winter, November to March, as conditions are rougher than
in summer However, we sailed it in December with no ill
effects We took 21 days from Honolulu to Papeete, meeting
strong northeasterlies and blustery conditions south of Hawaii,
followed by squally, then airless Doldrums between 6° and 7°
north Then the southeast trades set in We crossed the Equator
at 149" west, about Tahiti's longitude, but we'd recommend you
go farther east, _y farther east if bound for the Marquesas
Nearing Tahiti, the wind turned northeast, then died We had
two frustrating windless days so close to our destination
In the opposite season, April to October, you have a small
risk of a Mexican-generated hurricane affecting your weather
These storms have occasionally wandered toward 1300-1400 west
in the Northern Hemisphere, toward what might be your route
to the Marquesas
Yachts approaching Tahiti from the north should take special
care to avoid Tetiaroa, a low atoll about 30 miles north, that is
almost invisible at night Yachts have been wrecked on this
atoll See the "Pass-Less Society Islands" chapter 16 for further
information
Yachts planning to make Bora Bora their first port of entry
should note that the rest of the Societies will then be an upwind
bash to weather Papeete is a more logical port of entry if you
intend to cruise the other islands of the Society group
From West Coast of USA
Few cruisers head directly to French Polynesia from these
northern latitudes, particularly Seattle and San Francisco
Some go to Hawaii; some go to Mexico The distance direct to
French Polynesia is about 4,300 miles from Seattle, 3,700 from
San Francisco, and 3,600 from Los Angeles One yacht we knew
sailed from San Francisco to Papeete in 26 days; another took
only 22 days from San Diego to Bora Bora
Most yachts on these passages leave in the summer, June to
September, because of the cold weather and rough conditions
offshore in most other months They usually head at least 100
miles offshore to avoid the seas generated on the continental
shelf, possible onshore winds and heavy shipping traffic Then
they head southwest until picking up the Northern
Hemi-sphere's northeast trade winds in about the latitude of Los
Angeles or farther south
Two things must be avoided on this passage First is a
perma-nent high pressure area, known as "the Pacific high" that hangs
over the North Pacific This high is hundreds of miles wide In
July, it might be centered at about 35° north and 150° west [n
January, it might be farther south, about 300 north and 1450
west The high has fine weather but no wind, and you'll be becalmed if you run into it, as we did We had to motor south-east back toward the U.S coast to find the trades again
di-rect course to Tahiti, crossing the equator at about 1400 west, or farther east if you're heading for the Marquesas The book also notes calm, windless areas east of 1280 west off the California coast
The second thing to avoid is the occasional hurricane off the Mexican coast from June to October These affect the area between latitudes 100 to 30° north, and from the coast of Mexico
to about 1400 west Most cruisers cross their fingers and rush through during this season anyway, but be forewarned The hurricanes are most frequent and intense during August and September
From Sydney or Auckland
Yachts from Sydney or Brisbane usually proceed on a bumpy ride across the Tasman Sea and around the north tip of New Zealand for a convenient rest in one of the many anchorages on the North Island
Departing Auckland for Tahiti, a trip of about 2,200 miles, yachts usually leave in April to June, after the end of the South Pacific cyclone season Plan for a long trip, 20 to 30 days, as you'll be working your way against the prevailing easterly winds
south, where the prevailing westerlies of the "roaring forties" will speed you on your way However, the weather in these latitudes is miserable, cold and rough Most cruisers we've talked with who've made this trip stayed farther north in the variable winds of the mid-30's, then turned gradually north as they approached 1550 west Most of these yachts encountered at least one big gale en route
Some of these yachts first enter French Polynesia in the Austral [slands, almost due south from the Societies, where there are several ports of entry See Chapter 4, "Entry and Exit Formalities"
Photo by Marcia DaYock
"Mues" Davock at the helm of "Shearwater" leaving the Northern Pacific for Tahiti
Trang 23Chapter 4
Entry and Exit Formalities
PORT OF ENTRY
When arriving in French Polynesia, you must go to one of the
following ports of entry to check in with immigration and
customs officials:
Society Islands: Papeete, Tahiti; Atareaitu, Moorea; Uturoa,
Raiatea; Fare, Huahinej Vaitape, Bora Bora
Marquesll5ls1ands: Taiohae, Nuku Hiva; Hakahau, Ua Pou;
Atuona, Hiva Oa
Austral Islands: Mataura, Tubuaij Moerai, Rurutu; Raima,
Raivavae
1\Jamotu·G8IIIbiers: Rikitea, Mangareva
ENTRY PROCEDURES
Hoist the yellow "Q" ftag to the starboard spreader Anchor
or moor in your chosen spot and tidy up the boat If no officials
seem to be forthcoming, the owner or captain should go ashore
to the Customs-Immigration offices Officials usually do not
board the yachts in French Polynesia
In Papeete, the offices of Customs, Immigration and the Port
Captain for yachts (harbormaster) are all conveniently located
in the same building about a block northeast of the Yacht Quai,
in a small building on the waterfront Boulevard Pomare, across
the street from the Tahiti Tourist Board office Official hours are
7:30 a.m to 11:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m • weekdays
The offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays Go the the
Immigration Police Office first and they will direct you on how
to "make the rounds" of the other offices If you wish to sign up
for quai-side electricity, tell the Port Captain's office
On any other island, report to the Gendarmerie (Police
Station) The gendarmes will clear you into the country
Take with you the following documents: Passports for
your-self and all crew members; ship's papers (documentation or
registration); clearance papers from last port (American yachts
just departed the U.S will not have any); all international
Vaccination Certificates (these will not be requested unless
you're arriving from an area where there's an outbreak of
yellow fever, cholera or other infectious disease); and your
receipt for bond payment
Officials will want to know where you have come from; how
long you will stayj where your next destination is after French
Polynesia; are you and the crew healthy; and where you are
anchored In Papeete, you must be either at the Yacht Ouai or
anchored off the church, not at the Yacht Club or Maeva Beach
You will be asked by Customs and Immigration to fill out
several forms, including a crew list and a customs declaration
form Customs declaration forms latter form ask how much
food you have on board; what kinds of equipment you have,
i.e., radios, stereos, cassette decks, electronic instruments,
sextants, etc.j details on pets, weapons and ammunition (see
"Planning the Voyage" chapter 2 for policies); and a description
of your boat, including registration information If you are
carrying firearms, you will be asked to bring them to Customs
where they will be held, pending your departure
Officials also will want to see evidence that you have paid
your bond Bring your receipt Sometimes your receipt for
telexing the funds is not enough You may have to go to the bank
that has your bond and ask them for a receipt to show officials
If you have arrived in Papeete with no visa, you will have to go
to the central Immigration office, Avenue Bruat This is a several block walk west down the quai, then turn left and the office will be on the right side of the street about two blocks inland in the midst of many government buildings In the outer islands, you may have to wait several days to a week or more while Papeete is notified of your visa-less arrival and grants permission It's better to have your visas before you arrive Most yachts are issued a "Passport de Navire," a green docu-ment that serves as the boat's passport You will bring this, along with your passports, to officials at each island you visit thereafter The Passport de Navire will be collected at the last port when you exit the country French yachts receive a stamped visa on the certificate of ownership Charter yachts receive only
a list of islands they will be cruising, making paperwork very
The Port Captain in Papeete also will fill out a card with your yacht's name and file it in a slot on his bulletin board under the name of the island you're presently cruising Gendarmes in the outer islands continually radio or telephone to Papeete about each yacht's movements Thus as you cruise the islands, your card in the Port Captain's office is moved from slot to slot He can tell at a glance exactly where each yacht cruising the entire territory is located
If you are arriving from Fiji or Samoa, officials may require that your yacht be fumigated to ensure you don't bring a host of pests that might destroy Tahiti's coconut palm production
DEALING WITH OFFICIALS
We've found officials throughout French Polynesia to he courteous and efficient Check-in procedures are fast and streamlined, in contrast to several decades ago, when arriving yacht captains had to walk all over Papeete, visiting different offices
As long as you follow regulations, officials will never bother you They won't request bribes or "freebies," as has happened
to us with the officials of many other countries We know of only three yachts boarded by officials in the Societies when we were cruising there One had not checked into the island he was visiting; another was illegally transmitting on his ham radio, disturbing radio or TV reception ashore; the third had a large crew who were mostly stark naked aboard the boat at all times and their boat was named after a popular type of marijuana That's asking for a search!
A yacht's reputation usually precedes its arrival in South Pacific ports One yacht that stopped first in Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas (not a port of entry) later found that every other gendarme throughout the Societies alreally knew about the
"mistake" We understand that French Polynesian officials sometimes inform their counterparts in Rarotonga and Pago
Trang 24Photo by Mlrcl Devock
Gendarmarie, lJturoa, Raiatea
Pago about misbehaving yachts In the tiniest village in the
remote Solomon Islands, the local police officer, barefoot,
tatooed, mouth red from chewing betel nut, showed us a
pho-tocopied letter from American Samoan Customs to "other
Pacific Customs agents." The letter listed about 12 yachts
suspected of carrying marijuana and/or other drugs Officials do
communicate across the vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean
Follow the rules and you'll never have a problem
A Few Terms
Nearly all Customs and Immigration officials in French
Poly-nesia speak English, but here are some French terms that may
help you in filling out forms:
Ie yacht, Ie navire de plaisance yacht, pleasure boat
ship's passport
CRUISING CHECK-IN PORTS
When cruising the Societies, you must check into each island
when you arrive, and then check out with authorities when you
If you are chartering bareboat from South Pacific Yacht
Char-ters, you must check in at each of the Society Islands which you
visit, the skipper going ashore to clear Customs and
Immigra-tion, submitting crew lists and everyone's passport The only
exception is Tahaa, which is treated as one island with Raiatea
The same fringing reef surrounds both islands We cleared in at
Raiatea, then circumnavigated Tahaa without clearing customs
again until we reached Bora Bora The following does not apply
to SPYC's bareboat charterers
The procedure is very simple Take your green ship's passport and the passports of everyone aboard the yacht to the Gendar-merie, or Customs-Immigration, or whatever official is located
in the island where you've arrived The gendarme will usually stamp your passports and return them to you, retaining only the green ship's passport during your stay on his island
One other form you will encounter is the "Declaration tree ou de Sortie de N avire de Plaisance" (Arriving or departing declaration of pleasure vessel), which is your "flight plan", or cruising form This form lists your proposed itinerary of islands
d'En-to be cruised, date of departure from your present port, crew list, passport numbers and visa expiration dates When depart-ing Papeete to cruise the lies Sous Ie Vent, for example, it's easiest to declare all the islands you want to visit and have them listed on the cruising form This saves time and paperwork later This form is then shown to officials at the next island
When you're ready to depart an island, bring your passports and the cruising form to the officials They will make a note of your next destination and return your green ship's passport Some of the island officials retain the passports of captain and crew during their stay on an island, especially if you'll be there for longer than two days This is becoming infrequent, but do not be concerned if this happens You can temporarily "liber-ate" your passport to use at the bank to cash money or at the post office to retrieve mail
Checking in and out rarely takes more than 10 minutes Your only delay might be if the gendarme is out of the office But there are a few intricacies listed below for each island in the Societies
Tahiti
You only need to tell the Port Captain that you will be cruising Tahiti's coasts He told us we did not need to check in anywhere else, although there was a gendarme who wanted to see our papers in Taravao at the isthmus between Tahiti-Nui and Tahiti-Hi He was only concerned that our visas might have expired and that we were "hiding" in some ofthe out-of-the-way anchorages we visited
Moorea
The Gendarmerie is not located at Cooks or Opunohu Bay
on the north coast, the most frequently cruised areas It's on the much less visited east coast, miles from where most yachts anchor We asked the Papeete port captain officials if we should check in there, and received a non-committal reply of a nod, shrug and wink, suggesting to us it was perhaps not necessary However, when we arrived in Cooks Bay, to be on the safe side
we telephoned the Moorea Gendarme and he took our check-in information over the phone in French He said he would "visit"
us aboard his police boat in a few days, which never happened
He did, however, pull alongside several other yachts, and checked and stamped their papers
Next time I tried another approach I telephoned him and asked if he spoke English, "Non, Madame" Now, in French I asked it is necessary to check in with him "But of course," he replied in French, "aren't you renting a car to come this way?" When I replied no, he seemed disgruntled, but took the boat's name down and that was it
By now, most cruiser's reactions would be to ignore the entire situation and not check in Use you own judgement, but here's
an example of what can happen if you don't check in Several years ago, a yacht anchored in Robinson's Cove, near the head
of Opunohu Bay, after returning from Bora Bora The yacht owner did not check in with gendarmes in Moorea Meanwhile back in the U.S., a relative who hadn't heard from this yacht in months, hysterically telephoned the Papeete Port Captain, con-vinced that the boat had sunk or was lost at sea The Port Captain consulted his bulletin board and saw that the yacht had
in fact left Bora Bora weeks ago, with Papeete as its destination
Trang 25The yacht was not in Papeete, and after a few telephone calls to
other gendarmes, the yacht's whereabouts was still unknown A
description of the yacht was obtained, and a French military
plane was sent out to search each of the anchorages in the
Societies, looking for the "lost" yacht Robinson's Cove is one
of the few anchorages so tucked away among palms that not
much could be seen from the air The yacht was passed over A
few days later, a yachtsman who'd learned of the situation from
the gendarme in Moorea saw the "missing" yacht lying
peace-fully at anchor, tied off to a palm tree in this lovely cove He told
the surprised owner that he was the object of a massive search
The owner then telephoned the gendarmes, as he could have
done long ago, and reported his location He was then charged
with the entire bill for the search
It's easier to check in than to let a situation like this arise
Telephone 61344 in Moorea Last time, we saw a police boat
checking the anchorage at Opunohu Bay as we departed
Huanine
Very efficient The gendarme in Fare stamps passports, holds
your green ship's passport until departure, and reminds you
come back and visit him before you leave
Raiatea
Same as above, very efficient
Tahaa
Here's another sticky situation The Tahaa gendarme
positively requires that you check in with him, yet he's located
way up on the north coast of the island, at the major town of
Patio Most cruising yachts anchor along Tahaa's south coast,
never going near the north coast because of the extra distance
But, except for SPYC charterers, you are expected to check in
Since we anchored near Patio, wc did try to check in, but the
gendarme was out of the office for the afternoon We finally
gave up
Bora Bora
Quick and easy: the gendarme keeps your green ship's
pas-sport until you check out
Maupiti
Check in at the Mairie Please note that neither Maupiti nor
Mopelia is a port of entry or exit
Mopelia
Go ashore to introduce yourself to the chief of the village but
only for politeness, as he has no official status
Special Permission
Once you have proper visas and your green ship's passport
you can cruise almost anywhere in French Polynesia Special
permission is required to visit islands or atolls south of Ir20'
south, and east of 145"25' west This is near the French nuclear
testing grounds
Crew Changes
Crew changes can be made only in ports where immigration
officials or gendarmes have their headquarters
All crew changes must be made only with permission of the
officials The departing crew member must have an air ticket
outward bound and a confirmed reservation before the
expira-tion of his or her visa If the crew member is switching yachts
both captains must have permission in advance Don't make a
move without official permission, as the boat owner/captain is
totally responsible for his crew members He can be heavily
penalized if the crew member abandons thc yacht
23
Usually there is no problem with making crew changes as long as the officials are notified permission is granted and the yacht's crew list amended to reflect the new changes We 've seen more crew changes in Papeete than in most other South Pacific ports
Photo by Marcia Davock
Girf knocking mangoes from tree using bamboo pole, Vaitape, Bora Bora
Photo by JuliUS M Wilensky
Mairie-Gendarmarie, Bora Bora
Trang 27ChapterS
Cruising The Islands: Weather and Navigation
CLIMATE
The geographic location of the Society Islands, which lie
between IS" and 18" south latitude, means that they enjoy a fine
tropical climate Along these parallels of latitude also lie the
Vavau group of northern Tonga, the major Fijian islands and
Vila, the capital of Vanuatu all of which benefit from excellent
climates While guidebooks most often describe Thhiti's climate
as "sunny warm and humid," the islands are cooled by
rela-tively consistent trade wind breezes most of the year Stifling
heat is rare
Barometer
In Papeete, average barometer readings are:
July to October: 29.95" to 29.98" (about 1014 to 1015 mb.)
February to May: 29.85" to 29.90" (about 1011 to 1013 mb.)
The atmospheric pressure had a diurnal variation of several
millibars, with the maximum readings usually at about 10 a.m
and 10 p.m., and the minimum readings at 4 a.m and 4 p.m
Temperatures
French Polynesia has two distinct seasons a "dry season"
during the Southern Hemisphere winter April to October, and
a "wet season" during the summer November to March
Air temperature average for the year is 79"F (26"C) During
the winter dry season temperatures range from a minimum of
about 68°F (20"C) to a maximum of 84"F (29°C) In the summer
months, temperatures are higher, from a minimum of 75°F
(23°C) to a maximum of 88°F (31°C) The mountains are cooler
since the temperature drops about 1°C with every 100 meters of
elevation gain
Sea water temperature varies from 77'F (25'C) in winter to
80°F (27°C) in summer
Rainfall
Rainfall averages about 72 inches (1.800 mm.) annually in
Papeete, and 80 inches (2034 mm.) in Bora Bora This is
equiv-alent to the annual amount of precipitation in New Orleans one
of the rainiest spots on the continental U.S., but nowhere near
the record set by the world's rainiest spot Mt Waialeale on
Kauai, Hawaii 460 inches)
Polynesia's rainfall tends to come in drenching downpours of
short duration, often in the afternoon or at night after which
the sky clears
Rainfall is most common during the summer months
De-cember through March, when you can expect from 13 to 17 days
with rain per month The occasional heavy rainy period lasting
a week or so can keep you boat-bound River run-off from
streams will turn even a large bay, such as Cooks in Moorea
muddy brown
In the winter months, conditions are much drier, with the
least rainfall occurring in July through September only about 5
rainy days per month
The islands' windward (eastern) shores receive more rainfall
than the leeward shores The easterly trade wind's lower layers
have very warm moist air When these strike a high island, such
as Thhiti, the warm air rises against the barrier of mountains,
colliding with colder air layers higher up The moisture is
84 (29) 86(30)
re-"steady course." However, the term "southeast" is probably a bit misleading as parts of French Polynesia actually experience far more winds from the east and northeast than from the southeast
Southeasterly winds usually blow during the winter months of May through September, at an average speed of 11 to 12 knots, although they can blow 25 to 30 knots for periods of a week or more The southeasterlies, known in Thhitian as "maraamu", are provoked by a region of anticyclones (rotating high pressure area) to the south of French Polynesia The southeasterly wind brings cooler temperatures and generally good weather, except for thunderstorms at the front, or edges, of the trade wind
In the summer months of December through April, winds prevail from east to northeast, at an average speed of 6 to 8
Trang 28knots, rarely exceeding 20 knots The northeasterlies are
gov-erned by an anticyclone near Easter Island These winds bring
warmer temperatures
During the summer months, barometric depressions
occa-sionally cross through the Societies The wind swings around to
the north or west, with rain squalls and very windy conditions
If you are moored at Papeete's Yacht Quai or anchored at Bora
Bora's Yacht Club, both of which are exposed to westerlies, be
prepared to move immediately See notes under the specific
anchorages and the following discussion of "Tropical
De-pressions."
The farther west you move in French Polynesia, the more
frequently the wind will blow from the southeast The U.S
Pilot reports that southeast winds are more frequent in the
western section of the Societies than northeast winds, except in
March and November The French Pilot draws an imaginary
line from Samoa to Pitcairn, stating that the northeast trade
dominates north of this line, that is, in the Thamotus and
Mar-quesas; and the southeast trade predominates south of a line
drawn between Samoa and the Gambiers, or in the Australs,
Cooks and western Societies
Wind Direction, Percentage of Observations from Each Direction,
Latitude 15°.20°9; Longitude 145°·150oS.*
Average Speed Month N NE E SE S SW W NW Calm (knots)
-This area includes most of the Tuamotus, Tahiti and Moorea
Local conditions and land configurations significantly affect
winds in the Society Islands While the windward (east) coast of
a big island like Thhiti is experiencing strong easterly winds and
rain, for example, the leeward shore, including Papeete, may
have calms or light northeasterlies, and dry weather
Easterly winds commonly divide upon striking an island,
creating localized winds that sweep around both the north and
south sides, a "cape effect." Winds also commonly funnel
through the big bays, especially Cooks and Opunohu on
Moorea; Bourayne and Maroc on Huahine; and Faanui on
Bora Bora
While daily weather patterns vary with the seasons, the most
common pattern is near-calm at sunrise, followed by trade
winds developing between 8 a.m and 10 a.m The wind remains
throughout the day, with an occasional rain shower or
thun-derstorm in mid-afternoon By evening, the trade wind has died
somewhat and nights are usually calm
The effect of nighttime "land breeze" can often be felt when
sailing on a calm evening near the larger islands This breeze
develops when the hot daytime air around a land mass or
mountain cools off and descends or flows down the slopes and
out to sea This land breeze is known as the "hupe."
Conversely, during the day as she sun heats the air, the air
mass rises, heading up-slope Other cooler air from the ocean
rushes in to replace the heated air This onshore breeze is
known as a "sea breeze." These effects are particularly
notice-able sailing off the leeward coast of Tahiti during periods of
relatively calm weather
Tahiti's winds and weather also are influenced by global weather patterns generated by the two great continents border-ing the South Pacific, South America and Australia
Scientists of the American Geophysical Union recently scribed a phenomenon they named "southern oscillation," a see-saw motion in the South Pacific atmospheric conditions When a low-pressure area is over northern Australia, for exam-ple, Thhiti will experience high pressure, and vice-versa These are patterns of long duration that can last up to two years
de-It is currently thought that these patterns are caused by an irregularly-appearing "hot spot" in the ocean off Peru and Ec-uador The hot spot, known as the EI Nino (the child) Current, spreads along the Equator, heating the air above it and disturb-ing normal air flow patterns The heated air reaches the jet
stream and is ultimately thought to affect much of the world's weather El Nino was held responsible for abnormaly heavy rains in Southern California last year and for the severe tropical storm which hit Thhiti in 1983
CURRENTS
Oceanic currents usually set with the prevailing wind in the Society Islands Thus, they usually flow toward the west, north-west or southwest, most often at a rate oflO to 20 miles a day In strong westerlies, currents can reverse and may flow in an east-erly direction
Like the wind, currents are deflected around islands This can result in occasional unexpected current from an unexpected direction This situation is particularly evident in the Tuamotus, which have irregular current patterns The French Pilot de-scribes these erratic currents as developing from branches of the equatorial current, which divide as they pass through the "dan-gerous archipelago." Near the Marquesas, the Pilot notes, cur-rents set generally westward and can attain strengths of 2.5 knots
The strongest currents that mariners will find are those ing outward through coral reef passes The geography of bar-rier-reef-enclosed waters allows seas to break over the reef, especially on the windward side, fill the lagoon and logically seek an outflow (or pass) This is often, but not always,located
flow-on the island's leeward side This situatiflow-on creates a cflow-ontinually outflowing current in most coral reef passes The strength of such a current varies from about one knot, in the case of a very wide pass, or a big pass on an island with many passes, to more than 6 knots The strongest out-flowing currents are noticeable
in islands like Maupiti and Mopelia, where there is only one very narrow passage through which great volumes of water are attempting to exit Outfiowing currents are also very strong in the Tuamotuan atolls
Lesser currents also are experienced in the lagoon channels created by the barrier reef These currents usually flow toward the nearest pass These internal currents are influenced by both river outflows and the amount of surf breaking over the reefs
In general, currents in the Societies are moderate and not nearly of the magnitude we've found in the western Pacific in such island groups as Fiji, the Solomons and Papua New Guinea
TIDES
Tahiti has a very unusual tidal situation: high tide is always between noon and 2 p.m., and then again around midnight
Low tide is around the hours of dawn and dusk
We've heard two explanations for this phenomenon The U.S Pilot says this relatively consistent tide is due to the amount of water surfing over the reefs each morning when the sun heats the air and the sea breeze develops Thus, high tide is
in early afternoon It doesn't bother to explain the midnight high tide Then presumably, after the cooling down-slope off-shore night breezes, 6 a.m is the logical time for low tide, as
Trang 29these offshore night breezes somewhat reduce the swell
pound-ing in over the reef
The French Pilot has a different explanation for the tides,
which has to do with the juxtaposition of the moon and the sun
vis-a-vis Tahiti's geographic position on the globe In times of
neap tides, the moon and sun's position cancel each other out,
resulting in an imperceptible daily tidal difference In times of
springs, the moon and sun's effects are additive, and the highest
tides result, still at the same times of day as the "imperceptible"
neap tides
Whatever the explanation is, these tides are sometimes called
"sun tides." The French Pilot adds that in spring tides, the
largest tidal variation is about 30 cm (about 12 inches) Larger
than normal swells entering in over the reefs could augmen t this
figure, and tidal ranges can be as great as 2 feet
VISIBILITY Atmospheric visibility is usually very good in the Society
Islands Fog is virtually unknown Some "trade wind haze" may
develop, but normally the only obscuring factor is cloud
forma-tions over the islands' high mountains during the day, making
landfalls more difficult to spot from afar
The V.S Pilot reports that Tahiti can be seen from a distance
of 80 to 90 miles on a clear day, but the farthest away we've seen
it is 45 miles See also "Radar Returns" in this chapter
Most of the Society Islands and Marquesas are high, volcanic
islands, easy to see a long way off, even at night The real
dangers are the atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago and the tiny
atolls sprinkled about the perimeters of the Societies See the
"Pass-Less Islands" chapter 16 and "MopeJia" chapter 15 These
low atolls may have islets ("motus") along their reefs, with
coconut palms as the most visible feature Rarely will you be
able to see them more than 10 miles away Or worse, they may
have no islets on the side you are approaching They will be
virtually invisible until you see breaking reef Great care is
needed in navigating near these islands
During the Southern Hemisphere's summer months, we have
several times been about to enter a pass, when a fast-moving squall passed over The wind increased to 30 or more knots and rain inundated us Visibility was so reduced we couldn't see the island, to say nothing of finding the pass At times like this, ensure that you have enough leeway offshore, as the direction of the squally winds may change and force you onshore Heave-to outside until conditions have cleared
Very few yachts are lost on reefs each year in French nesia, in contrast to the boat-eating reefs in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Australia Those that have been chewed up on Polynesian reefs, did not have "visibility" problems They slept
Poly-at night while sailing, or put an inPoly-attentive, non-owner crew on watch while approaching an atoll, or just plain hadn't learned navigation
TROPICAL DEPRESSIONS AND CYCLONES Don't believe the old salts who stand around docksides in Panama, Los Angeles and Sydney They'll tell you that you can spend the cyclone season perfectly safely in Tahiti because the area never gets cyclones We've sat through one there, and it's certainly not the first that has touched the area
The V.S Pilot has some good words, "Tropical cyclones are
rare, but have been known to occur in September, and in December to February There is no known record of the actual frequency of tropical cyclones in these waters."
Ocean Passages says that most South Pacific cyclones affect
the areas west of about 155° west to the south of 8° to 10° south This certainly agrees with the records we kept of the seven cyclones that bruised the western South Pacific in the 1981-1982 cyclone season During the previous 1980-1981 cyclone season,
we were blasted with over 70-knot winds as a tropical pression, later upgraded to a cyclone, passed right over us in Tahiti
de-The French Pilot states that tropical depressions in French Polynesia rarely attain the intensity of a tropical cyclone, which they define as force 12 winds, over 63 knots The pilot lists cyclones that occurred in the years 1903,1905,1906,1937,1970
Photo by J Genst Cour1esyo1 Gov't Tourist Dept Tahiti
Rinrs on Tahiti's coasts onrflow their banks during a tropical depression
27
Trang 30and 1972 The 1903 cyclone caused the loss of over 500 lives in lb Bruce anchors did not drag in the 75-knot winds Though we the Thamotus because of huge seas sweeping over the low atolls were only 50 yards from shore, the wind whipped down those The 1906 cyclone hit Tahiti and the western Tuamotus Cyclone hills In Papeete, boats smashed their sterns against the seawall Emma in March, 1970, devastated the Australs Agatha, in Many boats dragged in Cooks Bay, Moorea One boat went on March 1972, caused most of her damage on the nearby Cook the beach at Tahaa but was later successfully refloated In the Islands Another one, Dianae came along in February, 1978 1983 storm in Papeete, French harbor police and naval vessels Ours, in March 1981, passed through the entire chain of did yeoman work to pull yachts away from the seawall Leeward Islands, hit Moorea and Tahiti, and then went on to In general, there was little major damage to yachts Several blast the AustraIs Tahiti was hit early in 1983 with severe yachts caught out at sea reported positions regularly to mar-damage to low-lying areas Cyclone Orama destroyed the itime mobil nets on the ham radio, but were unharmed village at Anaa atoll in the southern Thamotus You may be able to predict the direction of wind to be The South Pacific cyclone season extends from November to expected in your area if you know the position of the cyclone's May, but cyclones occur most commonly between late Decem- center from radio broadcasts, the direction of travel of the ber and late March The French Pilot says that most cyclones storm and the estimated wind speeds at various distances from have their origins in a depression, or low pressure area, that the center Nearly all South Pacific Island AM stations will forms between 10" and 15° south Cyclones are almost unknown broadcast this information during a cyclone alert French sta-
in the Equatorial area between 5° south and 5° north, and in the tions will use the recognized "depression tropicale" or area north of 10" south and east of 140° west The Marquesas are "cyclone."
on the edge of this area Another frequent breeding area of With this information, a method that works well for us is to depressions is on the edge of the trade winds, about 15° to 25° draw on tracing paper a circle whose center is the imaginary south, often between French Polynesia and the southern Cook "eye" and whose radius is the measured distance from the eye to
As an area of low pressure develops, the winds begin to diameter of the cyclone may range from about 30 to 300 or more circulate clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere around the miles The eye usually averages about 12 miles in diameter, and center of the depression This circulation is the opposite of will have the strongest winds circulating around it
Northern Hemisphere hurricanes Initially, winds of 30 knots or If radio reports give the information that "60-knot winds are
so may be generated The depression may be stationary, or will expected within 50 miles of the center and 35-knot winds are move, possibly toward the southwest first, but generally recurv- expected within 100 miles of the center, draw and cut out a circle ing toward the east or southeast, at speeds of from zero up to 40 whose radius is 100 miles (measured off on your chart) Draw a knots Warm air and cold air from the fronts associated with the few concentric rings and mark in the expected wind speeds depression will cause rain, varying from a light drizzle to a Then draw "wind arrows" around the circumference of each
As the storm intensifies, the wind may rise to storm force (48 around the depression's center in the Southern Hemisphere
to 63 knots) or cyclone force (above 63 knots) Seas will become Position the center of the circle over the cyclone's estimated exceptionally high, with foam being blown off the surface in position on your chart Move the circle in the cyclone's direction dense white streaks Gale force winds (34 to 47 knots) extend a oftravel If the cyclone's path remains constant as it approaches hundred or more miles from the cyclone's center you, you should be able to predict where your winds will come During one cyclone, we were anchored in Teahupu at the from and at what speeds This may help you determine where to road's end on the south coast of Tahiti-Iti The small bay is reef- anchor, what port to run to, or which direction to sail should you protected and has a good mud bottom Our 35-lb CQR and 44- remain at sea This system helped us especially in the second
DIRECTION OF
TRAVEL
KNOT WIIVOS
Trang 31SPYC Peterson 44 off Hotel Oa Oa Bora Bora's twin peaks
cyclone we sat through in the northern Solomon Islands, which
also have the reputation of being safe during the cyclone season
By plotting the radio information we were able to reanchor in
another spot, and come through unscathed
As a cyclone passes by, there may be a period of calm or
clearing when the eye is overhead The barometer will then be
at its lowest point Then, the wind direction may switch 1800 and
speed will increase as the storm passes by The barometer will
start to rise, winds will gradually diminish and the sky begin to
clear up
Should you be at sea, you must use your own judgement as to
whether to heave to, lie a-hull, run before the storm or try to
evade its path In the Southern Hemisphere, the most
dan-gerous position in which to be caught (called the dandan-gerous
semicircle) is to the left side of the eye's path (facing in the
direction of its trave!), because Southern Hemisphere cyclones
usually recurve to the left
More minor storms can also pop up without much warning,
often during the cyclone season months Once I was shopping in
Papeete, when I suddenly smelled or felt an overwhelming
presence of ozone The sky had turned black over Moorea
Rushing back to Maeva Beach, the wind piped up strong
south-west, and we watched yachts drag The storm lasted two hours,
but fortunately, no one was driven ashore The newspaper
described the storm as a "tornado", that had wiped out houses
and destroyed crops on Moorea and Huahine
You'll probably never experience a cyclone in French
Polyne-sian waters They are infrequent and many times rarer than the
cyclones affecting the western Pacific As a general rule it is still
much safer to spend the cyclone season in French Polynesia
than in perhaps any other island group in the South Pacific
except Papua New Guinea
29
CHARTS IN THIS BOOK
See "Planning the Voyage" Chapter 2 for a complete list of available nautical charts and navigational publications and where to buy them See the "Supplies-Bookstores, nautical charts" section of the Tahiti Chapter 8, sub-chapter I, Papeete, for where to acquire them in Papeete
We received permission from the French Government drographic and Oceanographic Marine Service) to use their excellent charts as a basis for the marked up charts that you'll find in this book Our charts are intended to supplement the official French charts and are excellent and we recommend that you buy them
(Hy-Although we cruised these islands extensively and have taken great care to make these charts as accurate as possible, the author and the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors
or changes
The information contained on the.charts in this book is based upon French Hydrographic Service charts and on the author's own cruises in French Polynesia You may find many changes by the time you arrive We noted that during the one-year interval between two cruises, significant changes had occurred, es-pecially in the following areas: shore facilities such as stores, restaurants and hotels; new construction along waterfronts; higher prices; and significant changes in aids to navigation, particularly lagoon channel markers
Most of the numerical data is based upon the metric system Depths are usually in meters (but not always); heights are in meters; land distances are in kilometers Sea distances are in nautical miles When depths in feet are mentioned in the ac-companying text, this indicates that the author has sounded the area Our depth sounder reads only in feet and fathoms Con-version is easy One meter equals 3.28 feet A fathom is six feet Course lines and bearings are all in degrees True Magnetic variation in French Polynesia is about 12° east Course lines
Trang 32indicate deepest water and/or easiest passage, but eyeball
navi-gation should be used in all instances Keep a sharp lookout and
be observant of the set and drift from tidal currents and
win-dage Marked anchorages may, or may not, be tenable
depend-ing upon weather and wind direction Distance scales vary with
each chart, and are shown beneath the chart's title, as is whether
depths are in meters, feet or fathoms
Spellings of geographic names differ considerably among the
French, American and British charts Alternate spellings have
frequently been included in the text in parentheses next to the
spelling used on the chart
Latitudes and longitudes also occasionally differ among the
charts When this is the case, it is usually mentioned in the text
Some French charts, particularly those of the lesser-cruised
coasts of Tahiti, have longitudes based on a Paris meridian,
rather than Greenwich Where you see discrepancies between
longitudes on French charts and the charts in this book, it is
because we have used the Greenwich meridian where the
French charts used a Paris Meridian
Some French charts do not have compass roses, making it
difficult to plot bearings Plotting on these charts is easy enough
if you use instruments which allow you to lay courses by lining
up the fixed portion on a latitude or longitude and rotating the
moveable portion of the instrument until the moveable portion
lines up on the course you want These instruments have their
own compass rose We have added compass roses on our charts
Following are some French terms and abbreviations used on
French charts A more complete list is contained in the
copyrighted booklet, Symboles et Abreviations Figurant sur les
Cartes Marines, published by the Service Hydrographique et
Oceanographique de la Marine (Paris, 1978), publication
number 1·0
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS
USED ON FRENCH CHARTS
Abbreviation
and French word
Nature 01 anchorage boHom
cove airport wharf, pier bay woods bush, brush port captain's office channel
haul-out facility waterfall cathedral path, small street hill
coast school church cliff hospital island islet, "motu"
isthmus
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS USED ON FRENCH CHARTS (Cont.) Abbreviation
and French word
Lac,lagune Magasin Mage, Mig (mouillage) Maison
Marais Mt., Mgne (mont, montagne) Palmiers
Pare, jardin Pas (passage, passe) Plage
Piau (plateau) Pont
Pt (port) Pte (pointe) Quai Rade Recif Rer (rocher) Riv (riviere), f1euve Route, rue Sommet Stade Temple Tel (telephone) Vallee
Lights
Phare
F (feu) F.e (feu a eclats) F.o (feu a occultations) F.I (feu isophase)
F MO(A)
F Ae (feu aeronautique) Vis 20M
S, sect (secteur), feu a secteurs S.b.r.v (secteurs colores Diane, rouge, vert)
En alignement, Feux d'alignement
Markera and buoys
Bal, (Balise) Bouee Bouee d'amarrage Tribord
Baboard Couleurs:
Radio stallons
PyI.R (pylone radio)
FX (feu) R.C.At (radiophare aeronautique)
Engllah Meaning
lake, lagoon store anchorage house swamp, marsh mount, mountain palms
park, garden passage, pass beach plateau bridge port point quay, dock roadstead reef rock river major road, street summit
stadium temple, church telephone valley
lighthouse, tower light
flashing light occulting light isophase light light with morse code letter" A " airport beacon
visible 20 nautical miles light sector (usually a tri-sector light)
a tri-sector light with white red and green colors
in line, range lights
marker, beacon floating buoy mooring buoy starboard port colors:
white black red yellow green black-white (all other color combinations are used this way)
spar, stick, pole cairn, stone pile windsock
radio tower with an aircraft warning airbeacon
Trang 33LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS
USED ON FRENCH CHARTS (Cont.)
rapportees au niveau des
plus basses mers
of lowest tides tide
semi-diurnal tide high water (tide) low water (tide) current speed height
north east south west true magnetic declination declining or augmenting annual variation variation
old, ancient chart correction scale big, large hour irregular kilometer luminous, lighted meter
nautical mile minute knot new occasional small private remarkable underwater temporary see chart visible AERIAL POSTCARDS
When you're in Papeete, try to buy as many of these as you
can They are extremely useful in negotiating passes and finding
anchorages in the Society Islands
The cards are mostly photographs taken by Erwin Christian,
a Bora Bora photographer, and published by Terii Photo Some
are by Pacific Promotion Tahiti They are available in book~
stores, tourist shops and hotels
Here are some of those we've found useful There are many
more Number are those given by the publisher or printer
4O -Papeete Harbor Shows harbor entrance, the city, the
airport and Faaa Channel to Maeva Beach, the configuration of
mountains above Papeete View looks approximately south·
east
31
39-Papeete, with Moorea in the background, looking west Shows everything above, plus the breakwater by Fare Ute, suburban sprawl, and Taunoa Pass that leads to Thhiti Yacht Club The three passes on Moorea's east coast can also be seen 170 Moorea, viewed looking about southwest This shows the big north coast bays as well as the three passes on the east coast including the Kia Ora Hotel anchorage, Bali Hai Hotel anchorage, and the narrow channel leading to the Club Med anchorage
311-0punohu Bay, Moorea Shows most of the pass, the west side of the bay, including Papetoai village and the oc-tagonal church
293-Moorea, looking north This shows you some of the east coast passes, the lovely deserted anchorage at the island's southern tip, plus several of the west coast passes
107-Huahine, looking southeast This shows both major passes on the west coast, the big Maeva Lake, and a hint about what the east coast passes look like
1()(r Tahaa and Raiatea, looking south This shows Tahaa's lovely string of motus along the north coast barrier reef, with their many anchorages
103-Raiatea and Tahaa, looking northwest from Teavapiti the major pass on Raiatea This shows all of Uturoa, the airport anchorage, and the passage area between the two islands These inter-island passages are marked and should be easy, but boats have gone on the reefs here Haamene and Apu, the two big bays on Tahaa, can be seen as well as Paipai Pass
IS-Bora Bora, looking west This shows Teavanui Pass, the airport, the lovely reef anchorages of the east coast barrier reef motus, and the anchorage between Pitiuu Uta and Pitiuu Tai 159-Bora Bora, looking east at the town of Vaitape Shows the main pier, and reef areas
136 Maupiti, looking west You'll find this invaluable if you are going to negotiate Maupiti's pass
Trang 34WEATHER REPORTS AND RADIO
We obtain most of our weather reports in French from the
local Radio Thhiti on the AM band Very complete weather
forecasts came on at 7:58 a.m., noon and 8:15 p.m
Other sources we've listened to include:
Amateur band radio We listened to three maritime mobile
nets, some of which had weather (1) "The group," composed of
both maritime mobiles and land-based stations in Tahiti and
Hawaii; weather, news reports and chatter (1800 hours Zulu, or
Greenwich Mean TIme, frequency, 14.282 mHz) (2) the Pacific
Maritime Mobile Net (Mac's Net) from Hawaii This receives
position reports from yachts in the Pacific, no regular weather
(0500 Zulu, frequency, 14.314 mHz (3) Tony's Net from New
Zealand, which takes yacht position reports and has regular
weather, mostly applicable to the western Pacific (2100 Zulu,
frequency, 14.315 mHz)
WWVH from Hawaii gives storm warnings from 47 to 51
minutes after every hour on 5, 10, and 15 mHz
NMO from Hawaii gives South Pacific weather at the
follow-ing times and frequencies: 0545 Zulu (6506.4 and 8765.4 kHz)
and 1745 Zulu (8765.4 and 13113.2 kHz)
Mahina Radio in Tahiti gives weather in French at the
follow-ing Zulu times and frequencies: 0030, 0230, 1800, and 2100
(8764 kHz) and at 0533 and 1703 (2620 kHz) This station also
maintains 24-hour monitoring of the international distress
fre-quency, 2182 kHz
In Papeete, weather information can be obtained by
telephoning the meteorological station at the Faaa airport, tel
20488,20335,or20633
VHF Channels 6 and/or 16 are monitored by the Port
Cap-tain's office during normal business hours, weekdays
To help non-French speakers understand some of the radio
weather forecasts, here are a couple of word-for-word
exam-ples:
Meteo: Beau temps Aujourd'hui sur I'ensemble de
Weather: Good weather today over the entirety of
a'archipel, avec un alize d'est-sud-est
the archipelago, with a trade wind from the east-southeast
encore assez fort, laissant la mer agitee
still fairly strong, leaving the sea agitated
Meteo: Le temps restera manac;ant sur Tahiti et Moorea
Weather: The weather will remain menacing in Tahiti and Moorea
ou I'on observera encore des averses ou parfois
where one will observe still some showers or sometime
meme des orages Le vent modere a assez fort
even some storms The wind moderate to fairly strong
de secteur est pourra souffler en rafales
from sector east might blow in gusts (squalls)
Meteo: Les conditions resteront mediocres celte nuit
Weather: The conditions will stay mediocre this night
et demain, les nuages tourjous nombreux,
and tomorrow, the clouds always numerous,
pourront apporter des preciptations locales
which could bring some rains localized
Quelques eclarcies feront neanmois leur apparition
Some clearings will make nevertheless their appearance
dans Ie nord-est et dans I'apres-midi
in the north-east and in the afternoon
TIME
Tahiti is 10 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time also called
Zulu, or Coordinated Universal Time When it is noon in
Tahiti, it will be 10 p.m in London, 11 p.m in Paris, 5 p.m in
New York, and 2 p.m in Los Angeles all on the same day In countries west of the International Dateline, noon in Tahiti will
be 10 a.m in Auckland, 8 a.m in Sydney, 7 a.m in Tokyo, and 6 a.m in Hong Kong, on the following day
The Marquesas Islands are 9-112 hours behind GMT, half an hour ahead of Tahiti time
VARIATION
You'll be accurate if you think of the magnetic variation in Tahiti as about 12° 20' east (1982) We found differences in variation on the more than 30 charts we had aboard For naviga-tional purposes, we use 12° east
Weak Echo, Strong Echo
on the correct course, red or green if you are too far to port or starboard
There are few islands or harbors we'd recommend entering at night Excellent range lights help locate Papeete's harbor at night Try for daytime landfalls everywhere
Most lights are individually described in each chapter for easy reference, but here's a light list
FRENCH POLYNESIAN LIGHT LIST
Island
TAHITI Point Venus
Papeete range lights in line,
1490 T
Papeete interior harbor range lights in line,
0870 T Papeete Pass lights
Oc G (marks west side of pass)
Trang 35FRENCH POLYNESIAN LIGHT LIST (ConL) FRENCH POLYNESIAN LIGHT LIST (Cont.)
Island S Lat, W Long Chlrecterlstlc Miles VI,lbIe 1,lend S Lat, W Long Characteristic MllnVlalbie Matavai Bay 17° 31.5' FI R sec
Taunoa Channel 17° 31'
1490 33' two lights marking barrier F1G2scc 2 BORA BORA
reef side of channel
Teavanui Pass 16° 30.4' Tri-sector WRG W:9 two lights marking land side of channel Fl R2sec 2 1120 30' T 151044.7' 2.5 sec R:6
G:7 Faaa barrier reef 17° 33.2' 1490 37.8' FIG2scc 7 Vaitape pier 160 30.4' FI R2sec
151045' Tataa Point 1714900 34.1' 37.6' AeroQW Pahua Point 160 29.7' FI W (2) 5 sec 3
Airport pier 16° 27' FIG2sec
Avaroa Pass, 149048.2' 2.5 sec R:7
Vaiare Bay: 17° 31.3' Tri-ser.tor WRG W:S Collet 140° 05.7' (the green
Ferry Dock 17° 31.3' QG (4) 7 sec 2
149° 46.7'
Inner harbor 16° 43.6' Iso G 4 sec 5 line 172° 36' T
Trang 36BUOYAGE SYSTEM IN FRENCH POLYNESIA
French Polynesia uses a system of buoy age different from
what American cruising yachts are accustomed to The French
Polynesian system is based upon a combination of the Uniform
Lateral System and the Uniform Cardinal System, which are
used throughout most of Europe, plus a special set of markers
for lagoon channels
The major difference American cruisers will notice is that
when returning to a port from seaward, a red marker always
remains on the yacht's port side (delete the "red right
return-ing" rule from your store of navigational knowledge) Green or
black markers remain on the vessel's starboard side
Here is a summary of the major types of buoys and markers
that you will encounter in French Polynesia "Starboard" here
indicates that the particular marker would be left on the vessel's
starboard side when returning from seaward
Pass Markers and Major Fairways
Starboard-hand marks:
The most common marker will be a black post topped by a
black triangle point upward Occasionally the topmark will be
a black diamond, except at the entrance to a channel Another
marker might he a hlack or black-and-white checkered cone
buoy, with or without a white number Odd numbers denote
starboard-hand marks Any light mounted on one of these
markers will Hash white or green
Note: In 1982, French Polynesia was gradually replacing old
black markers with new green ones, following international
trends In this text, whenever black markers are mentioned,
they may have been changed to green ones
Port-hand marks:
The most common marker will be a post topped by a red
cylinder or square can These may be red-and-white checkered,
but are usually solid red Another marker might be a
can-shaped buoy red or checkered, marked with a white even
number A red T-shaped marker might also be used (rare)
except at a channel entrance Any light mounted on one of these
markers will Hash red or occasionally, white
Lagoon Channel Markers
Land side of channel:
The land side will usually be a marked by a post, painted
yellow and black, topped by a red hemisphere or half-circle,
with the base down They look like red mushrooms
Reer side or channel:
The barrier reef side of the lagoon channel will be marked by
a post, painted yellow and black, topped by a black cone or
triangle, point down Some of these former black markers are
now green
Mlddleground Markers
These are used to mark some obstruction, such as a reef,
small islet or shoal that lies within a channel or fairway
Preferred channel to starboard:
This marker, which should be left to port, is a post or
spherical buoy, painted red and white, topped by a red can or
T-shaped mark (indicating junction) Sometimes a sphere is
added below the topmark
Preferred channel to port:
This marker, which should be left to starboard is a post or
spherical buoy painted black and white, topped by a black cone
or triangle point upwards, or a black diamond (indicating
junction) Sometimes a sphere is added below the topmark
Photo by Marcia Oavock
Red pass marker Cooks Bay, Moorea Pass Makers and Major Fairways
St"a rboCLrc\- hc.\nd ma rkS
B t e 8 or Bf'*"
Port-hand marks:
Lagoon Channel Markers
Reef side of channel:
Trang 37Channels around middleground hazard are of equal
impor-tance:
This will be a marker post or spherical buoy, painted red and
white, topped by a red sphere or cross, or both
Midchannel or Fairway Markers
This will be a marker of some distinctive shape other than all
the above types, and will usually be large and painted with
black-and-white or red-and-white vertical stripes Other
mark-ers usually have horizontally painted stripes It may have some
unusual topmark, such as a cross
Isolated Dangers'
A spherical buoy with black and red horizontal stripes,
sepa-rated by a white stripe, topped by another black or red sphere,
serves to mark isolated dangers
The Uniform Cardinal System also is used to mark reefs and
other dangers that lie outside the limits of ports and harbors
The markers are of several distinctive types and indicate the
bearing of the mark from the danger However, we've never
seen these used in French Polynesia For further information
consult the U.S Pilot
Photo by Marcia Davock
Green or black paSS marker, Bora Bora Leave to starboard
entering II pass
Channels around ground hqz ard are of equa I import-ance:
Black intercoastal marker to be left on reef side
Photo by Marcia Davock
Red intercoastal marker Raiatea, to be left on the land side
35
Trang 38CORAL REEF NAVIGATION
Most cruisers reaching French Polynesia have had some
expe-rience in coral reef navigation by the time they arrive
Here are some pointers that might assist those new to the
special requirements of coral reef navigation
The Society Islands are mostly high volcanic islands,
sur-rounded by barrier reefs that enclose a sheltered lagoon with
anchorages protected from ocean swell Passes through the
barrier reef to the inner lagoon are most often found where
fresh water run-off from rivers accumulates, since fresh water
inhibits coral growth Often a pass will be located on the
western side of an island because the predominately easterly
trade winds help sweep lagoon water, and fresh water from
rainfall over to the island's western side
Finding a pass from seaward, particularly if you're on a lee
shore, can be a nervous experience Breakers are smashing
onto the reef, and the narrow opening usually takes longer to
find than you've anticipated The anxious yacht owner scans the
reef with binoculars, trying to pick out the narrow pass, or
sometimes climbs to the spreaders for a better look Or,
hand-bearings are taken off prominent island features, or even offthe
visible "ends" of the island, to establish an accurate position,
and adjust the boat's course to the pass if necessary In this
book, we've tried to indicate the position of most passes by
visible features on land, as well as true compass headings for
entering the passes
Once you've spotted the pass, scan it for buoys or markers to
help identify its contours, and then head on in, with the engine
assisting
Most passes have out-flowing current at all times, from one to
six knots depending upon the weather and size of swells that
have been pouring over the barrier reef and arc now trying to
exit through the pass you arc entering
In most cases, a yacht speed of only three to four knots is
enough to successfully enter a pass However, atolls such as
Mopelia and most of the Tuamotus, plus islands such as
Maupiti, with only a single narrow pass, will have the swiftest
outflowing current The yacht's speed must be considerably
greater to push through this current
Post a look-out in the spreaders or ratlines for most passes
This person will be able to see the fringes of the pass much more
clearly than the helmsman Have the sun high and at your back
for any coral reef navigation The glare of the sun ahead of you
makes it difficult to judge the positions of reefs or see water
colors, indicating depths over the bottom We once helped pull
two yachts off an interior lagoon reef simultaneously, while
trying to exit a pass with the sun directly in their eyes This was
in a very remote corner of the Solomon Islands There's no
Coast Guard out there to assist you if you run up on a reef In
French Polynesia, the French Navy might come to your
assis-tance, but you may have to pay for their help
Try to plan any tricky coral reef navigation around the middle
of the day, when visibility is best Don't travel among coral reefs ever at night
Heavy winds and/or swell can make some passes impossible
to enter or exit We have seen rollers from huge seas right across Papeete's harbor entrance We've also heard of cruisers being trapped for a week or more inside Maupiti's lagoon when a strong southerly wind sprang up and the pass was covered by breakers Don't try any pass when waves are breaking all across
it
Once inside the lagoon, keep a good eye out for isolated dangers such as coral heads, nearly all of which are marked on the excellent French charts In many instances, coral rises abruptly from the ocean floor or lagoon bottom to the surface of the sea You could be on the coral head before your depth sounder could warn you Mopelia's relatively uncharted lagoon has a general depth of 60 to 80 feet, but a few scattered unmarked coral heads arise to within a few feet of the surface They are easily visible from the spreaders, but not always from the helmsman's position
How to "Read" Depths by Water Colors Coral shows up best when the surface of the water is lightly ruffled, not glassy smooth Coral that is near the surface or within a few feet of it, will usually appear brownish If there is six feet of water over the coral, it will appear greenish, darken-ing progressively as the water depth increases Water will be gin clear over a white sandy bottom at depths of a few feet, becom-ing greenish, then deeper blue in color as depths increase A black sandy bottom or mud bottom make it nearly impossible to judge depths by eyeball and here the depth sounder or leadline becomes essential
If circumnavigating an island within its barrier reef you'll find that the bays are usually deep, but the points of land approaching the barrier reef will have shallower narrower chan-nels around them
Beware of dredged channels which have been created in artificial locations They are normally subject to very rapid coral growth, sometimes several feet in a few years When in doubt about depths in a channel or anchorage area, explore it
by dinghy using a leadline We've done this many times in our travels throughout the Pacific, and it's saved us from going aground more than once
One last word of advice keep your engine running! You'll need it navigating through coral reef passes and channels Pu-rists who believe in engineless sailing visit fewer than half the islands we've seen because the wind wasn't from the right quarter, or there was too little of it or too much to enter such-and-such a pass For a small yacht even an outboard engine can provide that extra power and maneuverability that's often nec-essary The iron genny is a mixed blessing The saddest cruisers we've seen are those with broken engines sitting in big-city
Photo by MarCia D8\10Ck
Ofetaro I., north side of Teavipiti Pass Raiatea
Trang 39harbors, awaiting parts, delayed in exploring the beauties of
Polynesia
At the other end of the spectrum is the sailor who motors
everywhere, often with complete awning up and sail covers on
If his engine quit entering a pass, it would take nearly 20
minutes to strip off the awnings and sail covers and hoist a sail
By then, the yacht would probably be on the reef Be prepared
to sail whenever you move and use the sails and engine in
tandem to help you through coral reef passes
ANCHORAGES AND ANCHORING TECHNIQUES
No matter what your personal anchoring preference is, you
can satisfy it from the very wide variety of-anchorages in the
Society Islands
Nearly every anchorage is protected from ocean swell by a
barrier reef There are no open roadstead anchorages like in
Hawaii or Vanuatu, where you'll roll from rail to rail every
night Rarely will you find rocky or grassy bottoms, which
create their own anchoring problems Most anchorages are in
sand or mud with good holding characteristics, and occasionally
some coral Seldom will you have to worry about tides when
anchoring since they are so negligible in height Currents will
only affect you if you anchor near a coral reef pass or barrier
reef
In French Polynesia, you will spend nearly every' night at
anchor, rather than tied up to a dock or marina Outside of
Papeete, the few docks where you might tie up for a short time
are located in major towns, such as Fare, Huahine; Uturoa or
Apooiti Marina, Raiatea; Vaitape, Bora Bora; and the
occa-sional small village piers You can take on fuel and water in most
of these locations, but rarely can you remain overnight, as the
docks are frequently used by local trading vessels More
de-tailed information is given in chapters describing the islands If
you do stay the night, you may find your boat boarded in the
dark by uninvited rats and cockroaches, which are a perennial
dockside problem everywhere in the tropics
In a few places, you can moor Mediterranean-style (also
called Tahitian-style), stern to the quai: Papeete's Yacht Quai
and the Apooiti Marina in Raiatea, and a few other village
piers The Yacht Club de Tahiti near Papeete is a traditional
marina with both individual slips with finger piers and
Med-style mooring The only problem is finding an empty spot!
Big Bays
Larger bays such as Cooks and Opunohu, Moorea; Maroe
and Bourayne, Huahine; and Faanui, Bora Bora, usually have
mud bottoms with fairly good holding In some, you can anchor
in 20 to 4O-foot depths near the head of the bay In others, such
as Apu Bay, Tahaa, the anchorage is deeper, 80 feet or more
We use a Bruce, CQR or Danforth anchor in these bays
usually with all chain or a combination of chain and line When
backing down on the anchor, we find it best to do it slowly, let
the anchor "settle" into the mud for an hour or more and then
tug at it again in reverse gear
Let out plenty of scope, at least 5:1, as strong winds funnel
down the length of these big bays We've seen more cruisers
drag in the big bays than anywhere else
A river is often at the, head of the big bays These rivers
continually funnel silt and mud down especially during rainy
periods, when the bay's normally deep blue waters can turn
brown If in doubt where to anchor on an unknown coast, from
seaward look for a big gorge or river valley which may provide
decent anchorage at the river mouth These beautiful
carved-out river valleys and surrounding peaks make these big bays
spectacular anchorages
37
Yacht Quai Papeete Tahiti
Sandy Beach-side Anchorages
These are among our favorite anchorages in the Societies Typical are the Kia Ora Hotel and Club Med anchorages on Moorea; the Bali Hai Hotel or Avea Bay anchorages on Huahine; and the southern tip near the Bora Bora and Marara Hotels, Bora Bora You'll note that the beach anchorages usually have a hotel planted on them
The white sandy bottom is usually plainly visible, and you can anchor as close to shore as your draft will permit We like 8 to lO-foot depths You can tie the stern off to a palm tree, but, romantic as this sounds, we rarely do it because ventilation below suffers when the boat does not swing to the wind For sandy bottom, we use a CQR or Bruce anchor, with all chain, as there are sometimes scattered coral heads that might chafe through a nylon rode Usually these anchorages pose no problems, except that every other boat wants to share them _ It is sometimes difficult to let out adequate scope jf other boats are nearby One solution to this problem is to anchor on the edge of the sand, near deeper water, and put out a second hook to keep from swinging near the other boats Another answer is the Bahamian moor This is a trick usep frequently by Bahamian skippers to anchor in tight quarters in a tideway where you'd need a lot of scope to hold, and you know the tidal current will reverse your direction 1800 With a single anchor, your scope might let you swing onto a reef or onto a lee shore, or pile into another boat Even if you have swinging room, when the tide reverses direction, your single anchor might pull out because of reversed direction of pull on the rode To prevent this, you set out two anchors as illustrated below
Trang 40How to do a Bahamian Moor
I From the spot where you would like to be, go forward the
length of your anticipated scope headed into the current and
drop your first anchor Forget the wind
2 Let the current carry you back the full length of your rode,
setting the anchor enroute by snubbing it If the wind shoves
you off the axis of the tidal How, power upwind until your rode is
lined up with the axis of the tide How
3 Lower your second anchor
4 Pull back on your first rode half the scope, paying out rode
on your second anchor as you go Snub up your second anchor
rode as you do this, to set it
5 Swim down to check both anchors
You'll swing on the radius of your boat's own length when the
tide changes It's an excellent way to hold position where you
might swing into danger, or pull your hook out by reversing the
direction of pull on the rode
A variation of the method of setting out a Bahamian moor is
to drop your first anchor off the bow as you proceed "down
tide." You'd do this if the tidal current is running with you as you
approach your anchorage Let out all the rode as you proceed
When it's all out, drop your second anchor off the bow, then pull
in half the rode from the first anchor, snubbing your second
anchor rode as you pay it out to set it
When you're anchoring in shallow water with a Bahamian
moor and one of the fin keel-spade rudder underwater hull
configuration currently popular, there's danger that the
"leeward" rode will snag on your keel or rudder when the tide
reverses direction and swings you To prevent this, do not bring
both rodes up taut when you anchor, but leave about 10 feet of
slack on the "leeward" rode Then place about a 5-Jb weight
approximately the length of your boat down the slack rode This
can be easily done by attaching the weight to a shackle tied to a
retrieving line This will insure that your "leeward" rode will lie
low enough to clear your keel and rudder when your boat
swings It is not likely that you will have to do this on boats
DESIRED SPOT
-
, -
-SECOND POSITION
)
having nearly full length deadwood Keeping both rodes taut lets you swing in a tighter circle
If anchoring off black sand beaches such as the classic
Pa-peuriri Bay on Tahiti's south coast, watch your depth sounder closely, as you won't see bottom until you feel it!
Sandy Ledge
This is the same as the sandy anchorages described above, but here the sand patch has only about 4 feet of water over it (your draft is 6 feet) and the sand slopes off rapidly This is typified by the lovely anchorage off Motu Ahi on Moorea's east coast, a steeply sloping white sand bank just north of the little islet, and by several other Moorea anchorages Here we de-posit one anchor in the shallow water, then put a kedge bow anchor out in the deeper water, just enough to keep us from swinging into the too-shallow depths This technique works well and if both rodes are set from the bow, Bahamian style
you will face the prevailing wind for good ventilation below
Barrier Reef Anchorages
No one should cruise French POlynesia without spending a few isolated-days anchored next to the barrier reef or beside one
of the reef's small "motus," or islets It's paradise! These chorages exist everywhere inside the reef along Tahiti's south coast, every coastline of Moorea Huahine's east and west coasts, Raiatea's lovely and empty south coast, Tahaa's north-ern string of uninhabited islets, and Bora Bora's east coast
an-Don't miss this type of anchorage!
Frequently, you will have these barrier reef anchorages all to yourself Snorkeling is usually superior in very clear water On
the lesser visited reefs you can often get lobsters (crayfish) at night using a pressure lantern See Mopelia Chapter 15 for a description of these techniques
The sound of nearby surf crashing on the reef at night is exhilarating, and your boat lies still in perfect protection