Society Leeward Islands

Raiatea, Tahaa’a, BoraBora, Maupiti, Morpelia

Raiatea
We left Huahine on 24th August. After all the wind and unsettled weather we ended up motoring to Raiatea in fairly calm conditions. Passe Teavapiti on the east side was well marked and easy to enter. We motored south for an hour down the vast lagoon and anchored at the head of a v-shaped bay with steep sides called Baie Faaroa. The river which flowed into the bay is “the only navigable river in French Ploynesia”, according to the tourist guidebook, so we took the dinghy up river for about 2 kilometers. We met a local man called James, who came by in his outrigger canoe and gave us some information about the river in fairly good English. A week or two later, we learned that James makes a living taking people up the river and showing them the botanical gardens, where you can help yourself to bananas. We thought he was just being friendly and watched him paddle away up river. Our trip in the dinghy gave us an insight into families surviving at a subsistence level, living in ramshackle sheds and feeding themselves with fish and fruit, which they caught and gathered. Only a few miles away, tourists relaxed at thatched cottage resorts set on pristine beaches, enjoying every comfort they desired.

The next day we tried in vain to anchor off the “most important marae in French Polynesia”. We could see it from the boat and we went dangerously close to reefs in two bays, but there was nowhere that we could safely anchor, so we continued south and spent the night on a sandy patch close to a motu, where signs clearly said “Tabu” in French and “No trespassing” in English. We explored the south end of the lagoon, passed through some narrow but well-marked routes between reefs, went out through a pass to calm seas on the lee side of Raiatea and returned to the lagoon further north.

We tied up to the town quay at Uturoa. The wind pinned us to the dock. Jeremy saw a sign “coiffure” and I was soon in the shop having an expensive shampoo and trim, while he shopped at the nearby supermarket. We needed to wash our towels and bedding but the only places with washing machines were marinas, at which you had to be a customer. Reluctantly, we picked up a mooring at Apooti Marina, which happens to be a charter base for The Moorings, Sunsail and Tahiti Yachts. We felt ripped off as the cost of the mooring was the same as for inside the marina and it was extra for the washing machine. There was no drier and we were not given keys for the showers. We did fill our tanks with fresh water. The next day we left for Tahaa’a.
Tahaa’a
Tahaa’a and Raiatea share the same lagoon so it was only a short distance to a lovely, quiet anchorage on a sandy patch near another motu. It takes a while to find these spots as there are usually many coral heads to be avoided and the water can suddenly change from 15 metres to 1 metre. Here we found a spot about 2m deep and free of coral heads. We explored the motu and found the wreck of a Vauxhall Corsa near the beach – not quite what we expected! The next day we moved through the lagoon to another sandy spot with half a mile of shallow, turquoise water between us and the barrier reef. As we snorkelled, we saw a huge shape, perhaps 8 feet across, and realised it was a manta ray. Wow! In the evening we watched the sun set behind the mountain of nearby BoraBora.

Soon we had circumnavigated Tahaa’a and were almost ready to set off for BoraBora. We anchored off the Carenage back at Raiatea to fill up our propane bottle, buy diesel and a few groceries from the shop. I stayed on board as the anchor was resting on flat coral with only a thin covering of sand. Jeremy was back within 10 minutes. They had no propane, no diesel and no shop! We left for BoraBora.

BoraBora
We motorsailed the 25 miles to BoraBora, arriving about 4.30pm. We wanted to be anchored before darkness began to fall around 6.00pm. The depths were too deep for us off the main town so we went to the Yacht Club and picked up a mooring for 2000 francs (about $20). Further nights would be 1000 francs. We did not recognise any of the other yachts. We walked to town the next morning, which took about 25 minutes. Kathy and Ron, from “Valisparis”, whom we’d met in Moorea, called us from across the road and took us to see where they were berthed at the town quay, where there was no charge and showers were provided. If only we’d gone a little bit further the previous night we would have seen them. That afternoon we started our tour of “the most beautiful lagoon in the world”. Once again we anchored on a sandy patch off a motu. Feeling confident and using our electronic charts, we set off the next day to explore the lagoon from north to south. We expected shallow patches and I was on the bow watching out for any coral heads, while Jeremy steered. We didn’t expect a thatched cottage hotel to be built across our path! Jeremy steered round it but the water became very shallow. We had to turn around and find our way across a central reef, with only six feet of water over it, avoiding numerous coral heads on the way. With our hearts beating normally once more we motored to the south and anchored off another thatched cottage resort in deep sand, but close to a very good snorkelling place. A few days later we met up with Gryphon II, another British yacht, registered in Ipswich. While we were taking on water and supplies at the town quay, we met the crew from Flina and agreed to meet Flo in his dinghy on our way to the fuel berth. Once we had the fuel (after Jeremy had photocopied the 5 documents required to have it duty free) Flo came on board and we towed both dinghies back to the yacht club. One of our cockpit cushions blew overboard in the strong wind and, quick as a flash, Flo removed his shorts and dived into the sea naked to retrieve our cushion. We left BoraBora for Maupiti, an atoll about 30 miles away, at 6.00 am the next morning.

Maupiti
Hardly any tourists and only a few cruising yachts go to Maupiti. It has one pass through the barrier reef which becomes untenable in strong southerly winds. It was quite rough as we entered and, as always, there were a few moments of anxiety as we saw the breaking waves and tried to identify the leading line markers. Once inside it was calm and we anchored near two catamarans in a sandy patch, off a motu. Our friends, Chris and Lorraine on Gryphon II arrived the next day. We both moved to the only other anchorage off the main village, where 5 yachts were anchored. We were able to buy baguettes, fresh fruit and groceries and fill up with water that was fresh but not treated. We attempted to walk to the top of the mountain which was 1280 feet high. Although we started in bright sunshine and sweated our way upwards, a heavy squall hit us and soon we were soaked to the skin. The path became very slippery and heeding the warning of a young couple coming down, we aborted our mission and slithered down to sea level. We were successful in walking around the whole island the next day. Meanwhile, the wind continued to blow hard.

Morpelia
No tourists go to Morpelia. It’s another atoll inhabited by just two families. Two yachts (Sal Darago, Gryphon II) and one catamaran (Sea Weaver) decided to stop off there as it’s close to the route to the Cook Islands. It’s about 104 miles from Maupiti. We left Maupiti at 3.30pm and stared in disbelief at the height of the swell in the entrance to the pass. Jeremy steered us out safely with me watching behind to make sure we kept on the leading line. The night sail was very uncomfortable with the wind dead behind and with only a reefed genoa we were making over 5 knots. We kept in VHF contact with Gryphon II. As we approached Morpelia we switched on our electronic charts and found they were inaccurate by a few hundred yards. Consequently, our GPS waypoints were all wrong. There were markers and the pass between 2 reefs was quite easy to see but frightening as there were eddies swirling about as the lagoon emptied through the pass, a bit like the Dhorus Mhor at springs. I went on the bows and we entered safely but all I could see ahead was a row of coral heads. Fortunately, they were deep enough to go over. Sea Weaver was already in and called on the VHF to reassure us that the lagoon was deep except for a few coral patches. We were very relieved to anchor in the north and swim in the clear water off the motu. Today is our 5th day here. We’ve moved to the south anchorage and all the other yachts have left except Gryphon II. The wind has been gale force at times. We’ve had squall after squall and heavy rain. It’s a cold 69F today and still windy and cloudy. It looks like we’ll be here for 2 more days; so much for the constant, balmy winds of the South Pacific. Au revoir!