Our first week in Maupihaa felt like a true vacation from it all. Since all of our boat projects were done and there was absolutely no cell service, my days became filled with all of my favorite things. I took long walks on the beach, snorkeled or paddle boarded, set up a hammock between two …
Our first day in Maupihaa was a cruiser’s dream, filled with baby shark paddle boarding, an incredible snorkel through the atoll pass, and ending with a beach bonfire and roasted marshmallows. I couldn’t have asked for a better day and was excited to see the rest of the island. Like the Tuamotus, Maupihaa is an …
After a week of being stuck in Maupiti while waiting out a severe swell event that had come up from the south, we were finally ready to head to our final island in French Polynesia, Maupihaa. We prepared to depart by securing everything inside and tightening down the hatches. It was going to be a …
After spending two weeks in Bora Bora, Eitan officially checked us out of the country and we were ready to keep heading west. Since Bora Bora is the last island on our sailing adventure through French Polynesia with a customs and immigration office, we were able to plan stops at the leeward islands of Maupiti …
We spent two weeks in Bora Bora with our new crew member Evan onboard, waiting for Eitan’s friends to arrive on their honeymoon and bring us more goodies from the US. In the meantime, we meandered from mooring field to mooring field to explore both above and below the water. We spent a few nights …
With just a couple of days left on our visas, Eitan and I headed to Bora Bora to begin the checkout process for French Polynesia and pick up our new crew member, Evan. I met Evan and his wife Stephanie through Instagram a couple of years ago. Like me, they’re both civil engineers from northern …
Four hours after departing Huahine, we arrived in Raiatea, another day, another beautiful green island! Raiatea is a little different from most of the other Society Islands because it serves as the base for the yacht charter companies that operate in this island group and has more boat services available. For the first time since …
After three nights on Moorea, Eitan took his friend Roslin to shore to continue her vacation on land and we set sail for the next island: Huahine. The trip lasted all day and into the night with Eitan and me taking turns standing watch. It had been months since we left Mexico and this was …
After a week of creature comforts in Tahiti, we had only two weeks left to see the rest of the Society Islands before our visas ran out. In anticipation of leaving the marina, I stocked up on fresh provisions and was busy organizing the pantry when I accidentally knocked over a jar of pasta sauce. …
After arriving in Tahiti and saying goodbye to Martin and Simone, Eitan and I walked to the marina office to finish the check-in process. We knew we would be in Tahiti for at least 5 nights before Eitan’s friend was scheduled to arrive for a short visit. Knowing how easy it is to get lured …
After 6 weeks in the Tuamotus, we only had 3 weeks left on our visas in French Polynesia and still had one more archipelago to explore, the Society Islands, which includes the more recognized islands of Tahiti and Bora Bora. We pulled the lines off of the mooring ball, raised the sails and headed west …
We departed Fakarava and headed to our final atoll in the Tuamotus: Toau. It was a rollie trip, but not too far at less than 20 miles. When we arrived I was thankful to find a free mooring ball, hoping my days of diving to free the anchor were over. After seeing a trimaran washed …
After a few days on the mooring ball near the southern pass of Fakarava and diving the Wall of Sharks, we headed easterly along the southern rim of the atoll to an anchorage called Harifa Bay. It was an easy sail and we got there a few hours later but were saddened to find about …
After settling into our new home in Fakarava, I took Martin and Simone to shore to make some arrangements for SCUBA diving. Before they joined us on SV Sierra Wind they had gotten their dive master certifications and Fakarava was a bucket list dive for them. Since we only have gear onboard for two people …
We woke up at first light at our anchorage in the Tahanea Atoll, pulled the anchor, and were on our way. I was on bow navigation looking out for bommies as we crossed the atoll to the pass, but they are much harder to see when the sun is low in the sky in the …
We departed Katiu during the afternoon slack tide and took 4-hour, 2-person shifts throughout the day and into the night, arriving at Tahanea around midnight. Normally, it is best to enter an atoll during the day but since Tahanea was well charted, Eitan felt comfortable arriving at night. Upon arrival, we dropped anchor and fell …
After picking up groceries and fuel in the main town on Katiu, we headed out to a less populated part of the island. Since few, if any, cruisers go to this atoll, there weren’t any recommendations on anchorages or places to go. Eitan used some satellite imagery to pick out a couple of potential locations …
After a great couple of days at our first atoll, Raroia, we were excited and ready to see more of the Tuamotu islands. It is critically important plan the pass entry and exit with the tide and resulting current. All departures and arrivals need to be carefully planned. There are only four slack tides (periods …
After our first couple of days in paradise at Raroia, I began feeling overwhelmed with how to capture my time here. This place was so beautiful. How could I do it any justice? I became increasingly frustrated when I compared my pictures to those our crew member, Simone, would post from the same locations. We …
After our four-day passage from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus, we arrived at the Raroia Atoll just after sunrise and dropped the anchor. We heard from other cruisers that it was vital to learn the art of “floating” the anchor chain. If we wanted to make it through the Tuamotus safely, without our anchor rode …
After 5 weeks in the Marquesas, we were finally heading to the next island ground in French Polynesia, a group of atolls that comprise the Tuamotu Archipelago. At just over 400 miles, the trip was estimated to take about 4 days, which seemed like chump change compared to the 25-day trip across the Pacific. Normally …
A few hours after leaving Tahuata, we arrived in Atuona, the main town of Hiva Oa. The bay is southeast facing and the anchorage is protected behind a breakwater, but a bit separated from town. The anchorage was quite crowded and a handful of other boats formed a wagon wheel around a large, central buoy …
We awoke at 4AM to make the voyage from Ua Pou to Tahuata, pulling all three anchors, hoisting the dinghy, and were underway by 5am. Just a few moments out of the breakwater it was clear this was going to be a wet and bumpy ride. Since we would be motoring for at least 16 …
It was a bumpy and wet upwind ride east to the next bay, but once again, we needed Wi-Fi to check weather and figure out when and where to go next. Despite being the main town on Ua Pou, the anchorage at Hakahau Bay was tiny and hardly able to accommodate the half dozen boats …
After almost two weeks in Nuku Hiva we had finally made it to our second island in the Marquesas, Ua Pou. The first two bays we visited were on the western leeward side of the island, protected from the swell brought by the trade winds. Despite being comfortable flat anchorages, both bays had steep, rocky …
After a wet and salty ride from Daniels Bay, we arrived back in the main anchorage at Taiohae. We dropped the anchor and headed into town for Wi-Fi access to source a new outboard propellor and check the weather for the coming days. We had already been on Nuku Hiva for over a week and …
Once we left Taiohae and arrived in Daniels Bay, it felt like we were officially back into cruising mode. In true cruiser fashion, Eitan put out a call on the radio to invite anyone interested in meeting up for some sundowner drinks to be at the beach at sunset. We were joined by a few …
After making landfall, cleaning the boat, provisioning, and catching up with friends on SV Kismet, SV Bula, and SV Sky Pond, it was time to do a little exploring. We had heard from our buddy boats that renting a car was a worthwhile experience to see the island and various types of landscapes the changes …
After our first full night of sleeping while at anchor, it was time to get to work. I started deep cleaning the interior while Martin and Simone scrubbed the hull, removing the marine growth from below the water line and stains and scum from above. Eitan headed to shore to drop off laundry, grab SIM …
After 25 days at sea, we finally arrived in Nuku Hiva. The anchorage was pretty congested with about 50 boats already at anchor throughout the bay. The surrounding landscape was nothing like I had imagined. Since Nuku Hiva is the largest island in the Marquesas, I imagined the town of the main anchorage to be …
