Mid-Pacific Rendezvous

Every year about this time Moorea’s Cook’s Bay anchorage fills up with cruising boats from many nations. They converge here beneath towering volcanic peaks to participate in the Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous (July 4-6), a fun-filled three-day event that celebrates the cruising fleet’s successful crossing to French Polynesia from the West Coast of the Americas — the Pacific Puddle Jump — and introduces crews to a colorful variety of long-revered Polynesian cultural traditions. 

Considered by many visiting sailors to be a highlight of their South Pacific travels, the Rendezvous is organized by Latitude 38‘s longtime Tahitian partner Archipelagos, with support from us, Tahiti Tourisme, and other local organizations, in addition to regional partners from New Zealand and Fiji.

After an initial meet-up on the Papeete wharf last Friday for a cocktail party, dance show and traditional Polynesian blessing of the skippers, the fleet sailed Saturday to Moorea (15 miles) on a splendid beam reach with 15 to 18 knots of breeze. Ashore that evening at the Club Bali Hai hotel, cruisers were greeted by the lovely Miss Moorea, who gave each of them a fragrant tiare flower to wear behind his or her ear — an age-old Tahitian tradition. A cocktail party followed, with live music from a Tahitian band and an elaborate dance show.

Sunday was dedicated to a variety of traditional Polynesian sports, the highlight of which was a series of six-person outrigger canoe races where cruisers teamed up with local paddlers. Staged in the anchorage directly in front of the Bali Hai, the races and the rest of the day’s events undoubtedly gave participants magical memories. Look for our complete report on the Rendezvous in the August edition of Latitude 38 magazine. 

The fleet enjoyed several eye-popping dance shows where both the girls and guys performed moves that the visiting sailors found impossible to imitate. Latitude / Andy