Marvelous Mid-Pacific Rendezvous

For some participants in last weekend’s Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous the highlight was the outrigger canoe races. For others it was the Polynesian music and dance shows both Saturday and Sunday at the water’s edge. And for many others it was simply having an opportunity to get together with fellow cruisers to swap tales about their 3,000-mile crossings from the west coast of the Americas — the passage we like to call the Pacific Puddle Jump.

Now in its sixth year, the annual Rendezvous serves the dual purpose of providing a forum for celebrating the fleet’s safe arrival, and introducing its members to traditional Polynesian cultural arts, including music, dance, handicrafts and sports.

As you can read in our full report in the August edition of Latitude 38 (downloadable free from our site), the international crews from nearly 50 boats took part in a wide variety of activities, including opening ceremonies at Papeete’s Town Hall, a sailing rally from Tahiti to Moorea’s spectacular Opunohu Bay, a variety of traditional Polynesian sports competitions — and many cruisers even attempted to perform classic Tahitian dances alongside local experts.

Needless to say, it was all great fun, and the event provided each participant with an exceedingly warm welcome to these fabled isles.