Tahiti Trip Log

If ever there was a tease for a sailing scribe, it’s flying out to Tahiti to hang with the cruising fleet, then having to jet back to the workaday world after only a few short days, while they all sail on to new adventures over the horizon. 

But we’re not complaining. Really! Spending a few days in Tahiti is certainly far better than none at all — especially this month. We timed our recent trip to coincide with the the fifth annual Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous June 18-20, which drew 65 boatloads of cruisers from roughly a dozen countries. As we often explain, this free, three-day event was created with the dual purpose of welcoming cruisers to French Polynesian waters, while also introducing them to highly revered cultural traditions in music, dance, sport and cuisine. 

We’ll try to hold ourselves back from gushing too effusively about the event, but all things considered, it really was the best one yet — despite nearly a full day of rain. One of the ‘firsts’ that made it special was a lavish reception in the town hall of the French Overseas Territory’s capital city, Papeete, hosted by the mayor’s office. The 150 salty cruisers in attendance were treated as VIPs, with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a sensual music and dance show that set the tone for the rest of the week. 

The weather was unsettled the next day for the rally/race to Moorea, but that proved to be a good thing. During the 18-mile channel crossing, winds built from 12 to 28 knots, which led to at least a half dozen boats beating the committee boat to the finish line! The winner, Jim and Kent Milski’s Schionning 49 Sea Level, hit a  boat-record 19.3 knots during the beam reach blast.

As you’ll read in the July edition of Latitude 38, music, dancing, two optional meals, and a variety of traditional Polynesian games followed, including a series of six-person outrigger canoe races where cruisers traded strokes with local paddlers — big fun!

We apologize for not bringing you news of the Rendezvous sooner, but the territory’s notoriously low Internet bandwidth made photo transfers a torturous ordeal. Ironically, however, the day before we headed home, the Tahitian government signed a deal which will fast-track the hookup of their new fiber-optic network. So, with any luck next year’s cruisers will be able to enjoy all the wonders of this mid-Pacific paradise, with high-speed Internet access to boot. This issue has long been a sore point among cruisers — as has the high price of rum, of course.

Another bit of splendid news from our ‘reporter’s notebook’ is that the general manager of Papeete’s port, Patrick Bordet, has promised more gated docks along the downtown quay by the time next year’s Rendezvous occurs — tentatively scheduled for June 24 – 26 — and perhaps even a sailors-only bathhouse with laundry facilities. We’ve long advocated to any Tahitian official who would listen that cruisers are a small but important niche in the territory’s overall tourism picuture. And Bordet clearly agrees.

Along with Tahiti Tourism and the Papeete Port Authority, we here at Latitude are extremely proud to be partners in hosting the annual Sailing Rendezvous, which seems to be a win-win for all who support and attend it. Is there a Rendezvous in your future? Close your eyes and you can almost feel the trade winds beckoning.