Passage to Tahiti

June 30 to July 6, 2009
Hakahetau, Ua Pou bypassing the Tuamotus to Papeete,Tahiti



The swell is rising and the wind will follow suit.

The wind is up and we see the Swedes pull anchor and sail by us as the sun sets. They only have their headsail up and are headed east to Raroia? The motu where Thor Heyerdahl first landed on the eastern wall of the archipelago, and where they say Swedes are well received. Bring out the roll mops and aquavit! Smile.

“We will sail through the night conservatively.” Schell calls out as he glides by Zulu. Hmm they are brave I think, with this wind blowing.

The next afternoon we pull Zulu’s anchor up and head for the westernmost motu, Tikehau, with 25 to 30-knot winds. White caps on blue, blue water. The month of June has slipped by and we sail into July full speed ahead.

July 2 brings violent squalls. The skies are gray-black and they burst apart and torrential rains descend. Rains that hammer hard. Lightening flashes and thunder booms loud enough to scare the dickens out of Davey Jones.

“We are in serious trouble!” Russ declares. Usually the skies can fall and he acts like a cucumber, but now he is borderline animated.

“The head stay has broken! And that means the mast could come down.” He expounds.

Fun I think. All I need. I see Russ up on the foredeck rigging some lines up to stabilize the mast.

“We are going to have to head straight for Papeete.” He announces.

No Tikehau for us. No seeing Benjamin from 30 years ago waving from his beach or diving in the fish traps or walking the reefs with strawberry crabs at our feet and listening to the surf beating against, seemingly, our ribcage. No hair-raising entry into the pass and standing high to watch for ‘bombs’ come coral heads. On we go through waters deep and gray.

Russ lets the Pacific Seafarer’s net know of our predicament. We report our position with them every night. Dave from Meander comes on.

“Russ I am about 30 miles from you. What is your position and heading? I will try to catch up and sail with you to Tahiti. You can depend on me.” Dave radioed.

“Roger Dave. We are at Lat 12 degrees 21.24’ S and Long 144 degrees 55.29’W heading such and such south south west. Thank you, we appreciate you following us. Let us get a schedule together and check in with each other for the next few days.” Russ radioed.

Dave acknowledges and sets a schedule, which he diligently follows for check in. The mast is holding and at last the wind has abated. We are motor sailing.

Late afternoon of July 4 (Happy Yankee Day) the sun comes out and we pass Ahe motu northeast of Arutua and Rangiroa. A pencil line of palm trees and long yellow beach is all you see.


We pass Ahe motu northeast of Arutua and Rangiroa. A pencil line of palm trees and long yellow beach is all you see.

I stand night watch into dawn, going below to study the charts. See the little red boat symbol plying its way between Rangiroa and Arutua. Zig zag, zig zag it goes. We take it easy so as not to strain the rigging. Dave radios us as he passes between Rangiroa and Tikehau to the west. He will be at the Quay in Papeete ETA late July 5.

Dawn July 6 Russ calls me to say ”Land ho! Tahiti!”. So very, very exciting.


Russ looking like a grizzly bear after a hairy passage.


Land ho! Tahiti. Velvet green folds of the high mountain relief emerge.

I emerge through the hatch, sleepy, disheveled, but with a wide smile. We drink tea and watch the velvet green folds of the high mountain relief emerge. Tahiti has a sharp cone-shaped profile with volcanic origins and is apparently young compared to her Polynesian sister islands: Tuamotus being 50 million years old, Hawaii dates back to 40 million years, and far away New Zealand 135 million years old: all this time is incomprehensible. It is like grabbing hold of water or air.

We pass Point Venus, named by Cook when he came in 1769 to study the transit of Venus across the sun, which established measurement between the sun and the earth. See the main mountain peak: Mt. Orohena at 7,321 feet. Smell the earth, the succulence, the flower perfumes.

We have arrived. Not quite yet. Dave is waiting at the Quay.