cruising guide to tahiti and the french society islands

Cruising
Guide
TO
TAHITI
AND THE
FRENCH SOCIETY ISLANDS
by
Marcia
Davock
Edited
by
JuDus
M.
Wilensky
Sketches
and
information posted on
charts
by
Jo Haiaht
Copyright ®
1985
by
Marcia
Davock
Published
1985
by
Wescott

Cove
Publishing
Company
P.O. Box 130, Stamford,
CT
06904
All Rights Reserved.
No part
of
this
book
may
be reproduced in any
form
without written permission
of
the publisher.
1st Edition -
1985
Library
of
Congress Card No. 85-50922
ISBN
No. 0-918752-04-3
SAN No. 210-5810
Table of Contents
Chapter Page
Editor's Preface

4

Introduction
•.••
5
List
of
Charts in This Book

6
I.
AN
INTRODUCTION TO TAHITI AND THE
SOCIETY ISLANDS
OF
FRENCH POLYNESIA

8
2.
PLANNING
THE
VOYAGE: ADVANCE
PREPARATIONS

10
Visas
•
10
Bonds, Health Requirements

II
Customs, Pets and Firearms, Things to Bring

12
Things Not to Bring, Flags

13
Mail: Where to Have
It
Sent. Honorary Consuls

13
Amateur Radio Operators
•• • • •
14
Charts, Navigational Publications
•
14
Yacht Chartering

16
Travel Agencies

18
The Last and Most Important Preparation

18
3.
PASSAGES TO FRENCH POLyNESIA
•.•
19
4.

ENTRY AND EXIT FORMALITIES

21
Ports of Entry, Entry Procedures

21
Dealing with Officials

21
Cruising Check-In Ports

22
Special Permission, Crew Changes

23
Departure from French Polynesia

24
5.
CRUISING THE ISLANDS: WEATHER AND
NAViGATION
•
25
Climate, Barometer, Temperatures, Rainfall, Winds

25
Currents
•• •.• • • •
26
Tides, Visibility, Tropical Depressions and Cyclones

27
Charts in this Book

29
List
of
Abbreviations and Terms used on French
•
30
Charts
Aerial
Postcards

31
Weather Reports and Radio, Time, Variation,

32
Radar Returns
Lights, French
Polynesian Light List
•
32
Buoyage System
in
French Polynesia

34
Coral Reef Navigation

36
Anchorages and Anchoring Techniques
•
37
6.
LIFE IN THE ISLANDS

40
A Brief History

40
Land Flora and Fauna

41
Marine Flora and Fauna

43
The Islanders Today

46
Government, Economy

47
Language

48
Religion
•
49
Education, Land and Housing

50
Family Life
•• •.• •
51
Social Life

52
Special Customs
• • •
53
7.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR CRUISERS

54
International Communications, Money

54
Medical Information

55
2
Measures and Metric Conversion Formulae

57
Water, Fuel and Power

57
Supplies, Food and Drink, Polynesian Cuisine

58
Clothing, Going Ashore, Transponation
•.
60
Restaurants, Hotels and Nightlife
• •
62
Tahitian Feast (Tamaaraa)

62
Recreation, Holidays

,
•• ••.•
63
8.
TAHITI:
THE
BIG ISLAND

64
INTRODUCTION

66
SUB-CHAPTER I. Papeete: The Classic South

68
Seas Capital
Anchorages

70
City Map
• •
76
Supplies and Services

80
Transponation

83
Restaurants, Hotels, Night Life

84
Recreation

86
SUB-CHAPTER
2.
Maeva Beach and the

88
West Coast
SUB-CHAPTER
3.
The Southwest Corner

94
SUB-CHAPTER
4.
The Sheltered

Bays
of.

97
the Atimaono Basin .
SUB-CHAPTER
5:
Heart of the South Coast:

101
Botanical Gardens and Gauguin Museum
SUB-CHAPTER
6:
The Hurricane Hole:

106
Port Phaeton
SUB-CHAPTER
7:
Tahiti-Iti's West Coast

112
SUB-CHAPTER
8:
The Wilderness Coast

120
of Tahiti-lti
SUB-CHAPTER
9:

Tahiti-lti's
Nonh
Coast

'"
.132
SUB-CHAPTER
10:
The Windward Shore:

139
Tahiti's East Coast and The North Coast
SUB-CHAPTER II: Matavai
Bay:
The

146
Historic Coast
9.
MOOREA: SPECTACULAR SCENERy

152
INTRODUCTION
• •
~

152
SUB-CHAPTER
I.
East and

West
Coasts:

156
The Least Visited
SUB-CHAPTER
2.
Opunohu
Bay
and the

162
Nonhwest Comer
SUB-CHAPTER
3.
Cooks
Bay
and the

171
Northeast Corner
10.
HUANINE: UNSPOILED

179
II.
RAIA TEA: CAPITAL OF THE LEEW ARDS

196
Uturoa

200
East Coast
• •
210
South Coast

213
West Coast

217
12.
TAHAA: DEEPWATER BAyS

222
13.
BORA BORA: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

236
Vaitape Village

243
14.
MAUPITI: THE SMALLEST JEWEL

256
15.
MOPELlA:
A CLASSIC ATOI.L

261
16.
THE
PASS-LESS SOCIETY ISLANDS

266
BIBLIOGRAPHy

269
INDEX
TO
PLACE
NAMES

271
Envelope
at
rear
of
book
contains
sketch charts:
lies
Sous
Ie
Vent
The
Society Islands
French
Polynesia

Photo
by
MarCIS Qavock
I "'f
M
'I) "
I
Victorian gingerbread. Pao Pao, Cooks Bay, Mqorea
Photo
by
MarCia
Davock
SPYC Charter
Yacht~,
Apooiti
Bay
Marina, Raiatea
EDITOR'S PREFACE
Who has not dreamed of romantic South Sea Isles. wind
whistling through palm
trees
and
gentle waves lapping on
beaches in calm lagoons?
The
French Society Islands are
one
of
the world's great cruising areas. Steady trade winds. fine winter
and spring weather (our summer

and
fall!), and great interest
ashore.
One
feature appealed to this inveterate island hopper.
You
enter a sheltered lagoon via one
or
more passes. and you
cruise around inside for days, all that wind and no waves! Then
off
to
another isle
and
do
the same thing.
We
had a ball. Bora-
Bora, Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Taaha,
Huahine-these
names
will
forever conjure up memories
of
wonderful cruising.
These French
Society Islands are a cruising crossroads. You'll
meet boats from all over the world
at
Papeete's downtown yacht

quai,
anchored
at Maeva Beach
on
Tahiti, at Cooks
and
Oponohu Bays
on
Moorea, and
at
Bora
Bora.
Yet
we
had many
anchorages all to ourselves in Isles
Sous
Ie
Vent (Raiatea,
Thaha, Huahine, Bora Bora). and there are equally spectacular
lonesome anchorages all over Tahiti and Moorea.
Our
crew was
divided as to which is the most beautiful isle.
My
vote goes to
spectacular Moorea,
but
none
of

us will ever forget Bora Bora's
massive slab-sided twin peaks, lovely' motus,
and
beautiful
lagoon.
The
French Society Islands live up to their billing as a
cruising paradise.
The
area
deserves the massive effort which
Marcia Davock has
put
into this cruising guide.
Not all round the world sailors are dropouts. Certainly not
the author, Marcia Davock.
or
her
husband. "Mugs." who have
gone more than halfway. east to west. from
Seattle (Majorca at
this writing), stopping off to see the sights and replenish their
cruising kitty. Marcia is blessed with
an
inquisitive mind and a
great pair
of
eyes, as well as good work habits. You're going
to
"see" Tahiti and the French Society Islands via the eyes of a

trained observer and
an
excellent sailor and navigator. We feel
fortunate
to
have persuaded Marcia
to
do this definitive work.
the only complete. detailed guide to these beautiful islands.
Phi
Beta
Kappa graduate of the University
of
Michigan.
Marcia was an award winning medical writer
and
P.R. specialist
for the University Hospital in Seattle. This isn't
her
first book.
In
1980.
she wrote
The
Need
for Skin
Disease
Research
for the
U.S. Dermatological Societies. She has been a contributing

writer and/or photographer for several northwest area and Ann
Arbor. Michigan. newspapers and magazines, and has written
extensively for boating magazines in London, Australia. and in
the
USA. Marcia is attractive, intelligent. and conscientious.
I greatly enjoyed cruising
the
French Society Islands with
Marcia. Together
we
developed the format, outline, agreed on
coverage, charts. photos.
and
specifications for this book.
Wescott Cove
is
proud
to
present
her
work to you.
We
believe it
meets
our
objectives for cruising guides, to tell you everything
of interest that you could possibly want
to
know about these
lovely islands; where to find supplies. services. entertainment.

sightseeing, recreation, anchorages. marinas, beaches, restau-
rants-with
all these points of interest located
on
charts; to give
you all pertinent information
on
navigation. charts. communi-
cations,
chartering,
customs
procedures,
regulations,
cli-
matological
data,
currents, anchoring techniques. history,
government. economy, money, cuisine, transportation. and ev-
erything else you need to help you get
to
and around these
beautiful islands.
This book would not have been possible without
the
com-
plete cooperation and generous assistance
of
South Pacific
Yacht Charters who runs a first-class charter operation at Raia-
tea.

The
book would not have ben possible without permission
from
the
French
Government
(Hydrographic
and
Oceanographic Marine Service) to use their excellent charts as
a basis
for
our
own
marked
up
charts
which you'lI find
throughout this book.
Our
charts are intended to supplement
the official French charts. and are not intended
to
be used for
navigation.
We
found the French charts to be excellent and
recommend you buy them.
We
had great cooperation and friendly assistance from every-
one

we
met in the Society Islands. from the tourist bureau down
to Polynesians on remote islands.
One
of the delights in these
islands are the friendly, happy people. Their ways are soft and
pleasant.
Go
there and enjoy.
Julius M. Wilensky
Stamford,
cr
January,
1985
Julius Wilensky leadina three cheers for beautiful Opunohu Bay, Moorea
4
INTRODUCTION
The Society Islands of French Polynesia offer some of the
best cruising in the South Pacific
Ocean. The scenery of these
high volcanic islands
is
spectacular; the anchorages are pro-
tected
by
barrier reefs; the tradewind-dominated weather
is
excellent; navigation among the islands
is
relatively easy; plen-

tiful supplies are available in the larger towns; and your hosts,
French
Polynesians, are honest, likeable, handsome and fun-
loving people you'll never forget.
This yachting guidebook to the Society Islands
is
meant to
help you decide what you want to see and provide you with
information about how to get there, including passages to and
through the islands, courses through coral reef passes, informa-
tion on navigating interior barrier reef channels, and the loca-
tions of desirable anchorages.
We
include voluminous informa-
tion about facilities and sights on shore that
will
make your trip
easier, more pleasant and interesting.
This book
is
based upon three trips to the Societies. The
first
was
in 1973, cruising aboard a friend's boat for six months. The
second was
in
1981,
cruising for six months aboard our own
boat, the
"Shearwater," a Rhodes-41 sloop built

by
Pearson
in
1965
(IO-fool, 5-inch beam and 6-fool draft). The Ihird
was
a
short but intensive visit of a month in late
1982, cruising aboard
a
South Pacific Yacht Charters' Peterson
44
and a Nautical
39.
All the practical information
in
the guide
is
based upon
conditions observed. However,
we
stress, conditions change. A
big storm can cause a river mouth's previous anchorage to silt
up, rapid coral growth can obstruct a formerly accessible an-
chorage; buoys and markers are added
by
men, then
su
btracted
by

storms. Stores, restaurants and discos spring into action and
then die the following season. Prices always increase.
On
the other hand, "plus ca change, plus c'est
la
meme
chose."
While we've noticed some changes during our visits
over
10
years, we've been surprised at how much has not
changed.
Information in this guide
is
based on passes and channels
we
scouted ourselves; beaches, coves and harbors where
we
an-
chored; and facilities on shore that
we
investigated
by
walking
the coasts.
We
have also given many personal opinions aboul places
we
liked and places
we

didn't like, because we've found a frequent
failing of cruising guides
is
that they present only objective
information, and the reader can never tell.
"Well, did they like
that spot
or
not?" We've also prioritized the anchorages some-
what
so
that you can pick the best spots if you have only limited
time on a certain island.
Our
cruising companions and other
sailors didn't always agree on their favorite harbors. Take
as
much time as you can to enjoy the wonderful cruising
in
the
Society Islands. You'll have the same problem everyone does,
deciding which are your favorites.
This guide
is
not meant to substitute
in
any
way
for proper
nautical charts and

Pilots (the sailing directions published
by
American, French and British naval
or
marine offices). Rather,
the guide should be used in conjunction with these sources.
Although we've been all over these islands several times, and
had expert help from people who have been on the scene for
many years, and great care has been taken to make this book
accurate, the author and publisher cannot ensure that the guide
is
error-free.
We
would appreciate hearing from you regarding
changes which can
be
incorporated into future editions. Send
us
your notes, observations, sketches and comments, so that
fu-
ture cruisers following in our wakes can benefit from what we've
all
learned.
You
can reach me through the publisher, address on
title page.
This book
was
in
no

way
supported by any commercial busi-
ness, government, magazine or publication,
or
sailing or cruis-
ing organization.
In
compiling this guide, I talked with and
5
interviewed many officials, local residents, storekeepers, res-
taurant owners, hotel managers, port captains and, of course,
other cruisers. However, rarely did I mention I
was
writing a
yachting guide. I posed as a normal cruiser, seeking information
so as to avoid any special treatment.
In almost all cases, the people of French
Polynesia are over-
whelmingly willing to help you and to provide information.
ThIs
goes a long
way
toward making your cruise of the Society
Islands more interesting and enjoyable. You'll be welcomed
there.
Marcia Davock
Papeete, Tahiti
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks go to the Tahiti Tourist Development Board,
especially Moe Le Caill and Tini Colombel, who helped me

with photographs; Don and Linda
Pixley, who helped make our
charter a success; to the Papeete Immigration, Customs and
Port Captain officials, who patiently answered
my
numerous
questions; to Superprint
Photographic Service
in
Sydney, who
quickly and expertly handled all
my
film, to three New Zealand
families (the Gilmores. Harrises, and Beardsleys), who loaned
me
their houses
in
Papua New Guinea while I completed the
manuscript; and to the many, many
Polynesians we've come to
know
in
our cruising.
This book couldn't have been written without the support of
two people to whom
lowe
special thanks.
My
husband, Mugs
Davock (also the skipper of our boat), patiently put up with

my
meanderings through nearly every pass, channel and anchorage
in
the Society Islands. He read and criticized
my
manuscript,
and
was
unfailingly good-natured and supportive throughout
the year-long project. And special thanks
go
to the publisher,
Julius Wilensky, who taught me more about researching, writ-
ing
and re-writing a cruising guide than I dreamed possible. and
whose wonderful encouragement helped me complete the proj-
ect.
Photo by Marcia
Olvock
Author's "Shearwater," Cooks Bay,
Moore.
LIST OF CHARTS, MAPS, AND DIAGRAMS
See note on page
29.
We
have been given permission by the French Hydrographic Service to
use
their charts as a basis for our own. The
charts
in

this book are intended
to
be
supplementary, and not
to
substitute for proper
chans
on board your boat.
CHARTS
AND
STREET
MAPS
Chart Page
Tahiti (overall chart)

64-65
Raiatea,
W.
Coast Anchorages. Toamaro. Tetuatiare Passes

218
Tahiti. Papeete Pass and
Faaa
Channel to Maeva Beach

68-69 Raiatea,
W.
Coast Anchorages. Rautoanui Pass

219

Papeete City
Map

76-77 Raiatea NW Coast. Rautoanui Pass

221
Key
to
City Map Numbers

74-75
Tahaa
(overall chart)

222-223
Tahiti
NW
Coast. Maeva Beach. Faaa.
Taapuna
Pass

88
Raiatea · Tahaa, Grand Banc Central

225
Tahiti
W.
Coast. Punaauia

92 Tahaa. SW

Coa.~t
Anchorages. Papai Pass

227
Tahiti
W.
Coast, Paea

93 Tahaa.
NW
Coast Anchorages

229
Tahiti SW
Coast, Papara District Passes and Anchorages

95 Tahaa.
N.
and NE Coast Anchorages

230-231
Tahiti
S.
Coast. Popoti
Bay

97 Tahaa. SE Coast Anchorages. Toahotu Pass

235
Tahiti

S.
Coast. Atimaono Passes and Anchorages

98
Bora Bora (overall chart)

236-237
Tahiti S.
{'oast. Rautirare Pass

101
Bora Bora. Passe Teavanui

240
Tahiti S. Coast, Botanical Gardens Passes and Anchorages

103
Bora Bora, Teavanui Pass. Anchorages at Yacht Club,
Tahiti. Port Phaeton. Taravao

107
Vaitape, Faanui Bay

241
Tahiti. Port Phaeton. Taravao (larger scale)

108-109
Bora Bora. Town
of
Vaiatape

245
Tahiti. Town
of
Taravao

111
Bora Bora, S. Tip Anchorages. Topua. Povai.
Tahiti-hi (overall chart)

112
Hotel Bora Bora

247
Tahiti-IIi
W.
Coast. Tapuaeraha Basin. Vairao Anchorage.
Bora Bora
N.
Coast

251
Channel from Vairao Bay into Teahupu Basin

114
Bora Bora NE Coast. Motu Anchorages

252
Tahiti-IIi
W.

Coast. Tapuaeraha Pass and Bora Bora. S. Tip Anchorages. PI. Matira

253
Vairao Anchorage

116-117 Maupiti (overall chart)

257
Tahiti-IIi
W.
Coast. Teahupu. Havae Pass

I
19
Maupiti. Onoiau Pass

258-259
Tahiti-hi S.
Coast. Port Beaumanoir

120
M opelia (overall chart)

26
I
Tahiti-IIi Southern Tip. Vaiau Basin. Pari

123
Mopelia. Taihaaru. Vahine Pass
•

263
Tahiti-hi
SE
Tip. Pari Coast

125
Mopelia. village only

265
Tahiti-hi
SE
Coast. Pari Coast and Paofai Anchorage

126-127 . Mehetia

267
Tahiti-hi
E.
Coast. Vaionifa Pass and Anchorage

128
Maiao

267
Tahiti-hi NE
Coast. Tautira Basin and Cook's Anchorage

131
Tetiaroa Atoll

267
Tahiti-hi
N.
Coast. Port Pihaa and
Taharoa
Pass

132
Tupai

267
Tahiti-hi
N.
Coast. Pueu Passes and Anchorages

134
Manuae

268
Tahiti-Iti
N.
Coast, Taravao Bay

136-137 Motu One

268
Tahiti
E.
and NE Coast

138
Sketch Chart
of
the Society Islands

Inside
Tahiti
E.
Coast. Port Vaitoare Passes and Anchorages

141
Sketch Chart
of
French Polynesia

back
Tahiti
E.
Coast. Hitiaa Passes and Anchorages

142
Sketch Chart
of
the lies Sous
Ie
Vent (Leeward Islands)

cover
Tahiti
E.

Coast, Faaone Passes and Anchorages

143
Tahiti NE Coast, Boudeuse Pass and Anchorages

145
Tahiti
N.
Coast. PI. Venus. Matavai
Bay

147
DIAGRAMS
AND
DRA
WINGS
Tahiti NW Coast. Yacht Club

149
Tahiti NW Coast,
Taunoa
Pass

151
Illustration
of
Island and Reef ('nnfigurations

9
Moorea (overall chart)

154-155
Southern
Hemisphere Cyclone

28
Moorea East and West Coasts

15M-
I 59
Drawings showing buoyage
system

34-34
Moorea NW
Coast and Opunohu Bay

163
H
ow
to do a Bahamian Monr

38
Moorea.
Opunohu
Bay and Tareu
Pa~,

164-165
Tahiti seen from the north

70
Moorea NE Coast and
Cook~
Bay

173
Havae Pass seen from a half-mile from the entrance.
Moorea,
Cooks Bay and Avaroa Pass

174-175
Tahiti-hi

I
15
Moorea. Bali Hai Anchorage and Irihonu Pass

,
•
17K
Correct course into Vaionifa Pass with Mt. Toaeno
H uahine (overall chart)

180-
I 8 I
bearing 233
0
T. Tahiti-Iti

129
Huahinc. Avamoa Pass. Fare

IX3
Sketch
ofTaunoa
Pass. Tahiti

150
Huahine. Town
of
Fare

185
Sketch
of
Vaiare Pass. Moore"

157
Huahine
N.
Coast

IX7
Sketch
of
Tareu Pass. Moorea

167
Huahine.

W.
Coast Anchorages. Fare. Avamoa and
Sketch. Moorea walk to
Belvedere Viewspot

170
Avapehi Passes

189
Sketch. Moorea Marae Sites
in
Opunohu Valley

170
Huahine. S. Coast Anchorages

191
Sketch. Avaroa Pass. Moorea

171
Huahine, Farerea Pass

193
Sketch arerea Pass. Huahine

193
Huahine
E.
Coast Anchorages. Farerea. Tiare Passes

195
Sketch. Teavapiti Pass. Raiatea

200
Raiatea and
Tahaa
(overall chartl

197
Sketch. Irihu Pass. Raialea

210
Raiatea NE COllst. Uluroa, Teavapiti Pass

198-199 Sketch. Teavamoa Pass. Raiatea

2 I 2
Raiatea
N.
Coast. Apooiti Bay Marina. Airport. Sketch. Nao Nao Pass

216
Yacht
Club

203
Sketch. S. Coast Raiatea

216
Raiatea. Town of Uturoa

205
Sketch. Punaeroa Pass. Raiatea

2 I 7
Raiatea.
E.
Coast Anchorages. Teavapili. Irihu Passes

20~
Sketch.
Toamaro
Pass. Raiatea

217
Raiatea
E.
Coast. Irihu Pass.
Faaroa
Bay

209
Sketch. Paipai Pass.
Tahaa

226
Railltea. SE Coast Anchorages, Teavamoa
Pas,

211

Sketch.
Toahotu
Pass. Tahaaa

233
Raiatea
SW
Coast, Punaeroa Pass

214
Sketch, Teavanui Pass. Bora Bora

237
Raiatea. S. Coast Anchorages. Naonao Pass

215
Sketch. Maupiti Viewed from
HI
miles away
301
0
T

256
6
Photo by
A.
Sylvain
~
11_18

.111iU!Ulilll~
,

-11
t,
Polynesian dancer
7
Chapter 1
An
Introduction
To
Tahiti
And
The
Society
Islands
Of
French
Polynesia
French Polynesia is a group of
130
islands that occupy two
million square miles
of
the southeastern Pacific Ocean. They
extend from about
8·
to 28· south latitude, and from
133
0

to
ISS·
west longitude,
and
are
situated in
one
of
the most remote
corners of the Pacific, mid-way between California
and
Aus·
tralia.
The
total
area
of
the islands' land mass
is
only 1,544
square miles. yet they are'
spread
out
on an area of ocean the
same size as the
European
continent,
or
equivalent
to

the
distance from Miami
to
Montreal
and
New York to Omaha.
Many people think
of
all South Pacific isles as farther west
than French Polynesia.
If
you draw a line south from
An·
chorage, Alaska, you'll run over Thhiti.
If
you draw a line west
from the north
border
of
Chile, you'll
run
over Tahiti. Tahiti lies
east
of
Hawaii.
French Polynesia is an overseas territory of France.
Geo-
graphically
and
administratively, the islands are divided into

five
major groups:
(1)
the Society Islands (les lies de la Societe);
(2) the Marquesas Islands (les lies Marquises; (3) the Tuamotu
Archipelago (l'Archipel des Tuamotu);
(4) the
Gambier
Archi·
pelago (I' Archipel des Gambier, sometimes included in with the
Tuamotus);
and
(5)
The
Austral Islands (les Iles Australes).
The
capital of the group
is
Papeete, Tahiti.
The
Society Islands, which this
book
covers,
are
compo.sed
of
14
islands divided into two main groups:
(1)
the Windward

Islands (les lies du Vent)
-Tahiti,
Moorea, Maiao, Mehetia
and
Tetiaroa; and (2) the Leeward Islands (les lies Sous
Ie
Vent)-Huahine.
Raiatea.
Tahaa,
Bora
Bora,
Maupiti,
Mopelia, Tupai, Manuae
and
Motu
One.
Of
the Society
r~
lands, eight have passes
and
are easily visited
by
sailboat-
Tahiti,
Moorea,
Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa,
Bora
Bora,
Maupiti

and Mopelia. Each of these islands
is
described in detail in this
guide.
The
remaining six islands (all are atolls except Maiao and
Mehetia) can be visited only by anchoring off the reef and
attempting to land the dinghy through the surf.
Please. only on
calm days! These islands
are
described in the "Pass-Less Is-
lands"
chapter
16.
Most of the Society Islands are high volcanic islands, with
rocky summits that are the
eroded
remnants of volcanoes,
and
a
surrounding lagoon protected
by
a coral barrier reef (Tahiti and
Bora
Bora,
for example).
Other
islands in French Polynesia are
high volcanic islands, but with little

or
no surrounding reef.
or
perhaps only small attached fringing reefs (most of the Mar-
quesas, for example). A third type of island is the coral atoll, a
ring of coral around an interior lagoon, thought to have been
formed when a volcano inside a barrier reef gradually subsided
or
eroded
away, leaving only
the
coral ring (most of the
Tuamotus and MopeJia). for example.
The
important feature of the barrier reef is that it provides a
lagoon sheltered from ocean swell, where cruising yachts can
find excellent anchorage. You can tie the stern off
to
a palm
tree,
open
a cold Tahitian beer,
and
watch the sun set over the
waves crashing
onto
the nearby barrier reef, and your boat will
be resting motionless on the placid lagoon waters.
But first, let's get you
to

Polynesia.
Photo by Tahi.ti Tourist Board
Readying for the start
of
a pirogue
rac:e
8
ISL-ANDS
AND
~EF
CONFIGURA
TlONS
IN
FRENCH
POLYNESIA
rRJNGllVG
REEr
~ i
HIGH VOLCANIC
ISLAND
BARRIER
REEF
CORAL
-A
TOLL
:.~~ +
FRINGING
REEF
EXTENDING
FROM

SHORE
EXAMPLE:
MARQUE.sAN
ISLANDS
__
r HIGH,
ERODED
VOLCANIC
ISLAND
+
LA
GOON
BARRIER
REEF,
WHICH
MAY
HAVE
"MOTUS;
oR
ISLETS
+ LAGOON
EXAMPLE:
TAHITI
BORA
BORA
TAHAA
1
SURR.OUNDING
RING
OF

CORAL
REEF,
WHICH
MAY
NAVE
"MOTUS;'
OR
ISLETS
SUNKEN
VOLCANO
EXAMPLE:
9
MOP£LJA
TUAMOTUAN
A
TOLLo
Chapter 2
Planning
the
Voyage:
Advance
Preparations
VISAS
If
you are chartering from South Pacific Yacht Charters or
other charterers, and
fly
to the French Society Islands, you need
no visa
or

bond. Canadians, Americans, and other nationals
from countries listed below under 2 and 3 need only a valid
passport and a return airplane ticket.
If
you come
in
with your
own boat,
or
want
to
stay longer than one month, here's what
you must do.
Yacht owners and crew members
will
need to apply for visas
well
in
advance of arrival in French Polynesia. This may require
requesting visa application forms from the nearest French
con-
sulate, filling them out and mailing them back, along with your
passports and service fee. The process can take up
to
two
months,
so
prepare ahead.
On
the other hand,

we
once got a
three-month visa at the French consulate in Honolulu in
24
hours, a very easy and streamlined process.
Here are the requirements for citizens of various nations who
are requesting tourist visas:
1.
Valid
passport,
no
visa
required,
unlimited
stay,
for
citizens
of:
France
(national
identity
card,
or
passport
expired
for
less
than 5
years
are

also
accepted)
Central
African
Rep.
Congo
(People's
Rep.)
Dahomey
Gabon
Ivory
Coast
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Senegal
Togo
Upper
Volta
2.
Valid
passport,
no
visa
required,
for
stays
not
exceeding

three
months,
for
citizens
of:
Belgium
Denmark
Ireland
Italy
Luxemburg
Monaco
Netherlands
United
K.ingdom
West
Germany
Cameroon
Vatican
City
3.
Citizens
of
the
following
countries
whose
passports
are
valid,
are

admitted:
Without
a
visa
for
stays
not
exceeding
one
month
With
a
visa
issued
without
the
High
Commissioner's
approval
for
stays
of
longer
than
three
months.
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bolivia

Brazil
Canada
Ceylon
Cyprus
Columbia
Dominican
Republic
Finland
Greece
Haiti
Iran
Iceland
Israel
Jamaica
Japan
Liechtenstein
Malta
Mexico
Norway
New
Zealand
Pakistan
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switl.erland
Tunisia
Turkey
United
States

4.
Citizens
of
the
following
countries
whose
passports
are
valid,
are
admitted:
With
a
visa
issued
without
the
High
Commissioner's
approval
for
transits
without
any
stop
or
with
a
stop-over

of
10
days
maximum.
With
a
visa
issued
with
the
High
Commissioner's
approval
for
stays
longer
than
10
days.
Afghanistan
Jordan
Saudi
Arabia
10
Antigua
Kampuchea
Sierra
Leone
Barbados
Kenya

Singapore
Belize
Kuwait
and
other
Somalia
Botswana
Persian
Gulf
states
South
Africa
Burma
Lesotho
South
Korea
Burundi
Lebanon
South
Rhodesia
Chad
Liberia
Sudan
Costa
Rica
Madagascar
Syria
Egypt
Maldives
Tanzania

Salvador
Malawi
Thailand
Ethiopia
Malaysia
Tonga
Fiji
Nepal
Trinidad
Gambia
Nicaragua
Tobago
Ghana
Nigeria
Uganda
Honduras
Panama
Venezuela
India
Papua
New
Guinea
Western
Samoa
Indonesia
Philippines
Yugoslavia
Iraq
Rwanda
Zambia

5.
Citizens
of
the
following
countries
whose
passports
are
valid,
are
admitted
with
the
High
Commissioner's
approval:
Algeria
Ecuador
Rumania
Albania
East
Germany
Taiwan
Bulgaria
Hungary
(Rep.
of
China)
Chile

Northern
Korea
Uruguay
China
Mongolia
U.S.S.R.
(People's
Rep.)
Paraguay
Vietnam
Cuba
Peru
Yemen
Czechoslovakia
Poland
These are the published regulations concerning visas for
tourists entering the islands
of
French Polynesia. These regula-
tions also state "Captains, passengers and crews (of yachts)
must have valid passports and previously secured tourist
visas."
It
is
highly recommended by nearly
all
yachtsmen who have
visited Tahiti that you and your crew obtain visas in advance.
It
will

smooth your path with officials.
You
won't have to waste
valuable time waiting for approval, or rushing from office to
office trying to explain your case
in
halting French. Several
yachts that arrived in Taiohae in the Marquesas with no visas
had to wait there a week
or
so until visa permission was obtained
frorn Papeete.
In addition,
if
you arrive with no visas, some officials have
been requesting to see that you have adequate funds on
board to
sustain you and your crew members during your visit. This
requirement
is
about U.
S.
$350 per month for each person
on
board.
It
is
rarely checked except in the case of yachts arriving
without visas, and those who appear tu be without adequate
funds,

or
who have caused problems for officials.
Even if you arrive
in
the territory with no visas and obtain
them from Papeete. the total length of stay permitted
will
date
from your entry into French
Polynesia, not from the date of
receiving a visa.
Visas are issued for several different lengths of stay, but most
common among cruising yachts are three-month and six-month
visas.
If
you apply in advance for a one-year visa, it takes a lot
longer, as it must be approved by the High Commissioner. A
three-month visa obtained in advance outside the country
usually costs about
U.S.
$10
per person in service fees and
stamps.
Visa extensions are easily obtained for up to a six-month stay.
After six months, a request for renewal must include a letter to
the High Commissioner of the territory. stating the reasons for
the requested renewal and total length of time already spent
in
the territory. You must apply for this
at

least
15
days before your
present visa expires.
An
additional six months, up to one year
total, can usually be obtained, but the rules state that
"captains
will
have to take into consideration the meteorological forecasts
for the time of visa expiration." In other words, if your one-year
visa expires in the middle
of hurricane season, you
will
still have
to leave.
Extensions past
one
year are extremely rare. Even if you
do
receive an additional extension, you
will
have to pay duty on
your yacht to
"import" it into French Polynesia. Import duty
varies considerably from yacht
to
yacht.
The
boat

will
be in-
spected and the amount
of
duty charged will be based upon the
age. condition, size and value of the boat.
A rule being newly enforced
is
that if a yacht intends to re-
enter French Polynesia,
it
has
to
have been out of the territory
for as long as the last stay. For instance, if you stayed in French
Polynesia six months, you cannot re-enter until you've been
outside the territory for six months. Otherwise, you may have
to pay import duty
on
the boat.
Tourist visas cannot be converted into work permits. Work
permits are extremely difficult to obtain. They are issued to the
employer for a maximum period of one year. This means that
the employee who has found a
job
in advance (usually outside
the territory) can apply
to
reside and work in the territory for
one

year, and can usually extend this as long as he
or
she
is
still
working for the same employer.
Another
regulation which is definitely enforced is:
"The
holders
of
tourist visas are not allowed to work
or
trade."
We
have heard
of
one
yachtsman forced to leave French Polynesia
when officials learned he was selling his scrimshaw to a Moorea
boutique.
For information
on
check-in requirements, ports of entry and
crew changes, see
"Entry
and Exit Formalities," Chapter
4.
BONDS
French Polynesia requires each visiting yachtsman (captain,

passengers and crew members) to post a bond equivalent to the
cost of one-way air fare to their home country,
or
to possess an
air ticket home.
The
repatriation bond,
or
"une
caution," as it
is
called
in
French, remains in one
of
the I"dpeete banks during
your stay,
and
then
is
refunded to you upon departure when you
check out from one of the entry-exit ports.
Usually the bond
will
be requested upon application for a visa
when you are still outside the country. You must show a receipt
to the visa-issuing consulate before the visa will be processed.
This
is
a simple procedure.

T.'lke
your money to the correspon-
dent local bank of
one
of the French Polynesian banks (the
French consulate
will
tell you which one), and telex it to
Pa-
peete, receiving a receipt. Show the receipt to the consulate and
then keep it to show officials when you arrive in French
Poly-
nesia.
It
will usually be much cheaper to telex your money in ad-
vance to French Polynesia, than to wait until you've entered the
territory, then telex a request to your home country for the
funds and receive the telexed money. Instead, carry enough
money on board to pay the bond when you arrive, if you haven't
previously posted it.
In
1981,
most U.S. citizens were paying bonds of about U.S.
$850
per person. In 1982, perhaps due to the rising strength of
the dollar, some U.S. cruisers reported paying about U.S. $450
per person. Citizens of the United Kingdom and continental
Europe were paying about double these rates, up to
U.S. $1,500
per person. However,

we
heard many cases
of
individuals from
the same country paying different bond rates, depending upon
where they posted the bond money.
Other
yachtsmen have purchased one-way air tickets back to
their home country, which in some cases they found to be
cheaper than putting up the amount of bond money required by
the French consulate.
We
did this once, and then had trouble
getting a refund from the airline.
The
tickets had to be sent back
to the airline's country of origin (New Zealand, in this case), and
it took the airline nearly four months to process our refund.
Our
money was tied up for a much longer time than had
we
merely
deposited the bond
in
a French Polynesia bank and received it
back on the day of departure.
Marcia leaving Gendarmerie. Fare, Huahine
11
We have
been

informed that you can deposit your
bond
in
an
interest-bearing account in Papeete. However, you cannot draw
any
of
the
bond
money
out
until you check
out
at your last
French Polynesian port.
Those who arrive in French
Polynesia with no visas,
or
who
have not yet posted bonds, will be asked to do so immediately
upon arrival. Years ago, yachts arriving in the Marquesas took a
lackadaisical attitude toward posting the bond,
but
now that
there is a
bank
at Thiohae (Nuku Hiva), cruisers must imme-
diately post their bond
or
get plans underway to have the money

telexed.
The
situation is similar checking into Atuona (Hiva
Oa).
If
you think
that
posting a bond here is unfair, remember you
will get it all back.
Other
Pacific countries charge outright non-
refundable fees. Vanuatu:
S60
entry fee; Solomons:
$100
light
maintenance fee; Papua New Guinea: many visa fees, bonds
after several months ranging from
$400
per
person
up
to
the
$30,000 requested
of
one
yacht, $30
per
person departure tax;

Australia:
$20
per
person
departure
tax; Indonesia: about
$100-$150
to
obtain visa through
an
agent; Sri Lanka:
$150
or
so
a month.
Return of your French
Polynesian bond money is fast and
efficient. You can usually obtain it the day before you leave, in
traveler's checks
or
most any major currency. See
"Entry
and
Exit Formalities,"
Chapter
4 for more information.
Yachts staying in French Polynesia for only a
few
days to a
week usually have

the
bond requirement waived.
If
you
fly
to
the Society Islands for a bareboat charter from
South Pacific Yacht Charters, you need no visa
or
bond.
You
will
need only a valid passport
and
a return trip airline ticket.
HEALTH
REQUIREMENTS
You are required
to
possess
an
international certificate of
vaccination,
but
no vaccinations
are
required unless you are
coming from
an
infected area. Usually, officials will not ask to

see the certificate.
There
is no
need
to take anti-malarial drugs since malaria
does not exist in French Polynesia. You should, however, bring
along the normal medicines you use and a first aid kit.
Medi-
cines in French Polynesia
are
from France, and you
will
proba-
bly not recognize their names, although their generic compo-
nents will often be the same.
Before leaving home, you might
be
interested in writing the
International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers
(IAMAT), an organization that exists
on
voluntary contribu-
tions
to
provide helpful medical literature
and
physicians'
names
of physicians who speak English
to

travelers around the
world. For further information, write IAMAT, 350 Fifth Ave.,
Suite 5620, New York, NY
10001,
USA.
CUSTOMS
Here
is what you can import, duty-free,
per
person, into
French Polynesia:
400 cigarettes
or
100
cigars
or
500 grams
of
tobacco
1 liter
of alcoholic beverages
Qothes,
personal belongings. jewelry (500 grams maximum)
2 still cameras with
10
rolls unexposed film
1 movie camera with
10
rolls unexposed film
1 each: Thrntable, tape recorder, typewriter. portable radio,

binoculars, musical instrument
All normal yachting equipment
Sports equipment (water skis,
surfboards,
etc.)
Motorcycles, cars, bicycles, scooters, canoes: may be granted
temporary admission
under
bond
by customs
Motorcycles less than
45
cc's, can be landed without duty
or
bond,
but
you must show
to
customs a receipt for purchase of
insurance. Cycles larger than this may
mean
payment of duty
or
a bond.
Professional photographers can bring any desired equipment
12
into the territory,
but
must post a bond and apply in advance for
permission to: Service des Relations

et
Echanges Culturel,
Immeuble
du
Gouvernement, Papeete, Tahiti.
The
application
letter should list, in triplicate, all items of equipment, including
camera bodies, lenses, rolls of unexposed film, and the value
and serial number
of each item.
PETS
AND
FIREARMS
The regulation
on
bringing pets into French Polynesia reads:
"Entry
is strictly prohibited. In some cases,
an
exceptional
authorization
to
import
an
animal will be given by
the
High
Commissioner, if
the

animal comes from a rabies-free area.
However, it is allowed
to
have animals in transit, as long as they
remain
on
board.
If
you desire to land the animal. you must
make a formal request through the Papeete Customs only. Any
animals landed without the necessary authorization
will
be
destroyed."
Regulations are strict
on
firearms-
"Entry
prohibited." This
means that you must declare your guns, their serial numbers,
and ammunition to Customs upon entering
and
surrender them
to Customs in each island you cruise. In some ports, particularly
the Marquesas, yachts have not always had
to
do
this. This
routine can be a big pain
in

the neck. We
don't
carry guns,
ourselves,
but
we
have watched cruisers all across the Pacific
checking their guns into and
out
of each island. and sometimes
every separate harbor. Departures were delayed hours and
sometimes as much as two days because Customs officials
hadn't gotten
around
to returning the gun.
One
yachtsman
cruising northern Tonga found that officials had used his gun
and some of his shotgun shells!
This is not much of a problem in French
Polynesia, where
dealing with Customs
is
usually efficient. However, laws are
very strict for unauthorized
or
illegal use
of
guns by cruisers.
Though trading shotgun shells with locals formerly occurred,

it
is illegal.
Cruisers leaving from the U.S. with guns aboard should
declare
them
to
U.S.
Customs
to
obtain
a
certificate
of
ownership. Otherwise, they may be confiscated when you arrive
home.
THINGS
TO
BRING
French Polynesia is expensive. Cruisers formerly estimated
prices
at
about double those in the U.S. However, with recent
devaluations of French currency (Tahiti's currency is tied to the
French franc) and coincidental strengthening
of
the U.S. dollar,
expenses in French Polynesia have moderated.
Nevertheless,
to
avoid overspending, we'd advise you

to
bring everything possible with you. Cruising the
outer
islands,
Marquesas, Tuamotus and Australs. is usually not hard on the
budget because there's not much to buy.
But
Papeete can really
dent the cruising kitty. Editor's note: While cruising the French
Society
Islonds in
1982
on
one
of
South Pacific Yacht Charters
Peterson 44's,
we
spent about
$150
per person per week. in
addition to what
we
paid them for stocking the boat with food and
beverages. The
$150
went for dinners ashore. replenishing per-
ishable groceries, taxis, car rental, admissions, and souvenirs.
This
is

about what we've spent bareboat chartering in other
popular cruising
areas. You could do it on a lot less, but
we
were
there to enjoy.
It's more advantageous
to
carry traveler's checks rather than
cash. as they are safer
and
they bring a slightly higher exchange
rate. Credit cards are recognized at
major
resorts, car rentals,
and other establishments in Papeete, but are not widely recog-
nized in the
other
French Society Islands,
nor
in outlying parts
of Tahiti. Nobody wants personal checks.
Bring all these items with you: medications and a complete
emergency medical kit, eyeglasses, cameras and film, a French-
English dictionary (you can buy
one
here), marine supplies and
OUlside public markel, Papeele, Tahiti
spare parts (especially non-metric ones), tools,
food-as

much
as you can carry that will keep during your cruise. For food, see
approximate prices and availability information
in
the "Food
and Drink" section
of
the Tahiti Chapter 8, under Papeete.
Bareboat charterers needn't carry any food.
SPYC's commiss-
ary
is
very
well
stocked.
It
is
cheaper
to
reprovision in other South Pacific ports, such
as Pago Pago, American
Samoa; and Suva, Fiji, than in French
Polynesia.
For comfort aboard the boat, these items are essential: a
large awning for shade; sun hats; sunglasses (preferably
Polar-
oid to best see reefs); protective sun lotion; foul weather jackets
and an umbrella; a rainwater catchment system (particularly for
atolls where water is often
in

short supply); a hose for those
ports with dockside water; self-steering gear
or
autopilot; cock-
pit dodger.
Bareboat
charterers
will
not
need
catchment
systems
or
self steerers. Hoses are aboard SPYC's boats. Water
is
available in all of the major French Society Islands.
Bring enough fuel (diesel, gasoline, propane, kerosene) to
get you through to Papeete, as these are sometimes not
avail-
able in outer islands such
as
the Marquesas, and practically
never
in
the Tuamotus. Fuel
is
available in all
of
the major
Society Islands. Also frequently

in
short supply
in
the outer
islands are eggs, onions,
and
other
vegetables.
Particularly bring every spare
part
you can for your main
auxiliary engine and refrigeration system, the two systems that
break down most frequently and cause some yachts never to
venture beyond big city ports,
"waiting for parts."
Bring along plenty of items you can use for gifts
or
trade.
Some
of
the most popular items are: printed T-shirts (anything
with
"Hawaii" on it tops the list); rock cassette tapes (reggae
very popular); 2-yard lengths
of
colorful cloth; sports-type
clothing (usually new); baseball hats, costume jewelry; per-
13
fume, cosmetics; cigarettes; canned foods, rice and sugar;
or

fishing tackle (hooks, line, leader). Fresh bread
and
baked
goods you've made
are
excellent
gifts
in islands with no bak-
eries. Carry a good supply
of
color postcard-sized photos
of
you, your crew
and
the boat. There will be many opportunities
to paste these
in
guest books,
or
just give them
to
new friends.
When trading with locals, such as you might in some
of
the
Marquesas and Tuamotus, watch carefully that you are making
a fair trade. While
Polynesians are nearly all very honest, in
some areas where they've dealt with many yachts, they're very
"trade-wise." The two items you'll trade most for are food

(usually fruit and fish), and souvenirs such as carvings, shell leis
and shells. Take a look in Tahiti Chapter 8 under Papeete for
some approximate values
of
these items before you trade.
Don't
trade a pair of jeans for two papayas and a handful of lemons.
nading
is
practically non-existent
in
the Societies, although
gift items will still come in handy.
THINGS
NOT
TO
BRING
Illegal drugs
or
narcotics
of
any type; undeclared firearms,
explosives
or
weapons;
or
an empty wallet!
FLAGS
In addition
to

your home country flag, you should have a
yellow quarantine
flag
and a French courtesy
flag.
It's tricolor
with red, white and blue vertical sections, and
is
easy to make.
Some yachts also
fly
the Tahitian flag, which has two horiwntal
red stripes, separated by a white stripe.
MAIL:
Where
to
Have It
Sent
General Delivery, known as "Poste Restante"
in
French-
speaking countries,
is
very reliable in French Polynesia. Mail
is
retained for one month, and often longer.
You
need your pas-
sport to claim it.
You can receive mail addressed

to
you
in
care of Poste Res-
tante at Papeete, Tahiti; Teavaro Post Office, Moorea, a long
walk from popular anchorages; Fare, Huahine;
Uturoa, Raia-
tea; and Vaitape, Bora Bora. The best way to have your letters
addressed
is:
Name (last name clearly printed and underlined)
Yacht Name
Poste Restante
City, Island
French
Polynesia
Mail can also be sent, by prior arrangement,
to
local Papeete
banks
if
you intend to
do
business with them:
Banque de I'Indochine
et
de Suez, B.P.
120,
Papeete, etc.
Banque de Polyensie, B.P. 250

Banque de Tahiti, B.P.
1602
If
you are an American Express card holder, you can have
mail sent
to
American Express, Thhiti Tours, B.
P.
627, Papeete.
"B.
P."
means"
Boite postale, "
or
post office box.
Receiving mail
in
the
outer
islands
is
more difficult. In the
Marquesas, yachts have traditionally received mail
in
care of
Maurice's
Store, Taichae, Nuku Riva, French Polynesia.
Other
small post offices are at Hiva
Oa

and
Ua
Huka (Mar-
quesas); Rangiroa, Tuamotus; and Tubuai, Australs.
HONORARY
CONSULS
The following nations have honorary consuls
in
Papeete,
some of whom may be willing to accept and hold mail for
nationals
of
the countries they represent, but we'd recommend
writing ahead to make sure.
Austria, Switzerland
and
Liechtenstein: Marcel Krainer,
Res. Paradis Mahina, Papeete.
Chile: Guy Bechaz,
I Pirae, Papeete.
Denmark:
J.
R. Desvaux de Marigny, Res. Lutus, Punaauia,
Papeete
Finland: Janine Laguesse, 2
Place Notre Dame, Papeete
Italy: Augusto Confalonieri,
B.P. 420, Papeete
Norway: Victor
Siu, B.P. 306, Papeete

Sweden: Michael Solari, Ets. Solari
et
Fils, Avenue General
de Gaulle, Papeete
West Germany: Claude Weimnamm,
B.P. 452, Papeete
AMATEUR
RADIO
OPEATORS
Licensed amateur radio operators must apply for a reciprocal
call sign to operate the radio while
in
French Polynesian waters.
This can take up to several months to obtain.
Send a letter
requesting the call sign and a photocopy of your license to:
Radio Communications, Direction de I'Office des
Postes et
Telecommunications, Papeete, Tahiti, French
Polynesia.
CHARTS,
NAVIGATIONAL
PUBLICATIONS
Bring it all with you. We'd recommend purchasing French
charts, as they are detailed and excellent. British and American
charts are certainly adequate.
To
interpret French charts, you
need some French. A French-English dictionary won't contain
all the technical words and abbreviations. French publication

Symboles et Abreviations figurant sur les Cartes Marines, pub-
lication No. I-D still doesn't offer translations, though the
il-
lustrations
are
helpful.
We
have included a
short
list of
abbreviations and terms translated into English
in
this book
in
the "Cruising the Islands" chapter
5.
Many French charts do not have compass roses, though they
show true north and magnetic north. This makes plotting
courses and hand bearings more difficult using parallel rules.
Some French charts
we
purchased new from Paris, updated to
1982,
had longitudes based on a Paris meridian, rather than
Greenwich!
We
have corrected these longitudes
in
the charts
used

in
this book.
If
you have such French charts and want to
correct the longitude, the difference
is
2°
6',
i.e., Paris
is
2°
6'
east of Greenwich. Subtract
2°
6' to convert Ouest Longitude to
Greenwich. Many more French charts have many more
de-
tailed coastline
views
than American
or
British charts.
You
will
also need a Pilot: either the U.S. Sailing Directions
for the
Pacific
Islands, publication 80, Volume
III
(The South-

Central groups); the French 'Instructions Nautiques: lies
de
rOtan
Pacifique, Serie K,
Vol.
IX,
2<
volume (A I'est
du
Merid-
ien
170°
Est);
or
the equivalent British Admiralty Pilot. The
French and British
Pilots are more expensive than the Amer-
ican loose-leaf Pilot.
We
have used both the U.S. and French Pilots and found both
good.
One would have more detail
in
a certain section than the
other. Both are out of date about popUlations, shoreside
facili-
ties, and other minor points. Spellings of place names differ
considerably between the two.
Sometimes one
or

the other
is
in
error, i.e., two passes' names are transposed on the south coast
of Tahiti; one Pilot says the tiny island of Mehetia
is
one mile
in
diameter, while the other Pilot says four, etc.
Other handy books to have aboard are lists
of
lights and
radiobeacons;
Ocean Passages for the World, published
by
the
Hydrographer of the British Royal
Navy,
1973
with current
supplements (good
on
route planning); the U.S. Atlas
of
Pilot
Charts,
South
Pacific
and Indian Oceans (with good weather
information); and your normal celestial navigational reference

books.
Bulletins of the
Seven Seas Cruising Association,
P.O.
Box
2190,
Covington, LA 70434, USA, has helpful up-to-date cruis-
ing information about various South
Pacific
and other islands
and anchorages. Local knowledge from French
Polynesians
is
generally better than
in
most other areas of the South Pacific,
but it still can range from accurate to dangerously inaccurate.
Pay
strict attention to your charts and keep a good lookout.
14
Some French charts are available in Papeete. See the Tahiti
Chapter 8, sub-chapter I, sub-heading
"Books."
It
is
best to
obtain charts
in
advance. Here are some addresses where you
can obtain them:

Editions Maritimes
et
d'Outre-Mer,
17
Rue Jacob,
75006
Paris, France
Service Hydrographique et
Oceanographique de
la
Marine,
13
Rue du Chatelier, Epshom, B.P. 426,
29275
Brest Cedex,
France
Warsash Nautical Bookshop,
31
Newton Road, Warshash,
Southampton
S03
6FY,
England
Nautical Instrument and Services Co.,
140
West
Broadway,
New
York, NY
10013,

USA
Captain's Nautical Supply, 1324-2nd Avenue, Seattle,
WA
98101
,USA
Boat Books,
35
Hume Street, P.o. Box 69, Crows Nest,
2065
Sydney, Australia
The approximate prices of charts in
1985
were:
American charts of French territories,
$11.50
each
British charts of French territories,
$16.50
to $20.00 each
delivered
by
air in USA.
French charts, purchased
in
France,
55
Fr.
francs each, ap-
proximately
$9

to
$10
delivered
by
air to USA
(1984)
French charts, purchased
in
Papeete,
870-1150
CFP francs
each
(1982).
A French franc (January,
1985)
is
only worth about
$.1024
U.S. Historically this
is
extremely low and
is
bound to
go
up long term. The Central
Pacific
franc (CFP) (Colonies Fran-
"aises
du Pacifique)
is

tied to the French franc at a rate of one
French franc worth
18.18
Central
Pacific
francs. See Chapter
7,
"Money" for more information on currency. Prices given for
services and products
in
this book are given
in
CFP francs, not
French francs, unless otherwise noted.
A complete list of available charts follows:
American
Charts for
French
Polynesia
1607
French Polynesia
83020
Marquesas Islands
83023
Rangiroa to Katiu, Tuamotus
83035
Raiatea to Tutuila, American Samoa
83035
Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
83218

Hiva
Oa,
Tahu Ata and Motane, Marquesas
83251
Tuamotu and Gambier Archipelagos
83252
Mangareva, Gambiers
83382
Tahiti and Moorea
83385
Papeete Harbor
83392
Huanhine to Maupti
83393
Raiatea (northern part), Port of Utura
83397
Bora Bora
British
Admiralty
Charts
1993
Raiatea to Tutuila, American Samoa
998
Makemo, Tuomotus, to Tahiti
1060 Huahine to Maupiti
1103
Tahaa and Raiatea
1107
Plans
in

the Society Islands: Port of Uturoa; Passe
Papai; Bora Bora; Passe Rautoanui;
Port of Fare
and Approaches;
Passe !riru
1158
N.
Coast of Tahiti, Papeete to Papenoo
1382
Tahiti and Moorea
1640
The
Marquesas
and
Plans in
the
Marquesas.
Bays:Viergcs,
Puamau,
Hane,
Taiohae,
Con-
troleur,
Anaho.
Vaitahu,
Hakahetau.
Vaipaee,
Taaoa
3137
Port Phaeton, Tahiti

3731
Papeete Harbor
4607
Southeast Polynesia
29
Rapa. southern-most Australs
1112
Gambiers, Rikitea Harbor on Managareva
1175
Plans
in
the Tuamotus, mostly northwest Tuamotus
3664
Plans
in
the Tuamotus, mostly southeast Tuamotus
French Charts
Because
of
the large number
of
French charts, we'll divide
them into island groupings. The titles have been translated and
annotated to explain where each
is
situated on an island. When
ordering charts, order by number, not name.
Area
Charts
fHJ7

French Polynesia
5037
Mid-Thamotus to Fiji
6036
French Polynesia and Cook Islands
5036
Mid-Tuamotus to Samoa
6000
Thamotus to Tahiti
6035
Tahiti to Cook Islands, including Australs
6597
Marquesas,
N.
Tuamotus to Maupiti
Tahiti
3500
6685
6598
6740
6828
6525
6717
3990
4068
3825
3824
3823
6956
fHJ5

3823
Moorea
3500
6658
6657
Tahiti and Moorea, includes Tetiaroa, Mehitia and
Maiao
Papeete
Papeete Coast, Taapuna to
Pt. Venus
W.
Coast, Faaa to Maraa
S.
Coast
Pt. Phaeton and
W.
Coast of Tahiti-Iti
Plans of Pt. Phaeton and Tapuaeraha Harbor
S.
Coast, Tahiti-Iti,
Vaviia
R.
to Arupa Pt.
E.
Coast, Tahiti-lti, Vaitoto to Arupa Pt.
N.Coast, Thhiti-Iti, Pueu to Vaitotok
E.
Coast, Faaone to Pihaa
E. Coast, Faaone to Mahaena
E.

Coast, Mahaena Pass to Taravao Bay
NECoast
N. Coast
Tahiti and Moorea (listed above)
Moorea
Cooks and
Opunohu Bays
lies Sous Le Vent
6688
lies
So
us
Le
Vent
(Leeward Islands)
6033
Archepel de la Societe (Society Islands Archi-
pelago. Details of Manuae, Maupihaa, and Motu
One
Huahlne
6434
Huahine
Ralatea, Tahaa
6283
Tahaa
6281
S.
Tahaa
6280
N.

Raiatea, Port of V turoa
6282
N.
Raiatea and passes between Raiatea and Tahaa
6284 S. Raiatea
Bora Bora
6002
Bora Bora
Western Islands
688
Maupiti
6176
Mopelia
6033
Shows small
views
of Tupai, Motu One, Manuae
Marquesas
6198
Marquesas area chart
3931
Nuku Hiva
5988
Plans
on
Nuku-Hiva: Bays
Anaho,
Hakatea,
5989
3997

5990
Taiohae. Controleur
Va Huku, Va Pou and plans: Bays Hane. Vaipaee.
Hakahau, Hakahetau, Vaiehu
Hiva
Oa, Fatu Hivd, Tahuata, Fatu Huku, Motane
Plans on above islands: Bays Hanaiapa, Puamau.
Hanamenu, Vaitahu, Taaoa
A5991
Fatu Hiva and plans; Bay des Vierges (llanavave),
d'Omoa
Photo by Marcia Oavock
Flower sellers, Papeete Public Market, Tahiti
15
'TUamotu.
6057
NW
Thamotus, Fakarava,
Anaa,
Faaite, Tahanea,
6066
6110
6364
6420
6363
6320
6421
6109
6365
5127

6367
5267
5878
6107
6580,
6579
6604,
6108
1063
5008,
6418,
6464
6108
Australs
6279
6165
6424
6207
4232
Motu
llJga
Central
Tuamotus,
Katiu,
Raevski,
Makemo,
Raroua,
others
Takaroa,
TIkei, Fangatau, Fakahina,

Puka
Puka.
Tepoto,
Napuka,
Takapoto
Ahe,
Manihi, Reianui, Tenupara, plans:
Apataki,
Arutua
TIputa
and
TIkehau, Rangiroa, Mataiva
Plans
on
above, passes
Temao,
Makatea
Arutua,
Kaukura,
Apataki
Aratika,
Rotoava,
Taiaro,
Fakarava,
Kauehi,
Raraka,
Niau, Toau
Plans
on
above

Fakarava, Tahanea
Makemo
passes
and
anchorages
Raroia
Matahiva, Tehuata,
Amanu,
Vairaatea,
Reao,
Mar-
utea,
Maria
S. Thamotus,
Hao
Hao
SE
Thamotus,
Mururoa,
Fangataufa, others
Gambiers,
Mangareva
Mangareva passes
and
anchorages
Temoe,
Portland
Reef
Maria,
.

Rimatara
Rurutu
Tubuai
Raivavae
Rapa,
Marotiri
Other
Cruising
Guides
While no
other
guide covers cruising
throughout
the
So-
cieties, several
other
sources discuss
either
portions
of
the
island groups
or
give
brief
overviews
to
French Polynesia as a
whole. Opinions stated below

are
those
of
the
author.
Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands
of
Frf!nch
Polynesia
(Tahiti)
by
South
Pacific Yacht
Charters.
Published in
1981
by
South Pacific Yacht
Charters,
P.O. Box 6, Smithfield,
Utah
84335,
USA,
price
$15.
This 65-page guide covers most of the
lies Sous
Le
Vent
(Raiatea,

Tahaa,
Bora Bora
and
Huahine),
the
principal cruising
grounds
of
yachts
chartered
through
SPYC. See
the
"Yacht
Charter"
section in this chapter).
It
does
not
cover
Moorea
or
Tahiti. Information
is
concise
and
accurate
about
passes
and

anchorages. Well-drawn charts, based on
French charts, show courses
through
passes
and
anchorages.
The
charts cost $8 extra. Unfortunately,
the
book
has very little
information
about
facilities
and
sightseeing ashore.
Landfalls
of
Paradise by Earl Hinz. Published in 1980, by
Western Marine Enterprises,
Inc.,
P.O. Box
Q,
Ventura,
CA
93002,
USA,
price $29.95. This good-looking
and
helpful cruis-

ing guide covers
the
entire South Pacific, with useful informa-
tion on
the
island groups, check-in procedures, a
bit
about
weather, facilities
and
anchorages.
The
book
is
strong
on
deal-
ing with officialdom
and
correct procedures,
but
very weak on
possible anchorages.
For
the
Society Islands, it describes only:
Papeete
(harbor
map);
Moorea

(mentioned only briefly in text,
no map);
Bora
Bora
(good
map;
no more infonnation). This
book
is
good
for
an
overall view of South Pacific cruising, but
contains only 29 pages
on
the
Societies.
A Cruising Guide for the South
Pacific
by Terry Harper.
16
(Published in
1980, with two successive printings, by the author.
Harper
Communications,
P.O.
Box
731,
Venice,
CA

90291,
USA,
price $24.95. This book
is
a direct reprint of the U.S.
Pilot,
which
is
not copyrighted and therefore can be reprinted.
More
than
half
the
information
is
directed
at
merchant vessels
of great size
and
has no applicability
to
yachts.
There
is
a map of
Papeete Harbor, but no information
on
where yachts moor!
Besides some mis-information,

there
is
some totally out-of-date
information.
The
book
has
38
type-written pages
on
the So-
cieties, including a
few
sketch charts, no photos.
South Pacific Handbook
by
David Stanley, second edition,
1982, Moon
Publications, P.o. Box
1696,
Chico,
CA
95927
USA,
price $14.20 postpaid
in
U.S. This not a cruising guide,
but
rather
a backpacker's guide for

the
Pacific Islands.
Author
Stanley
and
his
partner
have done
an
excellent and usually
accurate
job
of
researching each island group,
and
we've found
this book a worthwhile travel companion wherever we've been.
Oriented
toward
the
low-budget traveler, the book's style
is
terse
and
abbreviated, but packed with info sometimes not
found in the flossier traditional guides.
The
book has a total of
~4
pages

on
the
Society Islands, photos, maps
and
drawings of
mterest.
YACHT
CHARTERING
Tahiti
is
just coming
of
age for
the
yacht charterer. While
individual yachts have
been
available for
charter
over the past
two decades, they were rarely publicized outside French
Poly-
nesia. Potential clients. even travel agencies
abroad.
rarely
knew
of
their existence.
Today, two developments have encouraged charterers
to

visit
and
cruise these beautiful, under-visited islands. First, the es-
tablishment of South
P'dcitic
Yacht
Charters
on
Raiatea,
and
then,
aggressive new encouragement
of
charter
opportunities
by
the Tahiti Tourist
Board.
South Pacific Yacht
Charters,
Inc. (SPYC),
an
American firm
with
headquarters
in
Utah,
inaugurated a yacht
charter
service

in
1981.
SPYC
already has a very successful bareboat company
operation in
the
more
remote Vavau Islands
of
Northern
Tonga.
We
remember
seeing
their
first Peterson 44 delivered
to
their
new base
on
Raiatea
in
1981
while we were cruising the island
aboard
our
own boat.
The
fleet rapidly grew
to

seven yachts,
based in
the
new Apooiti Bay Marina, not far from
Uturoa.
In late 1982, I
flew
back to French Polynesia
and
cruised the
Societies again,
aboard
one
of
the
SPYC's Peterson 44s with
the
editor
of
this
book,
Julius Wilensky,
and
four
other
friends. We
were well pleased with the experience.
The
boat was immacu-
late, well maintained, stocked with a good variety

of
food
to
please everyone's taste
(and
we
had four fussy eaters aboard).
SPYC local managers, Linda
and
Don
Pixley, transport char-
terers from the
airport,
a two-minute ride,
and
see that all pre-
departure
check-outs are made. They have had long experience
in
Caribbean
yacht
charter
management.
SPYC
is
growing quickly
and
now has two Nautical 39s
and
five

Endeavour 37s besides the 7 Petersons 44s. SPYC's yachts
all have the usual
creature
comforts
of
charter
yachts including
massi~e
~e.frigerator
a~d
f~eezing
systems,
excelle~t
dodgers
~nd
Blmml tops,
electnc
wmdlass for hauling anchor, snorkel-
mg equipment, plenty
of
berths, more water
and
fuel
than
most
cruising yachts use in half a year.
The
cruising range
of
SPYC's yachts

is
the Leeward Islands
(lies Sous
Ie
Vent) only; not
Moorea
and
Tahiti, unless given
prior
special permission for the overnight sails.
We
had such
permission,
and
found, to
our
discomfort,
that
only two berths
on
the
boat
were usable at sea beating
to
windward at night,
since
there
were
no
"lee boards"

or
cloths installed
on
the
bunks. This would
not
affect day-sailing
charterers
in
the
Leeward Islands.
Rates for
SPYC
boats are: Peterson 44,
U.S.
$1,995 for 7 days
or
$3,990 for
14
days; Nautical 39, $1,750 for 7 days
or
$3,500 for
14
days; Endeavour 37,
1545
per
week. Full provisioning
is
an
additional

$15
per
day
per
person. Partial provisioning
is
avail-
able at
$13
per
person
per
day, for those who plan on eating
some dinners ashore in restaurants. Beverages are additional.
If
you want paid hands, add
$45
a day for skipper, $40 a day for
guide,
$35
for a cook. These costs include meals for the
crew.
A
$500 security deposit
is
required.
To
reserve a yacht, contact South Pacific Yacht Charters, P.o.
Box 6,
Smithfield,

Utah
84335, USA. The toU-free phone
in
the
U.S.
is
(800) 453-2730. From other parts of the world, phone
(801)
753-6240. Telex
is
910-971-4000.
In Polynesia, contact
manager Don Pixley, B.P.
165,
South Pacific Yacht Charters,
Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia, phone 63593. In conjunc-
tion with Robin Lee Graham and John Neal,
SPYC also started
offering 7-day cruising courses in
1984.
Many other types of charters can be arranged through the
Tahiti Tourist Board, B.P. 65, Papeete. Thhiti;
or
through Mer
et
Loisirs (Sea and Leisure), B.P. 3488, Papeete, Tahiti. Mer et
Loisirs represents the yachts listed below with
1983
rates quoted
in

French Polynesian francs. Rates are per day, for the max-
imum
number
of
passengers the yacht carries. Rates drop
slightly if fewer people are aboard.
SPYC also handles bookings
for
15
crewed boats based
in
Tahiti
or
Raiatea.
The following yachts are all with skipper and one crew. and
rates include all meals:
"Eryx II". Schooner,
25
meters, 6 passengers, 100,000 francs
"Shaitan of Tortola". Naviral 75,
23
meters, 6 passengers,
100.000 francs
''Alpha
Centauri". Swan 65, 20 meters, 6 passengers, 95,000
francs
"Targa II". Ketch 63,
19
meters, 6 passengers. 90,000 francs
"Striana". Ketch 60,

19
meters, 5 passengers, 66,000 francs
"Kebir". Ketch 57,
17
meters, 6 passengers, 69,900 francs
"Mimatega". Ketch 54,
16
meters, 6 passengers, 70,000 francs
"Manuatea". Taiwan 47,
14
meters, 6 passengers. 75.000
francs
"Jehol". Cutter,
13
meters, day sails for up to
10
passengers.
3.950 francs per person
Charter
Power Boat: "Tohitika". Ocean trawler,
16
meters. 6
passengers,
100,000 francs, plus fuel.
The following yachts are bareboat, no meals included. Some
have a skipper only aboard.
''Alliance''. Cornu
50,
15
meters, 5 passengers, 35,000 francs

"TIare Moana". Neptune
135.
13.8 meters. 7 passengers.
35,000 francs
"Sandanick". Sun Fizz,
11.7
meters, 6 passengers,
32.(XKI
francs
"Diabolique", Farr 38.
11.7
meters. 5 passengers.
29.tXIO
francs
"Tentation". Carter 37,
11.2
meters, 5 passengers, 29.000
francs
"Horo Miti". Neptune 94, 9.8 meters, 5 passengers, 20,000
francs
"Maroa". Neptune 94, 9.8 meters, 5 passengers. 20.000
francs
"First". First
3D-E,
9.7 meters, 5 passengers,
19,000
francs
Other North American charter agents:
Island
Yacht Charters,

1236
Coast Village Circle. Santa Bar-
bara,
CA
93108,
is
offering crewed yachts and bareboat char-
ters.
Windward Leeward Sailing Tours,
680
Beach St., Suite 494,
San Francisco,
CA
94109, USA. Phone
(415)
441-1334.
Bare-
boat
or
crewed.
Yacht Holidays International.
23241
Ventura Blvd., Suite
224, Woodland Hills, CA
91364,
USA. Phone
(213)
702-0111
or
(714)

966-0256). Bareboat
or
crewed.
Ocean Voyages,I7D9 Bridgeway,
Sausalito,
CA
94965, USA.
Phone (415) 332-4681. Crewed boats.
Criterion Charters,
2515
Maricopa St., Torrance. CA 90503.
USA.
Phone
(213)
328-5627. Bareboat
or
crewed.
17
Photo by Julius
M.
Wilensky
Don Pixley. SPYC Manager. with part
of
their charter neet.
Apooiti Bay Marina, Raiatea
Photo by Julius M Wilensky
Linda Pixley. SPYC office. Apooiti
Bay
Marina. Raiatea
1Tans-Seas,

Inc.,
207
Queen's
Way West, Toronto,
Ontario
M5J IA8,
Canada.
Phone
(416) 364-9098.
Bareboat
or
crewed.
OverseaS
Charter
Agents:
Europ
Sailing Agency,
148
rue
de
Chevilly, 9240,
L'Hay
Les Roses, France. Crewed boats.
TRAVEL
AGENCIES
To help plan
your
trip
in advance, it's useful
to

gather as much
information as possible. Many local
U.S.
travel agencies par-
ticularly those in
major
cities
on
the west coast, have helpful
brochures
on
Tahiti
and
the
French Society Islands.
Also write
to
the
very helpful Tahiti Tourist Development
Board.
B.P. 65, Papeete. Tahiti.
French
Polynesia.
In
USA
or
Canada,
write
to
1Tansportation Consultants In-

ternational (representatives for Tahiti in the
U.S.
and
Canada),
Charlotte Hyde,
4405 Riverside Drive. Suite 204,
Burbank,
CA
91505,
USA.
In
other
countries:
Tahiti Tourist
Board,
B.N.P. Building,
12
Castlereagh St.,
Sydney. NSW 2000.
Australia
Tahiti Tourist
Board.
4-F, Sun Building, 4-1-2 Roppongi,
Minato-Ku. Tokyo, Japan
Orient
Consultants
International,
Metsijsdreef
3. B-1900
Overijse, Brussels, Belgium

Local travel agencies in Tahiti:
Kia
Ora
Tours, Blvd. Pomare, B.P. 706
Manureva Tours, Blvd. Pomare, B.P.
1745
Pacific Travel,
Rue
Lagarde,
B.P. 605
Tahiti Express,
B.P. 4236
Tahiti Nui, Vaima Center,
B.P.
718
Tahiti Tours/American Express,
Rue
1.
d'Arc,
B.P. 627
Tahiti
Poroi. Fare
Ute,
B.P.
83
Tahiti Voyages, Place
Notre
Dame,
B.P. 485
Teremoana Tours, Rue des Ecoles,

B.P. 475
Voyageance Tahiti, Blvd.
Pomare, B.P. 274
Vahine Tahiti Travel, Vaima Center,
B.P.
1699
THE
LAST
AND
MOST
IMPORTANT
PREPARATION
Learn French!
The
most
common
comment
we've
heard
from
other
cruising
yachts is,
"We really liked French Polynesia. but if only we'd
bothered
to
learn French, we could have talked
to
the people
and

learned
so much more."
The
point
can't
be
stressed enough. This is
the
single. most
important
thing
that
cruisers regret when leaving. They had
trouble communicating with these wonderful, attractive
and
open
people,
usually
through
their own lack
of
knowledge.
English
is
spoken
in the centers where tourists roam. In
Papeete, for example, you can
speak
English with anyone in the
tourist industry, with taxi drivers, waiters, hotel personnel,

customs
and
immigration officials,
and
most shopkeepers.
But
with few exceptions, they
won't
give you any information except
the
few sentences
and
pat answers they give
to
every tourist in
English.
Don't
expect
to
strike
up
a long conversation
or
be
invited
home
for dinner. School children
and
teenagers, who
are learning English. pride themselves on being able

to
recog-
nize English speakers at a distance. They'll holler hello
to
you
and
will be able to
carryon
very simple conversations. You
should be able,
at
minimum. to
do
the same in French.
The
majority
of
French residents living in this part
of
the
world have studied English
and
can
speak
from perfect to poor
English. However,
the
French residents often won't
make
par-

ticular efforts
to
help you, possibly
out
of Gallic pride in using
their
own language;
perhaps
because they
don't
want to embar-
rass themselves by making a faux-pas in your language; maybe
out
of
disdain for English-speakers/touristslyachties; but most
likely, because they're just
too
busy with their own affairs. But if
you
come
up with some French, some
humor
and
a smile, they'll
often go
out
of
their way
to
help you.

18
Unless you
speak
French.
you
won't
be
able
to
exchange a
single word with
the
Polynesians living
more
traditional life-
styles outside
the
cities, who
are
involved in their daily activities
of
gardening, fishing, cooking, cleaning,
and
tending children.
You'll miss
not
being able
to
converse with such lively, attractive
and

interesting people.
If
you
can't
study French in a language school
or
adult educa-
tion class,
buy
a course with both book
and
cassette tapes
that
you can listen
to
(and
repeat
after)
aboard
the boat. This
is
a
perfect alternative for yachts, since French
Polynesia is very far
from anywhere
and
when
you're
in a small cruising
boat,

you'll
have many days to listen
to
the
tapes
en
route. My husband first
studied Morse
code
while sailing from Seattle
to
Hawaii.
He
passed
the
novice
ham
radio exam a few days
after
arrival.
A knowledge
of
Tahitian also
can
be very beneficial, par-
ticularly when cruising
the
outer
islands where less French is
spoken. Tahitian

dictionaries,
phrase
books
and
grammar
books
can
be
purchased
in
Papeete.
See also
the
Tahitian
vocabulary
under
"Language"
in
the
"life
in the Islands" Chap-
ter
6.
The
best
way
to
study Tahitian is
to
take

your phrase
book
ashore
on
one
of
the
smaller islands, sit
under
a shady tree,
and
try pronouncing
the
words
out
loud. You'll
soon
gather inter-
ested
"teachers"
of
all ages.
Photo
by
Marcia Davock
Maroe
Village children, Uuahine
Chapter 3
Passages
To

French
Polynesia
The best route
to
a given destination
is
not always the shortest
one,
unfortunately.
Contrary
winds, currents, windless station-
ary highs and seasonal climatic variations make it necessary for
yachts
to
cruise courses
that
at first
appear
ridiculously lengthy
and
out
of the
way.
Cruisers departing for French Polynesia should make a care-
ful study in advance
of
as many sources as they can find that will
instruct them
on
the

optimum dates, courses and expected
weather they will encounter.
Some of the best sources for this
are;
Ocean Passages
for
the World, published by the Hydro-
grapher of the British Royal Navy, 1973 with current supple-
ments;
the
Pilots,
or
Sailing Directions. American, British
or
French;
and
the current
U.
S.
Atlas
of
Pilot Charts, South Pacific
and
Indian Oceans, with excellent weather information.
The following brief information has been gleaned from the
above sources
and
discussions with
other
cruisers who 've made

the passages.
It
is intended to help you plan best routes and
seasons for an ocean passage to French
Polynesia.
Distances
in
Nautical
Miles
Between
Papeete
And
Other
Pacific
Ports
Australia, Sydney
Fiji, Suva
Guam
3,308
1,874
4,335
5,140
Japan, Yokohama
Marquesas,
Taiohae,
Hiva
Nuku
761
New Caledonia,
Noumea

New Zealand, Auckland
Panama
Peru, Callao
Philippines, Manila
Rarotonga, Avarua
Samoa, Pago Pago
Tonga, Nukualofa
From
United
States
2,497
2,216
4,493
4,192
5,728
618
1,236
1,468
Honolulu, Hawaii 2,381
Los Angeles, California 3,571
San Francisco, California 3,663
Seattle, Washington 4,296
Seward, Alaska 4,661
From
Panama
and
the
Galapagos
This long haul
is

certainly
one
of
the longest passages most
cruisers will ever make, a month
or
more.
It
is
860 miles from
Panama
to
the Galapagos,
another
3,050 miles to the Mar-
quesas,
and
yet
another
700
to
1,000 miles to get to the So-
cieties, depending upon your route through
or
around the
Tuamotus.
The
optimum month of
departure
for

the
Societies usually
depends less
on
weather for yachts leaving Panama than it does
on their past
and
future cruising plans. Some yachts
prefer
to
cruise the Caribbean during the dry and non-hurricane season,
mid-December through
June,
then head to Panama, which is
south of the
Northern
Hemisphere hurricane belt. They set sail
for French
Polynesia during the following months, some plan-
ning on arriving in Tahiti for July
"Fete".
Others
prefer
to
leave
Panama between
October
and
April, when winds
are

usually
19
light and from the north in the
Gulf
of Panama, January
and
early February are said
to
be optimum. In the opposite season,
May through October, winds in the
Gulf
may be more westerly
or
southwesterly. These are actually tradewinds, the south-
easterlies of the Southern Hemisphere, but
due
to the conti-
nental land masses, the wind is deflected
and
blows
more
westerly in the Gulf. Nevertheless, yachts leave Panama for
Polynesia throughout the year.
Ocean Passages recommends getting south as quickly as pos-
sible, departing
Panama,
to
gain the southeast trades. However
it states;
"South of

50
north and west of 80
0
west, between the
mainland (of South America) and the Galapagos, the wind
is
between south and west all year round and fairly strong." Most
yachts seem
to
head toward the Galapagos, whether stopping
or
not. Permission for a stay longer than a few days for "emergency
repairs" has been very difficult
to
obtain in recent years.
Two
yachts that left Panama in March reported light, fickle winds
around Panama.
one
mentioning a southwest-setting current of
up
to
40 miles a day.
One
yachtsman reported heading south to
about
9
0
south and following this parallel to the Marquesas,
in

easterly trade winds.
Other
yachtsmen reported reliable south-
easterly trade winds that blew force
4 to 5, developing half-way
to the Galapagos. In the opposite season, May through Oc-
tober, some yachts experienced no southeasterlies at
all
nearly
all
the
way
to
the
Galapagos.
However,
once
past
the
Galapagos, most yachts find pleasant
trade
wind sailing all the
way
to the Marquesas.
Most cruisers really revel in the scenic beauty of the Mar-
quesas.
After
such a long ocean passage, who wouldn't? Ports
of entry are at Taiohae on
Nuku

Hiva, Hakahau
on
Va Pou, and
Atuona on Hiva
Oa. Note that Fatu Hiva
is
not a
port
of entry.
Continuing from the Marquesas to Tahiti, some cruisers
choose to head west before turning south on Tahiti's longitude
to
avoid the low-lying, nearly invisible Tuamotuan atolls.
Other
yachts head right through this "dangerous archipelago," stop-
ping most
often at the northern islands such as
Ahe,
Manihi
and
Apataki.
To visit the Thamotus. you must have previously
checked
in
with authorities in the Marquesas
or
Societies. The
only port of entry in the Tuamotus
is
Rikitea on Mangareva. far

away in the southeast corner of French
Polynesia.
The
only
cruisers who check
in
here are those few coming from Pitcairn
or
Easter Island.
From
Hawaii
This passage of about 2,400 miles usually takes between
20
and 30 days. although
one
yacht
we
knew took 54 days. Add in a
few
extra days if your landfall will be the Marquesas, which may
entail more close-reaching
or
even beating
to
windward.
The trick
in
leaving Hawaii
is
to

gain easting as soon as
possible. Around the blustery Hawaiian Islands. this is some-
times diffi

-ult and uncomfortable. However. in the Northern
Hemisphere, trade winds blow predominately from the north-
east, usually making it easier
to
obtain easting when heading
south, than in the Southern Hemisphere's winds. which tend to
blow from a more easterly quadrant. Current also will sweep
you west. except
in
the Doldrums.
The Doldrums region. also known as the Equatorial Trough.
or
Intertropical Convergence
Zone
(ITCZ).
is
a low-pressure
belt. usually about
150
miles wide in the eastern Pacific. The belt
is permanently located
north
of the
Equator
in longitudes east
of

160°
west.
The
Doldrums separate the northeasterly
trade
winds of
the
Northern
Hemisphere from
the
southeasterly
trade
wind system of the Southern Hemisphere.
To
better
plan your passage, it is important
to
know, and
often difficult
to
find
out,
just
where the Doldrums belt is
located.
The
belt
of
Doldrums
moves slightly

each
season
toward
the
pole
that
is enjoying its summer. Thus, in
the
North-
ern
Hemisphere summer, May through September,
the
Dol-
drums
are
slightly
farther
north, between
about
go
and
12°
north.
In
the winter, they move south,
and
are
usually
centered
around

4°
north
in January.
Weather in
the
Doldrums often consists of light winds, com-
bined with squally conditions, thunderstorms
and
intense rain.
However, the big advantage
of finding the Doldrums
on
a pas-
sage from Hawaii is the equatorial counter-current that exists in
this belt.
The
counter-current will sweep you toward the east
at
the
rate of
15
to
25
miles a day, helping you gain easting.
However,
once:
past the Doldrums
and
south of the Equator,
the

current again will
be
strongly west-setting. Some yachtsmen
have estimated they were pushed west
at
30
to
60 miles a day.
Yachts
that
do
not gain their easting, especially multihulls, have
been
known
to
arrive in Samoa instead of French Polynesia.
Dockside
"experts" in Hawaii will tell you never to leave in
the
winter, November
to
March, as conditions
are
rougher
than
in summer. However, we sailed it in
December
with no ill
effects.
We

took
21
days from Honolulu
to
Papeete, meeting
strong northeasterlies
and
blustery conditions south of Hawaii,
followed by squally, then airless Doldrums between
6°
and
7°
north.
Then
the southeast trades
set
in.
We
crossed the
Equator
at
149"
west,
about
Tahiti's longitude,
but
we'd recommend you
go farther east,
_y
farther east if bound for the Marquesas.

Nearing Tahiti, the wind turned northeast, then died.
We
had
two frustrating windless days so close to
our
destination.
In the opposite season, April
to
October, you have a small
risk
of
a Mexican-generated hurricane affecting your weather.
These storms have occasionally wandered toward
130
0
-1400
west
in the
Northern
Hemisphere, toward what might be your route
to
the Marquesas.
Yachts approaching Tahiti from the
north
should take special
care
to
avoid Tetiaroa, a low atoll
about
30 miles

north,
that is
almost invisible at night.
Yachts have been wrecked on this
atoll.
See the "Pass-Less Society Islands"
chapter
16
for further
information.
Yachts planning
to
make
Bora
Bora
their first
port
of
entry
should note
that
the rest
of
the Societies will then be an upwind
bash to weather. Papeete
is
a more logical
port
of
entry

if you
intend
to
cruise the
other
islands of the Society group.
From
West
Coast
of
USA
Few cruisers head directly
to
French Polynesia from these
northern
latitudes, particularly
Seattle
and
San Francisco.
Some go
to
Hawaii; some go to Mexico.
The
distance direct
to
French Polynesia is
about
4,300 miles from Seattle, 3,700 from
San Francisco,
and

3,600 from Los Angeles.
One
yacht
we
knew
sailed from
San Francisco
to
Papeete in 26 days;
another
took
only
22
days from San Diego
to
Bora
Bora.
Most yachts
on
these passages leave in the summer,
June
to
September, because
of
the cold weather
and
rough conditions
offshore in most
other
months. They usually

head
at
least
100
miles offshore
to
avoid the seas generated
on
the continental
shelf, possible
onshore
winds
and
heavy shipping traffic.
Then
they
head
southwest until picking
up
the
Northern
Hemi-
sphere's northeast
trade
winds in about the latitude of Los
Angeles
or
farther south.
Two
things must be avoided on this passage. First

is
a perma-
nent high pressure
area,
known as
"the
Pacific high" that hangs
over the North Pacific. This high is hundreds
of
miles wide. In
July, it might
be
centered
at
about
35°
north
and
150°
west.
[n
January, it might be farther south,
about
300
north
and
145
0
20
west.

The
high has fine weather
but
no wind, and you'll be
becalmed if you run into it, as
we
did.
We
had
to
motor south-
east back toward the
U.S. coast
to
find the trades again.
Ocean
Passages
advises steering southwest
on
nearly the di-
rect course
to
Tahiti, crossing the
equator
at
about
1400
west,
or
farther east if you're heading for the Marquesas.

The
book also
notes calm, windless areas east of
128
0
west off the California
coast

The second thing to avoid
is
the occasional hurricane off the
Mexican coast from June
to
October. These affect the area
between latitudes
100
to
30°
north, and from the coast of Mexico
to
about
140
0
west. Most cruisers cross their fingers and rush
through during this season anyway,
but
be forewarned.
The
hurricanes
are

most frequent and intense during August and
September.
From
Sydney
or
Auckland
Yachts from Sydney
or
Brisbane usually proceed on a bumpy
ride across the Tasman
Sea
and
around the north tip of New
Zealand for a convenient rest in
one
of the many anchorages on
the North Island.
Departing Auckland for Tahiti, a
trip
of
about 2,200 miles,
yachts usually leave in April to
June,
after
the
end
of the South
Pacific cyclone season. Plan for a long trip,
20
to 30 days, as

you'll
be
working your way against
the
prevailing easterly
winds.
Ocean
Passages
recommends making easting south of 40
0
south, where the prevailing westerlies
of
the "roaring forties"
will speed you on your
way.
However, the weather in these
latitudes is miserable, cold and rough. Most cruisers we've
talked with who've made this trip stayed farther
north
in the
variable winds of the
mid-30's, then turned gradually north as
they approached
155
0
west. Most
of
these yachts encountered at
least
one

big gale en route.
Some of these yachts first
enter
French Polynesia in the
Austral [slands, almost due south from the
Societies, where
there
are
several ports of entry. See
Chapter
4,
"Entry
and Exit
Formalities".
Photo by Marcia DaYock
"Mues"
Davock
at
the helm
of
"Shearwater" leaving the
Northern
Pacific for Tahiti
Chapter 4
Entry
and
Exit
Formalities
PORT
OF

ENTRY
When arriving in French Polynesia, you must
go
to
one
of
the
following
ports
of
entry
to
check
in with immigration
and
customs officials:
Society Islands: Papeete, Tahiti;
Atareaitu,
Moorea;
Uturoa,
Raiatea; Fare,
Huahinej
Vaitape,
Bora
Bora.
Marquesll5ls1ands: Taiohae,
Nuku
Hiva;
Hakahau,
Ua

Pou;
Atuona,
Hiva
Oa.
Austral Islands:
Mataura,
Tubuaij
Moerai,
Rurutu;
Raima,
Raivavae.
1\Jamotu·G8IIIbiers: Rikitea, Mangareva.
ENTRY
PROCEDURES
Hoist the yellow
"Q"
ftag
to
the
starboard
spreader. Anchor
or
moor
in
your
chosen
spot
and
tidy
up

the boat.
If
no
officials
seem
to
be forthcoming,
the
owner
or
captain should go ashore
to
the Customs-Immigration offices. Officials usually do not
board
the
yachts in
French
Polynesia.
In Papeete,
the
offices
of
Customs, Immigration
and
the
Port
Captain for yachts
(harbormaster)
are
all conveniently located

in
the same building
about
a block
northeast
of
the Yacht
Quai,
in a small building
on
the
waterfront Boulevard Pomare, across
the
street
from
the
Tahiti Tourist
Board
office. Official hours are
7:30 a.m.
to
11:30
p.m.,
and
1:30 p.m.
to
4:30 p.m
.•
weekdays.
The

offices
are
closed
on
Saturdays
and
Sundays.
Go
the the
Immigration Police Office first
and
they will direct you
on
how
to
"make
the rounds"
of
the
other
offices.
If
you wish
to
sign up
for quai-side electricity, tell
the
Port
Captain's office.
On

any
other
island,
report
to
the
Gendarmerie
(Police
Station).
The
gendarmes will clear you into
the
country.
Take with you
the
following documents: Passports for your-
self
and
all crew members; ship's papers (documentation
or
registration); clearance papers from last
port
(American yachts
just
departed
the
U.S.
will
not
have any); all international

Vaccination Certificates (these will not be requested unless
you're arriving from
an
area
where there's
an
outbreak of
yellow fever, cholera
or
other
infectious disease);
and
your
receipt for bond payment.
Officials will want
to
know where you have come from; how
long you will stayj where your next destination is after French
Polynesia;
are
you
and
the
crew healthy;
and
where you are
anchored. In Papeete, you must be
either
at the Yacht Ouai
or

anchored off
the
church,
not
at the Yacht
Club
or
Maeva Beach.
You will
be
asked by
Customs
and
Immigration
to
fill
out
several forms, including a crew list
and
a customs declaration
form. Customs declaration forms latter form ask how much
food you have
on
board;
what kinds
of
equipment
you have,
i.e.,
radios, stereos, cassette decks, electronic instruments,

sextants,
etc.j
details
on
pets, weapons
and
ammunition (see
"Planning
the
Voyage"
chapter
2 for policies);
and
a description
of
your boat, including registration information.
If
you are
carrying firearms, you will be asked
to
bring them
to
Customs
where they will be held, pending your
departure.
Officials also will want
to
see
evidence that you have paid
your bond. Bring your receipt. Sometimes your receipt for

telexing
the
funds is not enough. You may have
to
go to the bank
that
has your
bond
and
ask
them
for a receipt
to
show officials.
21
See "Planning the Voyage"
Chapter
2 for further information
on
bonds.
As
noted in
Chapter
2
under
Visas, if they are
chartering
from South Pacific Yacht
Charters,
Americans, Canadians,

and
some others
need
no visas.
They
need
passports
and
return
trip
airline tickets.
The
following comments apply
to
people
who
sail their own boats
to
Tahiti
or
come in
chartered
boats from
other
countries.
If
you have arrived in Papeete with
no
visa, you will have
to

go
to
the
central Immigration office, Avenue Bruat. This is a
several block walk west down the quai,
then
turn
left
and
the
office will
be
on
the
right side of
the
street
about
two blocks
inland. in
the
midst
of
many government buildings. In the
outer
islands, you may have to wait several days
to
a week
or
more

while Papeete
is
notified
of
your
visa-less arrival
and
grants
permission. It's
better
to
have your visas before you arrive.
Most yachts
are
issued a "Passport de Navire," a green docu-
ment that serves as
the
boat's passport. You will bring this,
along with your passports,
to
officials
at
each island you visit
thereafter.
The
Passport
de
Navire will be collected at the last
port
when you exit the country. French yachts receive a

stamped
visa
on
the
certificate
of
ownership.
Charter
yachts receive only
a list
of
islands they will be cruising, making paperwork very
Simple. .
The
Port Captain in Papeete also will
fill
out
a
card
with your
yacht's name
and
file it in a slot
on
his bulletin
board
under
the
name
of

the island
you're
presently cruising.
Gendarmes
in the
outer
islands continually radio
or
telephone
to
Papeete
about
each yacht's movements.
Thus.
as you cruise
the
islands, your
card in
the
Port Captain's office is moved from slot
to
slot.
He
can tell at a glance exactly where each yacht cruising
the
entire
territory
is
located.
If

you
are
arriving from Fiji
or
Samoa, officials may require
that your yacht be fumigated
to
ensure you
don't
bring a host of
pests that might destroy Tahiti's coconut palm production.
DEALING
WITH
OFFICIALS
We've found officials throughout French Polynesia
to
he
courteous
and
efficient. Check-in
procedures
are
fast
and
streamlined, in contrast to several decades ago, when arriving
yacht captains had
to
walk all over Papeete, visiting different
offices.
As

long as you follow regulations, officials will never
bother
you. They won't request bribes
or
"freebies," as has
happened
to us with
the
officials
of
many
other
countries.
We
know
of
only
three yachts
boarded
by officials in
the
Societies when
we
were
cruising there.
One
had not checked into
the
island he was
visiting;

another
was illegally transmitting
on
his ham radio,
disturbing radio
or
TV
reception ashore;
the
third had a large
crew who were mostly stark
naked
aboard
the
boat
at all times
and
their boat was
named
after
a
popular
type of marijuana.
That's asking for a search!
A yacht's reputation usually precedes its arrival
in
South
Pacific ports.
One
yacht

that
stopped first
in
Fatu Hiva in the
Marquesas (not a
port
of
entry) later found
that
every
other
gendarme throughout the Societies alreally knew about the
"mistake".
We
understand
that
French
Polynesian officials
sometimes inform their
counterparts
in Rarotonga
and
Pago
Photo
by
Mlrcl. Devock
Gendarmarie, lJturoa,
Raiatea
Pago about misbehaving yachts. In the tiniest village
in

the
remote
Solomon Islands, the local police officer, barefoot,
tatooed, mouth red from chewing betel nut, showed us a pho-
tocopied letter from American
Samoan Customs to "other
Pacific Customs agents."
The
letter listed
about
12
yachts
suspected of carrying marijuana and/or other drugs. Officials
do
communicate across the vast stretches of the
Pacific
Ocean.
Follow the rules and you'll never have a problem.
A
Few
Terms
Nearly all Customs and Immigration officials in French Poly-
nesia speak English, but here are some French terms that
may
help you in filling out forms:
Ie
yacht,
Ie
navire de plaisance yacht, pleasure boat
Ie

nom
Le service des douanes
La gendarmerie,
Ie
gendarme,
la
police
I'immigration
Ie
capitaine du port
l'entree,la
sortie (Ie depart)
Ie
capitaine
l'equipier,I'equipage
Ie
port de provenance
Ie
port de destination
Ie
port d'attache
la
jauge
brute,la
jauge neUe
la
longueur
en
metres
(3.28 ft. = 1 meter)

la declaration
la liste d'equipage
Ie
passeport
du
navire
name
Customs office
police station, police
Immigration
port captain
entry, exit, (departure)
captain, boat owner
crew member, crew
last port of call
next port
registered port
grosstons,nettons
yacht's length in meters
customs declaration
crew list
ship's passport
CRUISING CHECK-IN
PORTS
When cruising the Societies, you must check into each island
when you arrive, and then check out with authorities when you
leave for another island. .
If
you are chartering bareboat from South
Pacific

Yacht
Char-
ters, you must check in at each of the
Society Islands which you
visit, the skipper going ashore to clear Customs and Immigra-
tion, submitting crew lists and everyone's passport. The only
exception
is
Tahaa, which
is
treated
as
one island with Raiatea.
The same fringing reef surrounds both islands.
We
cleared in at
Raiatea, then circumnavigated Tahaa without clearing customs
again until
we
reached Bora Bora. The following does not apply
to
SPYC's bareboat charterers.
22
The procedure is very simple. Take your green ship's passport
and the passports of everyone aboard the yacht
to
the Gendar-
merie,
or
Customs-Immigration,

or
whatever official
is
located
in
the island where you've arrived. The gendarme
will
usually
stamp your passports and return them
to
you, retaining only the
green ship's passport during your stay
on
his island.
One other form you
will
encounter
is
the "Declaration d'En-
tree ou de Sortie
de
N avire de Plaisance" (Arriving
or
departing
declaration
of
pleasure vessel), which
is
your "flight plan",
or

cruising form. This form lists your proposed itinerary of islands
to be cruised, date of departure from your present port, crew
list, passport numbers and visa expiration dates. When
depart-
ing Papeete to cruise the lies Sous
Ie
Vent, for example, it's
easiest to declare all the islands you want to visit and have them
listed on the cruising form. This saves time and paperwork later.
This form
is
then shown to officials at the next island.
When you're ready to depart an island, bring your passports
and the cruising form to the officials. They
will
make a note of
your next destination and return your green ship's passport.
Some of the island officials retain the passports of captain and
crew during their stay on an island, especially
if
you'll be there
for longer than two days. This
is
becoming infrequent, but do
not be concerned if this happens.
You
can temporarily "liber-
ate"
your passport to use at the bank to cash money or at the
post office to retrieve mail.

Checking in and out rarely takes more than
10
minutes. Your
only delay might be if the gendarme
is
out of the office. But
there are a
few
intricacies listed below for each island
in
the
Societies.
Tahiti
You
only need to tell the Port Captain that you
will
be
cruising Tahiti's coasts. He told us
we
did not need to check
in
anywhere else, although there
was
a gendarme who wanted to
see our papers
in
Taravao at the isthmus between Tahiti-Nui and
Tahiti-Hi.
He
was only concerned that

our
visas might have
expired and that
we
were "hiding"
in
some
ofthe
out-of-the-way
anchorages
we
visited.
Moorea
The Gendarmerie
is
not located at Cooks
or
Opunohu Bay
on the north coast, the most frequently cruised areas. It's on the
much less visited east coast, miles from where most yachts
anchor.
We
asked the Papeete port captain officials
if
we
should
check
in
there, and received a non-committal reply of a nod,
shrug and wink, suggesting

to
us
it
was perhaps not necessary.
However, when
we
arrived in Cooks Bay,
to
be
on the safe side.
we
telephoned the Moorea Gendarme and he took our check-in
information over the phone
in
French. He said he would "visit"
us
aboard his police boat
in
a
few
days, which never happened.
He did, however, pull alongside several
other
yachts, and
checked and stamped their papers.
Next time I tried another approach. I telephoned him and
asked if he spoke English,
"Non, Madame".
Now,
in

French. I
asked
it
is
necessary to check
in
with him. "But of course," he
replied
in
French, "aren't you renting a car
to
come this
way?".
When I replied no, he seemed disgruntled, but took the boat's
name down and that
was
it.
By
now,
most cruiser's reactions would be to ignore the entire
situation and not check in. Use you own judgement, but here's
an example of what can happen if you don't check in. Several
years ago, a yacht anchored
in
Robinson's Cove, near the head
of
Opunohu
Bay,
after returning from Bora Bora. The yacht
owner did not check in with gendarmes

in
Moorea. Meanwhile.
back
in
the U.S., a relative who hadn't heard from this yacht
in
months, hysterically telephoned the Papeete Port Captain, con-
vinced that the boat had sunk or
was
lost at sea. The Port
Captain consulted his bulletin board and saw that the yacht had
in
fact left Bora Bora weeks ago, with Papeete as its destination.
The yacht
was
not
in
Papeete, and after a
few
telephone calls to
other gendarmes, the yacht's whereabouts
was
still unknown. A
description of the yacht was obtained, and a French military
plane
was
sent out to search each of the anchorages in the
Societies, looking for the
"lost" yacht. Robinson's Cove
is

one
of the
few
anchorages so tucked
away
among palms that not
much could be seen from the
air.
The yacht
was
passed over. A
few
days later, a yachtsman who'd learned of the situation from
the gendarme in Moorea
saw
the "missing" yacht lying peace-
fully at anchor, tied off to a palm tree in this lovely cove.
He
told
the surprised owner that he
was
the object of a massive search.
The owner then telephoned the gendarmes, as he could have
done long ago, and reported his location. He
was
then charged
with the entire bill for the search.
It's easier to check in than to let a situation like this arise.
Telephone
61344

in Moorea. Last time,
we
saw
a police boat
checking the anchorage at Opunohu Bay
as
we
departed.
Huanine
Very efficient. The gendarme in Fare stamps passports, holds
your green ship's passport until departure, and reminds you
come back and visit him before you leave.
Raiatea
Same as above, very efficient.
Tahaa
Here's
another
sticky
situation.
The
Tahaa
gendarme
positively requires that you check
in
with him, yet he's located
way
up
on
the north coast of the island, at the major town of
Patio. Most cruising yachts anchor along Tahaa's south coast,

never going near the north coast because of the extra distance.
But, except for
SPYC charterers, you are expected to check in.
Since
we
anchored near Patio,
wc
did try to check in, but the
gendarme
was
out of the office for the afternoon.
We
finally
gave
up.
Bora Bora
Quick and easy: the gendarme keeps your green ship's pas-
sport until you check out.
Maupiti
Check
in
at the Mairie. Please note that neither Maupiti nor
Mopelia
is
a port of entry
or
exit.
Mopelia
Go
ashore

to
introduce yourself to the chief of the village. but
only for politeness, as he has no official status.
Special
Permission
Once you have proper visas and your green ship's passport.
you can cruise almost anywhere
in
French Polynesia. Special
permission
is
required to visit islands
or
atolls south of
Ir20'
south, and east of 145"25' west. This
is
near the French nuclear
testing grounds.
Crew
Changes
Crew changes can be made only
in
ports where immigration
officials
or
gendarmes have their headquarters.
All crew changes must be made only with permission of the
officials. The departing crew member must have an air ticket
outward bound and a confirmed reservation. before the expira-

tion of his
or
her visa.
If
the crew member
is
switching yachts.
both captains must have permission
in
advance.
Don't
make a
move without official permission, as the boat owner/captain
is
totally responsible for his crew members. He can be heavily
penalized
if
the crew member abandons thc yacht.
23
Usually there
is
no problem with making crew changes
as
long as the officials are notified. permission
is
granted and the
yacht's crew list amended to reflect the
new
changes.
We

've seen
more crew changes
in
Papeete than
in
most other South Pacific
ports.
Photo by Marcia Davock
Girf knocking mangoes from tree using bamboo pole, Vaitape,
Bora Bora
Photo
by
JuliUS M
Wilensky
Mairie-Gendarmarie, Bora Bora