We splash Sugar Shack a few weeks after we returned from the USA. She is so pretty and dolled up that I hate to see even a spec of dirt on her. But it’s a boat and our home and dirt is bound to happen! We have lots to do to prepare to leave from French Poly! But first, we decide to head to the liward islands of Huahine, Raiatea, Taha’a. If we have to do boat chores and paperwork, we mine as well as do it in a picture-perfect setting!
Huahine
Amazing passage from Mo’orea to Huahine. We typically make this passage at night because it is 90nm and it is difficult to make during daylight hours. However, we had the perfect opportunity to make a go of it less than 12 hours after we arrived in Mo’orea. So, we took it.
We got up at 0400 (4:00am) and readied the boat. Hook was up at 0430, and we rounded the Mo’orea corner at 0530. We had a perfect beam reach with no swell. Winds were 12-15kts out of the NE giving us a beautiful boat speed of 7-8kts. Absolutely spectacular sailing day.
- Miles to Destination: 91nm
- Total Miles Sailed: 95.3nm
- Total duration: 12.5hrs
- Max Speed: 11.8
- Average Speed: 7.5
We of course stop in at Izzy’s Burgers where I grab another photo of Isabel and I. Man alive these are amazing burgers! Matt had the Huahine Burger which had bacon and topped with an egg!
Isabel and I at Izzy’s Burgers
My dear friend Eve on sailing vessel “Auntie” and I went on a 7 mile walk to the Fare Pote Museum. We got up early to avoid the heat and walked as the sun woke up the island. It was so darn pretty!
Eve and I in Huahine
We pass a few beautiful lakes/lagoons and just take in the pure beauty of the stillness.
We passed this super funny looking baguette holder – it is a large barrel. I guess they really like their baguettes.
We pass by a church where the sun lit it from the inside out.
Arriving at the Fare Pote Museum we capture a few photos of the sacred Mare.
Good Times: Good Friends – Huahine
For the past few years, I have been participating in an SSB radio net. We have 7 volunteers who run this daily net that tracks vessels underway and monitors anchorage and weather conditions. We have tracked vessels as far as Fiji, New Zealand, Hawaii and Alaska! It is a rare occurrence when we are in the same anchorage, but it just so happened that 4 of the 7 net controllers were in Huahine. So, we gathered onboard Sugar Shack for happy hour!
Poly Mag Net Controllers
We also enjoyed many happy hours at the Huahine Yacht Club. I captured many beautiful sunset photos here. The sunsets are truly beautiful in the liward islands (well who am I kidding, they are beautiful everywhere).
Huahine Yacht Club
This photo was taken without filters or editing! Just my amazing iPhone 13 Pro Max doing its thing.
Taha’a – Coral Gardens
Eventually we tear ourselves away from Huahine and our friends. We head to another liward island called Taha’a which is one of two islands inside the same lagoon. We anchor near a beautiful resort to “borrow” their wifi and complete some of our necessary paperwork (see next blog on preparing to leave French Poly).
We find a new coral gardens that we dutifully named “the secret coral gardens” because only locals seem to know about it. Same drift snorkel but the coral and fish are a lot more healthier. Wow what a difference man has made to the underwater world (and not in a good way).
A few of our cruiser friends gathered for a dinghy drift. We tied our dinghies together, enjoyed some cold drinks and snacks as the sun went down.
Raiatea
Perles d’O
We wanted to hide for a little bit, but it did not work out as planned. The anchorage was not as comfortable as we had hoped so we ended up returning to Raiatea. But it was pretty.
Entering Pearl d’O Anchorage
There is a little, old pearl farm shack that is no longer in use called “Pear d’O”.
Pretty sunset with Bora in the back ground.
Raiatea
One of our favorite anchorages is in front of a small 8-room pension (hotel) called La Pirog. We’ve stopped here many times, search our blog for past visits. It is so pretty and is the perfect place for a sunset cocktail.
La Pirog Resort
Day out on Sugar Shack
Our friends on sailing vessel Domum have been in the Raiatea Carenage yard for well over a month working on their boat so we decided to take them out for a day on Sugar Shack. We motored (because there was no wind) two hours from the Carenage to the coral gardens in Taha’a.
Domum on Sugar Shack
Bora Bora
We end our time in French Polynesia in Bora Bora. Not because it is “Bora Bora” but because it is the western most island where we can easily launch on our two week passage. Plus we wanted to stop by Bloody Mary’s one more time. Our friends on Grace (Dave and Helen), Rhapsody (John and Aida), and Askari (Carolyn and Andrew) joined us for happy hour, then we moved it to the dining room for an extremely tasty dinner.
And just for giggles…one more visit to the men’s room where their “flush” pull is very unique.
Goodbye Bora Bora….this is Hotel Conrad
During all this fun in the liwards we are dutifully preparing for our two-week passage from French Polynesia to Fiji. Stay tuned for the next blog post where I explain all of our hard work to get ready for a huge passage.
Sugar Shack gets dolled up for her passage to Fiji. Check out our experience a Raiatea Carenage. Events from this blog in early April, 2022. Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.
