On August 13, after saying goodbye to our Danish friends with a promise to meet again in Tahiti, we set off toward Tahaa, the small island just above Raiatea. According to our calculations, we would find shelter there from the strong east wind forecasted.
Motu Mahaea – just after the entrance to the Toahotu pass
Tahaa doesn’t offer many anchorage options, and the only protected bay with ample space and a not-too-deep bottom was, unsurprisingly, already occupied by numerous boats, making it difficult to anchor without being too close to other vessels. Additionally, the wind, which had started to blow strongly, created a further sense of insecurity.
Tapuamu Bay
After a couple of days, during which we took the opportunity to stock up on provisions, we decided to depart for our final destination, Raiatea, anchoring in the bay near the shipyard where we had booked Zoe’s haul-out and storage until next year.
Sailing towards Raiatea
The short navigation of about ten miles brought us to our planned destination; however, what we hadn’t foreseen was that even here, the otherwise spacious bay was overcrowded, and the only free spots for anchoring showed a depth of 30 meters or more. After several attempts, we finally anchored relatively far from other boats, but still in deep water. It was two anxiety-filled days because Zoe, due to the strong winds, started to drag and drift perilously close to the reef, which was only about fifty meters away. After requesting the shipyard to advance the haul-out, on August 22, we finally brought Zoe ashore and, in the following days, took care of organizing everything necessary inside and outside the boat, providing instructions to the shipyard staff on the checks (dehumidifier, batteries, etc.) and maintenance to be carried out over the next eight months.
Haul out by means of a tractor at the Chantier Naval des isles sous le vent
On August 26, after a final farewell to our little boat, we boarded the Apetahi Express at the port of the town of Uturoa, a comfortable ferry that took us, speeding at full throttle over rough seas, to Papeete, the capital of the island of Tahiti.
Tahaa e Raiatea
On August 13, after saying goodbye to our Danish friends with a promise to meet again in Tahiti, we set off toward Tahaa, the small island just above Raiatea. According to our calculations, we would find shelter there from the strong east wind forecasted.
Tahaa doesn’t offer many anchorage options, and the only protected bay with ample space and a not-too-deep bottom was, unsurprisingly, already occupied by numerous boats, making it difficult to anchor without being too close to other vessels. Additionally, the wind, which had started to blow strongly, created a further sense of insecurity.
After a couple of days, during which we took the opportunity to stock up on provisions, we decided to depart for our final destination, Raiatea, anchoring in the bay near the shipyard where we had booked Zoe’s haul-out and storage until next year.
The short navigation of about ten miles brought us to our planned destination; however, what we hadn’t foreseen was that even here, the otherwise spacious bay was overcrowded, and the only free spots for anchoring showed a depth of 30 meters or more. After several attempts, we finally anchored relatively far from other boats, but still in deep water. It was two anxiety-filled days because Zoe, due to the strong winds, started to drag and drift perilously close to the reef, which was only about fifty meters away. After requesting the shipyard to advance the haul-out, on August 22, we finally brought Zoe ashore and, in the following days, took care of organizing everything necessary inside and outside the boat, providing instructions to the shipyard staff on the checks (dehumidifier, batteries, etc.) and maintenance to be carried out over the next eight months.
On August 26, after a final farewell to our little boat, we boarded the Apetahi Express at the port of the town of Uturoa, a comfortable ferry that took us, speeding at full throttle over rough seas, to Papeete, the capital of the island of Tahiti.