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Since our return flight to Italy was booked for September 3rd, we had an entire week to explore the island. We rented a small apartment on the hill overlooking the city of Papeete, and to get around, we rented a car. In the following days, we …

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 foreca…

Tikehau is a relatively small atoll, at least in comparison to Rangiroa, from which it is about thirty miles away. Several sailor friends had described it to us as a particularly beautiful atoll, with the added appeal of a site where one could likely…

On July 28th, we set off from Toau towards Rangiroa, one of the largest atolls in the world and certainly the largest in the Tuamotu Archipelago. We entered at 6 a.m. on the 29th through the Tiputa Pass, which, true to its reputation, gave us a bi…

Taking advantage of a favorable wind window, on July 19th we set sail for Toau, a small atoll that had been described to us as one of the most “wild” and unspoiled in the Tuamotu Archipelago; in fact, it is inhabited by only 3-4 people in total. Our …

At 10:00 on July 6th, we weighed anchor and headed for Fakarava, one of the largest and most frequented atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago. We arrived at the north pass of Fakarava around 16:00, managing to achieve our goal of entering and exiting the…

On June 25, with a following wind, we set off for Kauehi, a small atoll to the northwest of Makemo. We chose this atoll because its layout provided an ideal anchorage to shelter from the expected “maramù” for several days. The “maramù” is a wind tha…

On the afternoon of June 19, we set off for Makemo, 80 miles to the west. We were accompanied by three other boats, all Amel ketches (two-masted). We had timed our departure from Raroia so that we could arrive at the pass of Makemo at the time of min…

At dawn on June 11th, we hoisted the sails bound for Raroia, the island we chose to land on in the Tuamotu Archipelago. The Tuamotu Archipelago, occupying an area comparable to Western Europe, comprises 80 islands, or rather atolls, which are comp…

After visiting the arboretum in Ua Huka, we set off for Nuku Hiva, which is only 27 miles away. This is the largest and most populated island of the Marquesas, whose widest bay can accommodate more than a hundred boats; indeed, we had no difficulty f…

Starting from Fatu Hiva, we headed towards the island of Tahuata where we had been told it would be possible to swim with Manta Rays (a species of giant rays). Upon arriving north of the island in Hanamoenoa Bay, we indeed noticed intense snorkeling …

Once we finished exploring Hiva Oa, we couldn’t wait to reach the southernmost island of the Marquesas, Fatu Hiva, often described as the most beautiful in this archipelago. To cover the 55 miles that separated us from this island, we decided to make…

After returning the rental car, we decided to complete our exploration of the island on foot. From Hanaiapa, we took the walk to the adjacent bay of Hanatekuua, which, according to the information we received, was an hour and a half walk away. The pa…

Saturday morning, May 11th, bright and early, we set off with the rental car, accompanied by Joe and Lupita, towards the northeast part of Hiva Oa to visit the archaeological site of Lipona, near Puamau, which hosts the most important collection of t…

The following day after our arrival, we had planned to rent a car to go to Atuona to complete the entry formalities into the country. However, due to national holidays in French Polynesia, we had to change our plans, so we first dedicated ourselves t…

May 6th, 6:00 AM local time. Hiva Oa at dawn We’ve arrived at Hiva Oa! What a beauty! What a relief! All the unforeseen events that could have happened fortunately didn’t! Or rather, some did, but were easily manageable! The generator broke …

If someone thinks that crossing the Pacific is something for a select group of people, the image below instead tells a situation reminiscent of Via del Corso in Rome, perhaps on the occasion of an extraordinary event such as the opening of a new comm…

The first time Sergio was in South America, upon arriving at the Buenos Aires’s house of his hosting friends, he went to the bathroom and satisfyingly noticed that the water flushed in a counterclockwise direction, opposite to what happens in the nor…

Hurray!!! We’ve exited the ITCZ and “officially” entered the trade winds, or at least it seems that way! We have a 15-knot wind from the southeast, and we’re proceeding at an average speed of over 6 knots. The forecasts indicate this steady wind, per…

Since yesterday, Hiva Oa, our destination, is closer (as the crow flies…) than Puerto Vallarta, where we departed from. We are “only” 1400 nautical miles away! Also yesterday, we officially entered the ITCZ, and immediately experienced one of its p…