After traveling for the better part of two days, finally meeting up with our traveling buddies and hopping off the taxi at Raiatea, the fleet of catamarans bobbing in the Moorings Marina was a very welcoming sight! With two full weeks of exploring Tahiti, Taha’a, Bora Bora and Huahine ahead of us our spirits were as bright as the tropical sun.
After a quick provisioning run to the well-stocked Champion market in Uturoa (picture three women, a well-planned list and lots of spontaneous purchases of local baquettes and fruit) we were ready for dinner. Marcie and Ted had spent a few days in Raiatea already and they knew just the place – Fish and Blue.
The toes in the sand ambiance was only surpassed by the food! Every bite was a tropical adventure – fresh, local amd yummy.
Back on our Moorings 4200 (3-cabin Leopard catamaran) we settled in to our well-appointed cabins, cranked on the AC and the music, then plotted our course for an early morning “anchors aweigh!”. Our plan was a shakedown run a short way to Taha’a where we would find lots of reefs to explore, an uninhabited palm tree laced island, black tip sharks and the iconic crystal clear water we couldn’t get enough of. A brief afternoon shower rewarded us with a rainbow that first night out. What could be better?
While Captain Ed and I had studied the charts for months before the trip, the briefing we got from the team at Moorings Raiatea was invaluable. Not only were we taught about the electronics panel, the fresh water maker (godsend), all the galley appliance and how to communicate whenever we needed support – we got inside info and cruising tips for each island we planned to visit.
Navigation in Tahiti is quite different from the navigation aids we were familiar with after cruising North American and Caribbean waters. Red and green, starboard and port – it was the opposite of what we knew. Other markers identifying the beautiful but dangerous reefs and channels through the motu needed some studying.
Taking off for a few weeks exploring waters we were totally unfamiliar with could have been very unsettling. After more than a dozen charters with the Moorings from the Bahamas to the British Virgin islands, to Belize and points south, we were confident that not only would the boat be well maintained – but the team at the marina would be ready to prepare us for confident and safe travels. And after sailing with Captain Ed since 1970 (on our honeymoon) I knew the trip would be fantastic. For more stories about this adventure – CLICK HERE
Elder SUP 