I’m not sure what it is about Tahiti, but everywhere we turn there seems to be a party. Maybe it’s the fact that most people have sailed thousands of miles to reach this famous island. Maybe it’s the fact that everyone has run out of beer and food by now, and for the first time there are real super markets to replenish the ships stores. Maybe it’s just the combination of tropical weather, people, and Tahitian vibes that make it happen.
After our Moorea rally weekend we sailed the 20 miles back to Tahiti, this time anchoring in the beautiful reef protected waters by Marina Taina. We immediately got wind of a dock party sponsored by a local yacht agent. We immediately got wind of a dock party sponsored by a local yacht agent. And instantly, we started looking for a yacht party outfit that could look good with the free beer in our hands. Once we joined the party, things started to get wild, especially when Alex from Bubbles brought out his secret weapon- a beer bong fashioned from an old oil funnel and some tubing he found in his bilge. Everyone got really into it and we had a line waiting for a shot at the bong. Apparently beer bongs are not internationally well known and people stood in amazement as beers were downed in just a few seconds. It wasn’t long before the keg was dry and Alex and Brady went after the remnants in the drip bucket from the tap. Never mind the warm and disgusting beer that normally would be thrown out, person after person lined up for the novelty.
Up next on the agenda was a pool party put together by the crews of the larger yachts tied up at the dock. With their owners away and between paying charters the crews have a bit of time to relax and play. These boats range from 80 to 190 feet and have crews ranging from 3 to 10 people. It’s the perfect opportunity for the staff to ditch their uniforms in favour of One Piece Cheeky Swimsuits among the likes to let loose.
The party was BYOP (bring your own pool) so we headed to Carrefoure (a French super market) and bought a couple of inflatable kiddy pools. The scene once again turned into mayhem when the beer bong made another appearance. We lounged the afternoon away drinking beer, laying in the pools, and having water gun fights with the kids on the dock.
Heading to the Miss Tahiti pageant was a no-brainer. How could you be in Tahiti and miss this opportunity? The contestants modeled their dresses and did their runway walks. A few of them really caught the attention of the audience. This might be due to their gorgeous dresses. Well, they might have had their dresses custom embroidered by Mato & Hash or similar businesses near them that can provide embroidery services for dresses used for such occasions. That said, each island group had their own contestant with traditional music and dress unique to their people. They were wearing accessories and beautiful jewelry. (Fascinating! I might get a piece of trending necklace for myself.) Miss Tuamotu was carried out in a huge pearl oyster before crawling out onto the stage.
It was cool to be there, but not as great as we’d hoped. It seemed like the winner was already decided and the whole thing was just for show. Since the entire ceremony was in French we had a hard time following what was going on- we couldn’t hear how everyone was going to save the world. We grew bored about half way through and decided to head to a party on the 130 foot ferro-cement schooner Infinity. Infinity is crewed by people from all walks of life and there is always a party going on. The best way to describe it is a floating commune where everyone pitches in to keep the vessel afloat. Everyone pays 600 EU a month for room and board and the crew size is around 25. Recently the Infinity has been documenting the destruction of the coral reefs around the Tuamotus.
After checking out the scene on Infinity we headed to a brewery in downtown Papeete. Alex made great friends with one of the locals and had a hard time getting away.
Our last party in Tahiti was for the 4th of July, which everyone endearingly referred to as America Day. Delos and Ghost hosted from the downtown quay. With the BBQ in full effect and the pools set up for lounging we celebrated until the early hours of the morning.
We finished off the evening with a screening of Team America projected off the back of Delos onto a white sheet.
Before setting sail we placed an order at the duty free liquor store and got some pretty incredible deals. One example is a bottle of rum for 450 CFP that we later saw in the store for 4,500 CFP. Yes, the duty multiplied the price by 10! Fully provisioned with duty free goodies we made plans to leave Tahiti behind and sail off to Huahine, Riatea, and Bora Bora- our final stop in French Polynesia.
Erin replenishing our rum supply that dwindled since leaving Mexico.
Our “Rumway” linking Delos and Ghost across the dock