After three months in French Polynesia, it’s time to say goodbye. When we arrived in Hiva Oa on April 21, we weren’t sure what to expect: we were all a bit overwhelmed by the anticipation of being in such a remote and foreign environment.
Nope Nothing To See Here
After spending three amazing weeks cruising the Society Islands in French Polynesia aboard Delos, I am at a loss for words to describe all the beautiful shades of blue of the South Pacific. I think I need at least three languages to name them!
We loved Moorea so much after we went there for the yacht rally we decided to go back for another visit. Our friends, Kat and Brad, who sailed with us the first time, also wanted to see Moorea again but this time on their own boat, Ghost.
Yep, that’s our anchor chain laying on the sandy bottom in Oponhu Bay on Moorea. The water is so clear and calm it’s like being anchored in a sandy bottom swimming pool.
Craving a dive we set off in the dinghies with Brad and Kat from Ghost and Roger from Beaujolais in search of a Catalina Seaplane and cargo schooner wreck reported to be in the area.
Delos Explores the Tuamotu Archipelago, Part 2- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 9
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 2 of 2).
I’m not sure what it is about Tahiti, but everywhere we turn there seems to be a party.
Delos Explores the Tuamotu Archipelago, Part 1- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 8
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 1 of 2).
We’re not normally fans of organized cruising events, or things with fixed dates and timelines in general. We decided to make an exception to join the Tahiti to Moorea rally though, mostly because we heard the free t-shirts were really cool.
Delos Sails The Marquesas Islands, Part 3- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 7
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 3 of 3).
French Polynesia is famous for its black pearls. Most of the pearls come from the Tuamotu atolls. Visiting a pearl farm and getting pearls was on our list of things we wanted to do but fell behind diving, surfing and finding a remote atoll with nothing but us.
Delos Sails The Marquesas Islands, Part 2- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 6
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 2 of 3)
Delos Sails The Marquesas Islands, Part 1- Sailing SV Delos Ep. 5
Follow SV Delos as we explore the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia by sailboat (Video 1 of 3).
After an overnight sail from Apataki the outline of Rangiroa slowly became visible in the dawn light. For the last few hours we slowed Delos down to 4 knots in order to time our entry into the pass.
We ended up in Apataki by pure chance. Being indecisive about the multitude of atolls in the Tuamotus we narrowed our list down to two.
After leaving “that one island where everyone was wasted” we had a great over night passage to Nuku Hiva, the biggest island in the Marquesas.
We’re currently in the third island group in French Polynesia – the Society Islands. We landed at Papeete, Tahiti, on Tuesday morning and were thrust headfirst into the biggest city we’d seen in months.
On one of our many dinghy rides on Fatu Hiva we spotted an interesting hole cut through the rock cliff face just outside the anchorage in Hanavave.