Sailing in Polynesia: Clémence brings you along to paradise!

As autumn arrives, the change of season can leave us longing for sunshine. Let us take you to Polynesia’s blue lagoons, fragrant Tiaré flowers and the rhythms of Ori Tahiti.

Clémence, our cabin cruise expert, had the chance to explore Polynesia by boat. Here, she shares her journey and explains what makes a sailing holiday in these islands so unforgettable.

Practical information

• ⚓ Catamaran charter with or without crew: departing from Huahine, Raiatea or Tahiti, from €2,600 per week. Allow around €225 per day extra for a skipper.
• ⛵ Cabin cruise: from €1,100 per person.
• 🏝️ Land and sea holiday: an eleven-day trip combining three nights on Huahine with seven nights aboard a crewed catamaran, from €3,300 per person.
• ✈️ Flights from Paris: with Air Tahiti Nui, Air France or French bee. The journey takes around 22 hours, with a stopover in destinations such as Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle. At the time of the trip, return fares were available from around €1,100, including some last-minute departures.

Can you describe the islands of French Polynesia?

French Polynesia consists of numerous islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean. The sea area they cover is roughly the size of the European Union! You can sail in several island groups, including the Leeward Islands, home to Bora Bora, Huahine and Raiatea, as well as the Marquesas and the Tuamotus.

Exploring every island in a single trip is almost impossible, unless you have six months to spare! Sailing from Tahiti to the Marquesas alone can take around 14 days.

My advice: if you have ten days available for sailing, fly to your departure base. This gives you more time to enjoy your cruise and the places you visit.

We chose to explore the Leeward Islands, with Raiatea as our charter base.

Who is a sailing holiday in the Leeward Islands suitable for?

A bareboat charter in Polynesia is better suited to experienced sailors. The wind can be strong and change direction. You should feel confident handling gusts and changing conditions.

Coral reefs also surround the islands, so you need to navigate carefully through the designated passes. These were clearly marked on the charts provided by our charter company.

If you prefer to leave the navigation to a professional, you can choose a crewed sailing holiday or combine a stay ashore with a sailing trip.

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Twelve days on land and at sea: our trip with nine sailing days

Day 1: Arriving in Tahiti

We leave Paris and land in Tahiti at 10 pm after around 22 hours of travelling. Our local partner welcomes us, and we spend our first night in a family-run guesthouse near the airport.

Day 2: Exploring Papeete and flying to Huahine

We use our time on Tahiti to explore Papeete. The market and the waterfront promenade beside the harbour are well worth a visit. The promenade reminds us a little of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.

For many travellers, Papeete is a stopover before taking a small plane to another island. Flights are not particularly frequent, so it is worth coordinating your international arrival with your onward connection. Our flight to Huahine leaves at 4:30 pm.

After a short domestic flight, we reach Huahine. We arrive at Hotel Le Mahana, run by our local partner, just in time for sunset. In autumn, the sun sets early here and rises early too.

Day 3: Discovering Huahine by land and lagoon

We are still adjusting to the time difference and wake up early. We take the hotel’s kayaks out to watch the sunrise from the water.

At 9 am, we set off on the hotel’s optional “Land and Lagoon” excursion.

First, we explore Huahine by 4×4. We visit Fare, the island’s main town, a vanilla plantation and archaeological sites. Alongside some local children, we also feed the sacred eels with their striking blue eyes.

Then we board a motorised outrigger canoe to explore the lagoon. We visit a pearl farm before spending the rest of the morning on a private motu, a small reef island. Here, we watch Polynesian dancing and see a traditional meal of chicken, coconut and rice being prepared.

Then it is back to the hotel to relax and enjoy happy hour!

Excursion price at the time of our trip: €120 per person.

Day 4: Welcome aboard our catamaran

Our charter company regularly delivers boats to Huahine. This means we can spend a relaxed morning at the hotel while waiting for our catamaran.

We have lunch in the hotel restaurant. The food is very good and offers good value for money. At 2 pm, we spot our Lucia 40 at the end of the pontoon. This beautiful catamaran will be our home for the rest of the trip. What a first impression!

Maric, a Breton from the Brest area, handles the boat briefing. It is a lovely encounter on the other side of the world! He takes plenty of time to explain everything to Emeric, our skipper and GlobeSailor’s expert on Croatia and Polynesia.

Maric also shares plenty of recommendations for our upcoming stops. He joins us for the first passage to Bourayne Bay.

Our partner places great importance on looking after guests. Their motto is that a good crew makes a successful sailing holiday.

In the bay, Maric recommends a snorkelling spot that we should visit before 9 am, when the hotel excursion groups begin arriving. We are delighted to have our own boat and the freedom to explore places like this in the quiet of the early morning.

Day 5: Snorkelling, Hanahiti and an evening in Fare

We wake up at 6:30 am. We quickly adapt to the islanders’ rhythm: getting up early, going to bed early and living by the sun.

After breakfast, we take the dinghy to the recommended snorkelling spot. It is beside a small motu at the entrance to Bourayne Bay. Before 9 am is the best time to enjoy it.

The shallow water feels like a natural aquarium. Even where it only reaches our knees, we can watch fish swimming around us.

Back aboard, we have another coffee before taking the dinghy to Hanahiti Beach, opposite our anchorage. The film Les Princes du Pacifique was shot here.

On the beach, we meet an older man who introduces himself as the guardian of the beach and bay. He tells us that he keeps an eye on visiting boats to make sure they respect nature: no wastewater discharged into the sea and no fruit or vegetable peelings thrown overboard.

Anyone who ignores these rules might find their dinghy at the other end of the bay, he tells us with a smile.

This is not an official job. He has taken on the role himself because he cares deeply about his beach and island. Every day, he comes to tidy up and welcome sailors. Other islanders often join him for company.

He shows us a walking trail leading up a hill with breathtaking views. Along the way, we discover the remains of a former luxury hotel with tree houses. He tells us that a severe storm destroyed it in 1998. The remaining structures give us an idea of how large the hotel once was.

At around 3:40 pm, we set off for Fare. There is a brief rain shower on the way, but it soon passes. After about 40 minutes, we reach our anchorage.

Anchoring requires particular care here. There is coral everywhere, and it must not be damaged. An islander comes over in his dinghy to check that our anchor is correctly positioned. If it is not, he asks sailors to find another spot and anchor again.

That evening, we eat at a food truck ashore. The portions are generous and inexpensive, with plenty of chicken and raw fish dishes on the menu.

Day 6: Sailing to Raiatea

We leave Fare at 7:30 am and set course for Raiatea. After just over five hours, we arrive at around 12:40 pm.

We anchor outside our partner’s base and meet the local team. The small marina is full of catamarans. Many charter holidays begin here.

We hire a car to explore the island. At the time of our trip, it costs €50 for a day and a half. It is the easiest way to discover Raiatea.

First, we stock up on provisions for the boat. Then we take a short road trip around the island, where coastal views alternate with lush greenery.

At sunset, we stop for a drink at Fish & Blue, recommended by our charter company. The beachfront setting is beautiful. Here, we can enjoy a drink with our feet in the water.

We spend the night at anchor opposite the base.

Day 7: A pearl farm and the green bay of Fa’a’aha

After around 40 minutes on the water, we reach Apu Bay on Taha’a. Here, we visit the pearl farm belonging to the Champon family, who are well known for their pearls.

The welcome is particularly warm. We enjoy this visit even more than our first pearl farm experience, although the pearls here are considerably more expensive.

We then continue to Fa’a’aha Bay. We had planned to visit a vanilla plantation, but rain and thunderstorms keep us aboard.

The scenery has changed completely. Lush greenery and dense vegetation surround the bay. Even the water has a green tint that blends beautifully with the landscape.

Day 8: Vanilla and a river adventure

After a rainy night, we go ashore to visit Brian and Moeata’s vanilla farm.

Unlike the plantation we visited on Huahine, the vanilla plants here grow outdoors. We also learn about tamanu oil, which is traditionally used locally for skincare.

At 11 am, we set sail for Faaroa Bay on Raiatea, where a river flows into the sea. We explore it by kayak and stand-up paddleboard.

First, we follow the right-hand branch. It leads to a dead end, where we come across a simple dwelling. A couple lives here on the muddy riverbank, growing fruit and vegetables.

The man opens a coconut and offers us fresh coconut water. They seem very content with life in this secluded place.

We paddle back and follow the left-hand branch. The scenery is impressive: dense tropical vegetation and falling rain make us feel as though we are on a little adventure expedition!

We spend the night at anchor opposite the river mouth.

Day 9: Taputapuatea and Motu Naonao

At around 9 am, we set off for Opoa Bay. Beside the sea stands Marae Taputapuatea, an important former Polynesian ceremonial site. We go ashore to explore it.

Then we sail on and anchor off the private Motu Naonao. Another natural aquarium surrounds the boat. We can easily spot fish swimming among the coral.

Many motus are family-owned and passed down through the generations. On some, the grandparents live there while the rest of the family visits at weekends. What a weekend retreat!

Those who work on a neighbouring island travel there by outrigger canoe. Traffic jams certainly are not an issue on this commute.

Day 10: Arriving in Bora Bora

We leave our anchorage at 6 am. Seven hours later, we reach Bora Bora.

Our first anchorage is behind Motu Toopua. We take the dinghy to a particularly clear, sandy part of the lagoon. The water is shallow enough to stand in.

Here, we watch blacktip reef sharks and rays in the water.

At the time of our trip, hotels offer excursions to this spot for around €85 per person. Having our own boat means we can visit independently.

Day 11: Turquoise water and a coral garden

We head towards the eastern side of Bora Bora. After two hours, we anchor opposite Motu Piti Aau.

The water is so clear that we can see the seabed and rays gliding past. In the afternoon, we take the dinghy to a coral garden. While snorkelling, we find ourselves surrounded by fish.

That evening, we eat at a waterfront restaurant. After dark, we watch blacktip reef sharks coming close to the shore.

Day 12: Returning to Raiatea

The passage back to Raiatea takes eight hours. We spend one final night at anchor before returning the boat the next day.

If your return flight leaves later in the day, you can leave your luggage with the charter company and hire a car again. This gives you time for one last drive around the island or a swim.

Back at the marina, showers and toilet facilities are available. It is a practical way to make the most of your holiday until the very last moment!

What facilities are available at the marina on Raiatea?

The marina is small but accommodates plenty of catamarans. When we return, a skipper from the charter company comes aboard to handle the berthing manoeuvre. With the boats moored close together, this is welcome assistance.

Provisioning for your sailing holiday

The charter company can arrange provisioning for an additional fee. Alternatively, you can hire a car and do the shopping yourself, which is what we did.

Getting to the airport

The airport is easy to reach from the base. The drive takes around five minutes, making departure arrangements straightforward.