The Leeward Islands

Winding down our time in French Polynesia

Roam (left) lies at anchor under the cloudy skies of the South Pacific Convergence Zone in Avea Bay, Huahine, French Polynesia. Photo: Kevin Ewing.

We can feel the urge to get moving welling up. At first, it’s a subtle, restless feeling. Then we start thinking about what lies ahead. Then we start making a plan. And the next thing you know, we are visiting the gendarme here in Raiatea and processing our immigration clearance.

We’ll wrap up those formalities today (hopefully). Then, dinner ashore with friends tonight. And, if the weather holds, we’ll sail out of Raiatea’s lagoon Thursday morning bound for the remote islands in western French Polynesia — Maupiti and Maupiha’a. After that, it’s a stop in Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Niue (a one-island country), and Tonga. All of this by the end of May. We hope.

South Pacific Convergence Zone

Weather in the South Pacific is dominated by the South Pacific Convergence Zone. This broad area of crappy weather has been parked over the Society Islands for several weeks now, generating rain, thunderstorms, and unpredictable winds. The boat is buttoned up. We’ve been in our rain gear. Our solar energy production is terrible. We run the generator almost every day to make up for it. It’s time to head west and sail out from under this.

Satellite view of the South Pacific Convergence Zone parked over us in the Leeward Islands. Squally, unsettled weather. Source: Windy.com

At home in North America, we are accustomed to weather fronts. Weather fronts move predictably from left to right across the weather map, delivering a little bad weather before turning nice again. Convergence zones aren’t like that. They are the result of two air masses crashing into each other. The moist, unstable air is driven straight up, which creates unsettled weather. These zones don’t move much. They drift around and persist in the same general area for weeks, even months.

Farewell Mo’orea

We sailed here from Mo’orea at the beginning of April. We had left the boat in our favorite little marina. I went to Sydney for work, and Pam went back to the US to check on things.

We got back aboard at the end of March. We cleaned things up, inspected the rigging, did some boat projects, filled the freezer with groceries, got in a little scuba diving, and enjoyed an absolutely perfect overnight sail to Huahine. That island has grown to be one of our favorites. Friends caught up with us there, and we spent about a week together.

A few days ago, we motor-sailed in the rain across to Raiatea, where we’ve been making final preparations to leave civilization and head west. I know we will miss these amazing islands. But we are ready to go.

A Few Photos:

Pam once again maxed out our baggage allowance with United and brought back several hundred pounds of food and boat gear. She buys used roller bags at the thrift store. We donate them to the locals once we unpack.

The ongoing quest to find decent pizza in faraway places. Allo Pizza, Mo’orea.

Titan Trigger fish. Mo’orea lagoon.

Green Sea Turtle. I got a new DiveVolk underwater housing for my iPhone. It’s weird to be taking your phone scuba diving, but it’s the best camera I have. I christened it diving in Mo’orea.

Boat project: new shackle for the anchor. Anchoring almost every night takes a toll on the gear. The shackle is the weakest link in the system. We’ll re-galvanize our anchor when we get to New Zealand.

I hate going up the mast. Not because I’m afraid of heights. I’m afraid I’ll find problems up there. Rigging problems are expensive and time-consuming. We use a headset to communicate because you can’t hear each other up there. Photo: Pam Yares

My friend Captain Dave (Pelagic Life) hauls me up the mast with the electric winch (his toe operates the switch). My life is in his hands. Photo: Pam Yares

Opunohu Bay, Mo’orea from the top of the mast.

Giving our spare 88-pound Delta anchor to Gilbert, the marina manager. This was the boat’s original anchor. It’s a generation behind the current Rocna Vulcan we use today. It’s been at large in the port bow locker since Mexico. Enough! Out with it. Let’s save some weight. Some nights I’d lie in bed wondering when a nasty wave would send that damn thing through the side of the hull.

Huahine has a constant northerly current flow in its lagoon. That contradicts the wind, the result of which sometimes moves us right over the top of our anchor like it did here one night. I know, not a great set. Thin sand over coral. About the best you can do. Amazing how clear the water is. This is at night, and the anchor is 20 feet down.

The best cheeseburger in all of the South Pacific is at Izzy’s in Huahine.

Izzy is a transplanted Southern Californian who runs an amazing restaurant here in Huahine. She came here on vacation 10 years ago and fell in love with the island.

We brought all of our friends: L-R Jim, Mary, Kevin (Pisces), Pam, Izzy, Andy, Dave (Pelagic Life)

Huahine has a good street food scene.

You get A LOT of food.

We hiked up to Marae Paepape O’Fata at the top of Matirae Hill on Huahine. Marae are sacred communal meeting grounds that go back more than 500 years.

We rented a scooter to get around on Huahine. Probably not the best risk management decision.

Local canoeists like to surf on our wake. This guy hung with us for several miles as we motored down the lagoon from the town of Fare to Avea Bay.

Roam anchored next to Hudson, a 2011 Catana 47 in Avea Bay, Huahine. Same hulls as our boat. Different deck configurations. A delightful Australian family headed back home.

Our friends aboard the Antares 44, Pisces, moored next to us in the Uturoa town anchorage between Raiatea and Taha’a. A good view of the South Pacific Convergence Zone’s dreary weather. We are ready to go.

Excerpts from the Ship’s Log:

Back Onboard

Fri Mar 28 2025 22:00 UTC, 17 30.682s 149 51.058w

All is well. After a whirlwind of work trips back and forth across the Pacific, we arrived back in Mo’orea. Me from Sydney, and Pam from San Francisco. Pam played the part of mule, and we brought another 200 pounds of stuff from the US, including a few items from some cruising friends here. And we wonder why our waterline is sinking.

New Anchor Shackle

Sat Mar 30 2025 00:00 UTC, 17 30.682s 149 51.056w

All is well. We’ll be here in Marina Mo’orea for the next week or so, getting ready. I’m trying to limit myself to one project per day so we can have some fun while we are here.

Today’s project (after helping our neighbor get her freshwater system pump back in operation) was swapping out the old anchor shackle with a new, stronger Titan shackle. It was the weakest link in the anchoring system.

We did make time to go to the Hilton Spa and get massages. It felt good after many, many hours on airplanes and lugging bags.

Back in Huahine

Fri Apr 04 2025 18:00 UTC, 16 43.231s 151 02.329w, Log: 6110

All is well. We are once again anchored in the south flats near the town of Fare, Huahine. We arrived after a fantastic overnight passage from Mo’orea. We sailed a broad reach in slight seas with a reefed main and Jack, our Code 65 with 1/3 daggers. Passage as planned, weather as forecast.

The GPS chip in our Starlink dish failed during the passage. The third dish we’ve had with this failure. Fortunately, we have a spare dish, but it is disconcerting that this keeps happening.

Catana built 90 471s and finished 12 of them as 472s. One of those 12 is anchored next to us!

Fare Town Anchorage

Tue Apr 08 2025 20:40 UTC 16 44.108s 151 02.935w, Log: 6112

All is well. We’ve moved up to the Fare town anchorage this morning. The wind/current dynamic changed where we were. It swung us over shallower water with rocks of unknown depth. It had become quite gusty. It seemed prudent to move. Many boats had cleared out of the town anchorage, leaving more space. We found a good spot. Unfortunately, I missed my scuba dive. I’ll try again tomorrow.

Raiatea, Uturoa Town Mooring

Fri Apr 18 2025 00:45 UTC, 16 44.563s 151 25.564w, Log: 6153

All is well. We are back in Uturoa, Raiatea, after a half-day motor sail from Huahine. We snagged the last open mooring.

The Leeward Islands have been covered by the South Pacific Convergence Zone—an area of unsettled weather. It’s a box of chocolates. You never know what you’ll get. Today, it has been pouring rain.