Mo'orea

Tahiti's Little Sister

The stingrays of Mo’orea

If Papeete is Honolulu and Tahiti is Oahu, then Mo'orea is Kauai. It's the low-key, easy-going next-door neighbor to Tahiti. We stayed for a month.

Tahiti has about 200,000 residents, and Mo'orea has about 18,000. These two islands make up 70% of French Polynesia's population. About as many tourists visit them each year.

The Marquesas are young islands, the Tuamotus are old islands, and the Societies are middle-aged. The Society Islands, like Mo'orea, have formed a coral ring and a lagoon around the island but still have towering mountain jungles. The mountains will sink over time (geologic time), leaving the coral ring surrounding a lagoon and looking like the Tuamotus.

We wanted a place to leave the boat for a few weeks while we traveled. I needed to go to Sydney for work. Pam wanted to go back to the States to visit her family and check on our house. Marina Mo'orea in Opunohu Bay had space for us. It turned out to be a great spot. We also rented a car during our stay, allowing us to get around the island easily.

Tahiti and Papeete are a quick 30-minute ferry ride away. That made it easy to get over there for boat parts, groceries, and other errands without having to deal with the hassle of finding a place for the boat. The anchorages and moorings in Tahiti are quite full, and finding space in the marinas is almost impossible.

We were able to knock out a backlog of boat projects and restock the fridge and freezer. Grocery shopping was amazing compared to what we've experienced up until now. It was nice to be back in civilization after months of the remoteness of the Marquesas and Tuamotus.

Moorea was a great place for the kids to fly in and meet us for the start of their two-week adventure in French Polynesia. They landed in Papeete from LA early in the morning and caught the first ferry to Mo'orea. We spent the afternoon rejuvenating at the Hilton Hotel spa.

They both work long hours, and this was a much-needed and well-deserved break for them. Having been here for nearly a month, we were able to show them around like experienced guides.

They grew up sailing. It was easy for them to drop into our cruising lifestyle. After playing tourist with them on Mo'orea for a few days, we set sail for the Iles Sous Le Vent--the Leeward Islands of Huahine, Raiatea, and Bora Bora.

Boat Projects

For my fellow boat geeks, here are some of the projects done while in Mo'orea:

• New washing machine -- a Winia Mini. I removed the old Candy Aquamatic and donated it to the marina manager. This required rebuilding the laundry cabinet. This required a trip to Polymat, Mo'orea's version of Home Depot. Getting 18mm marine plywood cut to size using my bad French took a while.

• Port steering hydraulic cylinder -- resealed it. It's been leaking since we resealed it in Mexico. Not bad. But not great either. I don't think the shop in Mexico got the end cap on the cylinder tight enough. At least that's what the shop in Papeete concluded.

• Port helm seat -- re-glassed and bonded the seat to its pedestal. It broke coming across the Pacific. I'd been in search of a fiberglass guy since we got to French Polynesia. I finally gave up and tackled it myself.

• Rig inspection -- sometimes I wish I didn't go up there and look at everything. Ignorance is bliss.

• New Starlink dish mount--removed the old wind generator pole and replaced it with a rail mount for the Starlink dish. Looks better. Less weight and windage.

• New inflatable fenders—We got rid of the old, nasty PVC fenders. They were heavy and took up a lot of space, so we replaced them with new Fendertex inflatable fenders.

• New Mini Scuba System—This is a great setup from Mantus. Who knew airlines would let you bring an empty SCUBA tank on the plane? We also bought a new nav light for our dingy from them.

• New Dingy Lifting Harness -- the old one fell overboard and sank while we were ashore one day in the Tuamotus. I snorkeled all over the anchorage, looking for it without success. John Hansen in Alameda made me another one.

• New shore power cord plugs—French Polynesia is one of the few places on earth with 220 volts, 60-hertz power. Our French boat is wired for 220 volts, 50 hertz power (with a limited 110 volts, 60 hertz system). We needed to swap out the plugs to fit the marina sockets, but I could run the air conditioners once we got connected!

• New Inflatable Standup Paddle Board for Pam—the new one she bought and had shipped to Fakarava started to leak after a few days. Mattieu at "The Board Shop" in Tahiti has been great. He replaced it for free, but now the replacement is leaking. He'll get another one next month, and we'll figure out how to ship it wherever we are. It's frustrating, but it's nice of him to hang in there with us. Bad manufacturing lot.

Good Eats

• I probably gained 10 pounds eating out in Mo'orea:

• Rudys -- classic French

• Mo'orea Beach Cafe -- Good sushi

• Allo Pizza

• Sea You Soon

• Carmaline -- Breakfast (or Steak Frites)

• Coco Beach -- spectacular setting

• Aoy Thai Food -- excellent take out Thai.

• A Few Photos

Roam med-tied in her berth at Marina Mo'orea in Opunohu Bay, Mo'orea. Note our fancy new Fendertex inflatable fenders Pam brought back from the US. They save space and weight.

Only two complaints about the Marina: The 4:30 am resident rooster and the 6:30 am leaf blower man.

The marina restaurant featured traditional Polynesian music and dancing every Friday evening. We could watch from the cockpit.

We said goodbye to our friends on Chaos and Fundango. They sailed west for the Cook Islands and Fiji. L-R: Mark, Karen (Chaos), Pam, Jim, Joanne, Scott (Fundango). We will miss these guys.

Stingrays gather just outside the mouth of Opunohu Bay. They are quite docile, maybe because the local guides feed them. They literally snuggle up against you. I'm using my new Kodak underwater camera.

The blacktip reef sharks are ever present. They don't seem to mind us; Pam minds them.

Woody Howard is a local luthier (and pearl jewelry artist) in Mo'orea. He adjusted the action on the guitar I bought in Tahiti. I originally went to Woody's shop to buy one of his custom guitars. While I was playing it, a local girl came in to buy it. It would be weeks before he could make me another one. I bought a Taylor GS Mini (in Koa wood) from another sailor instead. Woody is originally from Hawaii. He and his wife (from the Tuamotus island of Apataki) have lived in Mo'orea for 30 years.

I singled-handed Roam over to the fuel dock in Cooks Bay while Pam was in the US. Our first fill-up since Mexico. It was a settled, light wind day, so not too terrifying.

Once again, we brought cases full of boat gear back from the US and Australia -- including a new washing machine! It turns out to be a very easy way to get stuff into the country -- as opposed to having it shipped through customs which is always a crap shoot.

Roam's new Winia Mini washing machine. This was a very popular upgrade! About 1/3 the weight of the old one.

Gilbert, the marina manager, helped me get the old beast of a washing machine off the boat. He was a wonderful friend to us during our stay. Some mornings, he'd drop off fresh pastries in the cockpit. I'd find them still warm when I woke up.

After 4,300 miles, it was time to inspect the rigging. We wear headsets so we don't have to yell at each other. It is surprisingly difficult to communicate 75' in the air without them. We also use them when anchoring and docking for the same reason. "Stop yelling at me..." "I'M NOT YELLING AT YOU..."

Is this a crack? Our rigger pronounced it safe for sea.

Robert (pronounced row-BEAR) drove me all over Papeete to find a machine shop that could replace the seals in the port steering hydraulic cylinder. We got it done. His skills as an interpreter were a huge help. We talked about politics, tourism, parenting, religion, and families. He is a great guy if you ever need a ride in Tahiti.

The crew at Scubapiti filled our new mini scuba tank. We have this in case we have to untangle the anchor or otherwise work underwater for extended periods. It is good for about 30 minutes at 30 feet.

Tuna Tartar at Coco Beach is good, but not as good as La Cata Del Mar in Mexico. I continue my quest to order it everywhere in the world.

Good grilled seafood at Coco Beach. And, of course, cheeseburgers (in paradise).

The kids enjoyed a proper post-lunch espresso. The tables at this restaurant are literally in the water!

Amanda paddle boarding in Opunohu Bay.

Pam shows the kids the stingrays and sharks, their first look under the water in the South Pacific.

The Coral Princess cruise ship follows us out of Opunohu Bay, Mo'orea. We are bound for the island of Huahine, which is an overnight sail away.

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Excerpts From Our log:

Farewell Tuamotus

Thu Jul 04 2024 17:06:00 GMT-1000 (Tahiti Time)

15 50.879S 148 18.227W

All is well. We are presently beam-reaching to in 25 - 28 knot winds and 7’ confused seas under a double-reefed main and a full Solent. 1/3 daggers. We are making an easy 8-9 knots. Getting ready for the night watch.

Today, we say farewell to Makatea and to the Tuamotus. We’ve been sailing in this unique part of the world for a month and a half.

Next stop Mo'orea, 135 nautical miles away. And the start of the Society Islands.

Looking forward to it.

Happy birthday, America!

—Jim

It's always nice starting a passage at sunset.

Mo’orea Landfall

Fri Jul 05 2024 11:12:00 GMT-1000 (Tahiti Time)

17 30.674S 149 51.063W

All is well. We are safely med-tied in the Mo’orea Yacht Club after a blistering overnight broad reach in 18–26 knot winds and 7’ confused quartering seas from Makatea in the Tuamotus. Double reefed main, full Solent, 1/3 daggers.

We dropped our mooring line in Makatea just after 4pm, spun the boat around, raised the sails, set them, and never touched them the entire passage. Boat speed ranged from 8 to 10 knots. It was a bit rough and loud as it often is in these conditions. The boat was at full gallop.

Pam took the first watch. We swapped at midnight. I got a quick nap after sunrise before landfall.

Our good friends on Chaos and Fundango are anchored here, and they came over to help us get tied up. Help I was grateful to have.

We will be here for a few weeks, checking out Tahiti and Mo’orea. Pam is going back to the US for a few days to visit her family and I have a work trip to Australia. Then the kids will join us and we will head out to explore the Society Islands together.

For now, the marina restaurant has a cheeseburger. That, a nap, and a shower are all I need.

—Jim

Land Ho! Mo'orea