Friday, July 17, 2026 17°33'S 149°37'W

Tahiti Airport Anchorage, 233NM SW of Anse Amyot

After dinner we could slightly ease our course, trading some of our gained height for comfort. The night skies also cleared, and there was a huge shooting star streaming across the skies in the early hours.

Pretty soon afterwards we started getting some shelter from the island of Tahiti, making for a more comfortable going. Eventually wind also died, and in the morning we had to motor the remaining miles.

We hailed Papeete Port Control on VHF and were given permission to enter ahead of a fast ferry and a Korean fishing boat. Then we had to wait again for permission to cross the airport runway.

The airport anchorage is quite crowded, but we were lucky to find a good spot right behind Plan B. Since this anchorage is deep, we’re using the extra anchor chain we bought in Panama for the first time.

Next to Carrefour to see a proper grocery store for the first time since February!

• Distance today: 85NM
• Lunch: not yet
• Engine hours: 4

Thursday, July 16, 2026 17°7'S 148°16'W

Pacific Ocean, 148NM SW of Anse Amyot

Instead of the forecasted 20kn of wind, much of the night was hovering around 10kn. While this did hurt our day distance, it did make for smoother motion. As consequence, we both got pretty good sleep.

In the morning the wind picked up again, and we’ve been barreling through the big and now a bit splashy waves towards Tahiti. Skies have remained leaden, giving little solar output. At least the hydrogenerator helps some.

Point Venus 73NM, 253°.

• Distance today: 100NM
• Lunch: pea soup
• Engine hours: 0

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 16°16'S 146°49'W

Pacific Ocean, 48NM SW of Anse Amyot

After a couple of days waiting, the wind finally backed to southeast. Not quite as far as we’d like, but as there was nothing better in the horizon, we decided to take this window to get to the Society Islands.

Departure from a mooring ball is always easy. Anchor was already packed away, and we could prepare the staysail before letting go of the mooring pendant. Departure from this little blind pass was also easy, with no slack timing to observe.

We were greeted with quite big and bouncy seas and a mostly overcast sky. We started the day with a full main and the staysail, as the wind is just forward of the beam. For the evening and the slightly rising wind we tucked in a first reef. 170NM to Point Venus.

• Distance today: 48.4NM
• Lunch: potato salad and rye bread
• Engine hours: 0.3

Sunday, July 12, 2026 15°48'S 146°9'W

Rotoava - Anse Amyot

At sunrise we were already outside in the 1kn wind getting the anchor up. After the 360° change in wind, we had a bit of the chain under a rock but we managed to wrangle it out without getting wet. As we were motoring out, the wind picked up a bit and turned southerly, several hours earlier than in the forecast. So we changed our plan. Instead of heading back to the Fakarava south pass, we headed out towards Toau. At least in that direction we had a small chance of sailing.

We hit the pass 45 minutes before slack. The current created a wide band of standing waves in the middle of the pass, but the NE side of the pass was still water, so we motored out. After the pass we hoisted the full main and genoa and had nice sailing wind for about 5 minutes. After that the wind dwindled to near nothing and we motorsailed onwards.

The day was a gray one. It didn’t properly rain but you did get wet in just minutes by standing outside. In the lee of the atoll, we enjoyed our calm day of motoring. In the afternoon we spotted the sea markers for the Anse Amyot and went in. What a feeling to just go in! As Anse Amyot is a ‘blind pass’ that doesn’t fully go through, there is no significant current and the reef protects us in 270° around us. Here we are tied to a mooring ball and will wait for the right wind to head towards Tahiti.

• Distance today: 39.5NM
• Lunch: Miisa’s cous cous salad
• Engine hours: 7.9

Friday, July 10, 2026 16°3'S 145°37'W

Tumakohua - Rotoava

The winds keep rotating, and so one needs to migrate to the right end of the atoll. Especially here. Fakarava has over 30NM of fetch in the wrong conditions. But we had a chance to snorkel the Unesco Nature site Wall of Sharks, and enjoyed a lovely dinner ashore.

And so at sunrise we were again hoisting anchor. What followed was another glorious daysail on a fast beam reach. Unlike most atolls, Fakarava is actually charted and hence one can sail here. In the end we even tacked a bit to get around a pearl farm in lake-like conditions.

The anchorage in front of Rotoava town is deep and full of boats, but we managed to find a good spot. At least for a day or two until wind turns again.

• Distance today: 29NM
• Lunch: not yet
• Engine hours: 0.8

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 16°30'S 145°27'W

Motu Taharoa - Tumakohua

After a rough night, at sunrise we hoisted the anchor. Overnight the wind did a 200 degree shift that turned our of anchorage to a shitty one with a lee shore uncomfortably close. But that is life on the atolls. You have never good coverage for big windshifts.

After anchor was up, we headed to the pass and went from the tumoltuos sea inside the atoll to the smooth seas of the open ocean. We rolled out the full genoa accompanied by the mainsail and were on our merry way towards Fakarava. In the lee of Tahanea we made good progress. With no waves we were flying towards our destination.

At midday, we had already done over half of the passage. We might make it in before sunset! As the low slack tide was at 3 and after we would have a gentle current with us. So the only limitation was daylight. So instead of a leisurly overnighter this became an active daysail with constant adjustments to the sails in the variable 10 to 15 kn of wind.

At 16:45 we were at the pass and after visually confirming the smooth seas in the pass we motored in. At times the 3kn current pushed us in fast and after going around the marked reef we dropped the hook with 10 minutes of daylight left! Our first daysail in Tuamotus!

Tomorrow we shall check the Tumakohua pass by snorkel. It is the home for the world famous ‘wall of sharks’!

• Distance today: 54.6NM
• Lunch: sandwitches
• Engine hours: 1.9

Sunday, July 5, 2026 16°51'S 144°39'W

Tahanea NE - Motu Taharoa

The wind continues to back, so it was again time to move. We spent the morning on boat projects, and then hoisted anchor for a short jump closer to the three atoll passes.

Easy trip in light winds, with barely a bommie in sight. We were able to tuck the boat snugly behind the stream of the tiny Passe Otao. As there are no actually good spots for a 270° wind shift, we hope the tidal stream will smoothen the waves a bit.

After dropping the hook we ensured none of the nearby coral heads come too high, and rowed to see the pass on an incoming tide. Beautiful corals!

• Distance today: 4.3NM
• Lunch: spaghetti aglio e olio
• Engine hours: 1.5

Thursday, July 2, 2026 16°52'S 144°35'W

Tahanea E - Tahanea NE

In expectation of a 360° wind shift, we moved to the NE corner of the atoll. We motored the 5NM towards north and found a bommie-free spot in 6 meters deep after a bit of searching. Now we can explore the close by motus and enjoy a new scenery.

• Distance today: 5.3NM
• Breakfast: rye bread with cheese
• Engine hours: 1.7

Thursday, June 18, 2026 16°57'S 144°35'W

Tahanea Middle Pass - Tahanea E

After a nap and coffee the sun was high enough, and we hoisted the anchor.

Wind was slightly down from sunrise, but still in the 20kn range, driving big rolling waves through the 8NM fetch on the atoll. We decided to motorsail to keep the boat moving despite the excessive hobby horsing.

As always, bommie dodging in these uncharted waters was quite challenging, with waves occasionally splashing the lookout standing in the rear of the boat. But it was all worth it, we’re again anchored in a gorgeous and protected spot. And getting ready for the Midsummer.

• Distance today: 10NM
• Lunch: spaghetti with homemade pesto
• Engine hours: 3.2

Thursday, June 18, 2026 16°50'S 144°41'W

Makemo E - Tahanea Middle Pass

After several windy days, we knew the pass would be in a 24/7 ebb. Constant outgoing current means that you can only choose how fast you are being shot out of the pass. So based on available information we decided that at 2pm we should be ready at the pass.

We hoisted the anchor around noon. It was a bit of a workout as it had dug itself deep into the white sand. We motored through the atoll and were greeted by two other boats on their way out. It is always nice when someone else has come to the same conclusion of the best pass timing as you. We watched Windhorse II and Plan B go out with approximate 4kn current, so with Plan B 0.7NM away and nearly through, we stepped into the conveyor belt of the pass and made our speedy way through. No significant standing waves were present, so after the pass we hoisted the main in 1st reef and poled out the staysail and were on our way!

In the darkness we gybed and continued on a fast beam reach till midnight watch change. At that point it was time to try and slow down, so we put in a second reef. That wasn’t quite enough, so at 3am and 5NM to the pass we hove to and waited for light. It was pleasant to see the boat drift at about 1kn slowly towards our destination, bow staying at about 50° AWA, and the turbulent slick left by our keel calming the breakers.

About a half hour before sunrise we eased the tiller and sheets, and continued our way towards the pass with just the reefed mainsail. Just at sunrise we slipped through with 2.5 to 3kn counter-current.

Powered by the mainsail and engine we made it through quick and smooth. Inside the atoll we packed in the sail and dug the anchor from the chain locker and dropped the hook. It was time to sleep and only think of navigating the atoll in the afternoon with the sun high on the sky to see the bommies.

• Distance today: 92NM
• Lunch: lentil-sweet potato stew
• Engine hours: 3.6