SEA ROVER S SOCIETY ISLANDS INFORMATION

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Ralph Evans
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1 SEA ROVER S SOCIETY ISLANDS INFORMATION 2009 NB THIS INFORMATION WAS GATHERED IN SEPTEMBER 2009 AND WE HOPE IT IS A HELPFUL ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR PRUDENT SKIPPERS. SEA ROVER AN OYSTER 46 DRAWS 2.2 metres Following are navigation notes and port information on: Bora Bora Huahine Moorea Tahaa Tahiti Maupiti GENERAL COMMENTS APPLICABLE ACROSS ALL THE SOCIETY ISLANDS: We found having a local SIM card in an unlocked mobile cheapest Internet and telecom coverage is expanding and growing daily. The main providers when we were there: -Manaspot, Iaoranet, WDG Hotspot Check out their websites for latest info. Although we would never discourage anyone from stocking up +++ in Panama, the supermarkets had a surprising range of goods (beer to biscuits, pasta to pate, cheese to crisps etc) and you could easily do basic provisioning in the islands we visited. Even had cross over items with cars e.g. some oils, WD40 etc Prices are obviously high reflecting the transport costs and fresh produce especially so. Languages - French and Polynesian. Some English spoken in tourist related businesses e.g. dive centres, hotels. SOURCES OF INFORMATION Charts: Navionics Gold 34XG Pacific Islands and Japan V (there was good correlation between charts and radar images) Admiralty Sailing Directions: Pacific Islands Pilot Volume III ISBN U. S. Naval Observatory put in the lat and long for any pass and they will give the year s moonrise and moonset times at Service Hydrographique et Oceanographique de la Marine (SHOM) web site: the French Ministry of defence website, is all in French but useful info for French Polynesia in Prédiction des Marées part of the site. Cruising guides: World Cruising Routes 6 th Edition ISBN by Jimmy Cornell Pacific Crossing Guide 2 nd Edition ISBN Ros Hogbin RCC Pilotage Foundation Landfalls of Paradise 5 th Edition ISBN by Earl Hinz & Jim Howard South Pacific ISBN by Warwick Clay SEA ROVER S SOCIETY ISLANDS INFORMATION

2 Charlie s Charts of Polynesia 5th Edition ISBN X Charles & Margo Wood Websites Shore based information Lonely Planet Guide and Rough Guides BORA BORA Off the Bora Bora Yacht Club (BBYC) charges 2000xpf for first night to use their mooring buoys and then 1000xpf for subsequent nights, unless you eat at the restaurant, in which case the mooring is free. They have a weekly rate of 5000xpf which then includes 1 hour of wifi access. Fuel: You can go alongside the Total fuel station between BBYC and Viatape (Good twenty minute walk into town from the BBYC or you can dinghy round, if calm). Reportedly 3m clearance or take the dinghy there and fill up jerry cans. If you have originals and copies of: entrance and exit papers for French Polynesia, permit for duty free fuel and ships papers you can get the diesel (not petrol) duty free. drinking water: from the jetty at the BBYC via long hose Banks and post office: Banks with ATMs in Viatape and credit cards widely accepted. Post office is past the port area in Viatape then on the right hand side Shops/market: Small corner type shop selling baguettes and croissant across the road from the BBYC. Otherwise two supermarkets on left hand side of the road into Viatape. Several local people selling local fresh fruit and veg on the road as well and cheaper/better quality then the supermarket. HUAHINE Anchored in: Haapu Bay at 16⁰47.30S 151⁰00.24W in 11.8m Avea Bay at 16⁰48.70S 150⁰59.56W in 12.5m Off town of Fare at 16⁰42.81S 151⁰02.32W in 20.6m In Fare: Car hire: Used Europcar (follow road straight ahead from landing jetty, turn left at the end, past the pharmacy on the left) where they offer car hire in 4 and 8 hour periods, as well as daily. We found the 8 hours period more than long enough to drive round the island, including a lunch stop. Was well worth the effort, especially the marae on the eastern side, even though we felt that the sacred eels were definitely not worth a detour! Fuel: By jerry can from local fuel station Banks: Branch of Socredo with ATM that accepts Visa Shops/market : SEA ROVER S SOCIETY ISLANDS INFORMATION

3 Excellent large supermarket with a great range of produce in Fare, including hardware and fishing gear. Opposite on the waterside local ladies sell fresh, local and cheaper fruit and vegetables. MOOREA Oponohu Bay, Moorea Very little to add to pilot book etc other than we did have this anchorage to ourselves when anchorages below was very crowded! Anchored in shelter of Vaipeu reef at 17⁰29.54S 149⁰51.05W In Oponohu Bay the walk up to Belvedere is worth it and do stop at the agricultural college shop on the way back for free tastings and great jams From the anchorage behind Vaipeu reef you can take your dinghy through the marked channel to the shallow sand bank near the motus on the north west marked as Stingray World on some chartlets - and after approx 20 minutes ride, tie up to one of the buoys and jump into 4 of water and you will be surrounded by stingrays gently nudging and stroking you, asking for food. Produce anything fishy and you will be mugged, in the nicest way possible. Regular flight to Tahiti TAHAA The entrance to Baie de Haamene Bay is on the east, not the west coast of Tahaa as shown in the Pacific Cruising Guide Anchorage off Ile Tehotu, gives a beautiful view of Bora Bora (especially at sunset) but be very wary as below water there are remnants of several ex pearl farms and what may not be immediately apparent are the remains of the ropes used to anchor the developing pearls. They aren t buoyed at the surface of the water but the underwater lines are still there with their underwater buoys. Given this, we conned our way in and out of anchorage and only dropped the hook there because it was settled weather. Care needed when anchoring and moving through the lagoon. Baie de Haamene, Tahaa Anchored at 16⁰38.16S 151⁰29.24W in 9m Off Ile Tehotu at 16⁰34.11S 151⁰31.85W in9m Regular flights to Tahiti TAHITI Approach to Point Venus Anchorage We entered this anchorage at night safely. However, the ASD (Admiralty Sailing Directions) advise against this for large ships. We found the combination of waypoints on the Navionics and radar SEA ROVER S SOCIETY ISLANDS INFORMATION

4 (which correlated with the electronic charts) and depth sounder, meant we felt confident to do this. The bay provides shelter and good holding on a sandy bottom in all but north westerlies. Point Venus clearly marked by white flashing light once every 5 seconds. If there is a night match on you will also see two very bright fixed lights behind this which are the stadium s lights! To avoid the reef off Point Venus and Dolphin Bank we used the following way points: S W - Approach to the larger of the two entrances to the south of Dolphin Bank S W - Mid way in the channel entrance crossing the 20m contour and shallowing S W - Mid way in the channel exit crossing the 20m contour and deepening S W Anchorage in 7m total depth a) Baie de Matavai, Tahiti Anchored at S W off Point Venus in approx 7m. Would get swell and poor wind protection in north westerlies. Using a narrow, shallow passage you can take the dinghy just around the Point to the fishing club and use their concrete jetty/wharf to tie up to at times when the club is in use you may need to find someone to ask permission to do this. From the anchorage head out towards the two solid white posts/beacons (unlit), keeping them to starboard then turn to port and follow the black and white posts/beacons (unlit) to starboard until you see a clear passage between two of them into the jetty/wharf. b) Tahiti Yacht Club, Arue The mooring buoy to which we were directed at the yacht club broke free of the line holding it to the bottom and we ended up drifting onto the reef, so check they are OK. (The Yacht Club said afterwards that we should not have been tied to the large buoy rather to a shackle some metres underwater.) The fees were 900 XPF per night and the club doesn t take credit cards. Regardless of where you first make landfall in French Polynesia you have to check in again in Papeete. You need to list the islands after Tahiti that you want to visit. Do list any you think you might want to visit down, so they will appear on your exit paper. You need to present ships papers and passports for all aboard If you need to extend the 3 months visa automatically given to EU citizens you need to go to the local Marie and register as a temporary resident. The exit paper will read that, having left Tahiti you can cruise the other Society Island Customs/immigration and National Police are both located in the same building past the Tourist Information Office (very useful source of info). Fuel: At Point Venus: Opposite Champion supermarket at the roundabout. Could fill jerry cans. At YCoT: Fuel from the yacht club and they will provide this tax free on production of original and photocopy of you permit. The area by the fuel pump is busy, narrow and shallow, so we opted to jerry can the fuel back to our boat. Closed Monday. There is a large Carrefour a short walk from the YCoT as described in Charlie s Charts and a Champion about a mile up the road from Point Venus. Museum Tahiti and ses Isles well worth visiting for an overview of the Society Islands. MAUPITI As others have observed, a wonderful final island and lagoon from which to say good bye to French SEA ROVER S SOCIETY ISLANDS INFORMATION

5 Polynesia. Very unspoilt and low key. Narrow pass, but there are clear day mark transits and a clearly buoyed channel from the pass onwards. The advice is to avoid midday when the outgoing current is at its greatest. We followed advice in Admiralty Pilot that best entry time is between 0600 and Anchored in 9.5m at 16⁰ 27.79S 152⁰ 13.23W Hired bikes and, as the island is only 10 km in circumference with only one hill it s a great way to see the place. Fuel: Dockside fuel station where you could refill jerry cans (not clear what the depth is but it looked shallow). However, the dive boat we were on was spluttering a bit to which the explanation was water in the fuel, source obviously unclear. If buying fuel, as a precaution, you may want to consider using a Baja type filter. Banks: No ATM on the island, but several places e.g. dive centre will take Euros as well as XPF at the official/pegged exchange rate. Shops/market: Reasonably large supermarket and boulangerie in the village (to right on leaving the harbour area) Post office: In complex where the Marie is Health: An infirmary on the right just before the Marie. The dive centre we found was some way out of town walking anti-clockwise. It did not appear to have any official Padi (or other) recognition, appeared to be a one Frenchman operation, and he was keen to ensure that we had our own insurance which covered diving. He appeared to know the area well. SEA ROVER S SOCIETY ISLANDS INFORMATION

SEA ROVER S VAVA U ISLANDS, TONGA INFORMATION 2012

SEA ROVER S VAVA U ISLANDS, TONGA INFORMATION 2012 NB THIS INFORMATION WAS GATHERED IN SEPTEMBER 2012 AND WE HOPE IS A HELPFUL ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR PRUDENT SKIPPERS. SEA ROVER AN OYSTER