We started Day 5 by going back to the Fish River for another swim with the fish, and then some more snorkeling and kayaking. A nice lazy morning just enjoying the beauty of the area. Continue reading
Category Archives: Tahiti
7 Day Tahiti Crewed Catamaran Charter – Day 4 – Pearl Farm visit and “Fish River” on Taha’a
Today had two true treats, both unexpected: a visit to a real Tahitian pearl farm, and a swim in a coral garden that was chock full of the most glorious fish imaginable. But first things first. Continue reading
7 Day Tahiti Crewed Catamaran Charter – Arrival & Boarding
Getting to Tahiti is not as far as you might think. While, yes, it is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it is a smooth, 7-hour flight from Los Angeles. Closer than flying to Europe! Our Air Tahiti Nui Flight left LAX at 5:15 and arrived at around 11 PM at the main Airport on Tahiti Island.
After going through customs (everyone had to take a COVID Antigen test in the Airport), where a band was playing welcoming Tahitian Music, we simply walked across the street to the Tahiti Airport Motel and slept for a few hours before returning to the airport for our short, beautiful flight to Huahine, where our charter was to begin.
No need to arrive for flights 2 hours in advance in Tahiti, an hour or so will do! Our flight to Huahine took about an hour.
We arrived at Huahine at around 8 in the morning – too early to board the charter. So Boatbookings arranged that we would taxi to the south island (Huahine-Iti), and swim and have lunch at the pretty Hotel Le Mahana. Our Boat, DIVA, arrived promptly at 1 pm, and we were whisked by tender to our boat, and of course, given leis as soon as we boarded the boat!
We had our obligatory Captain’s Safety Briefing and off we went to our first anchorage, close to the town of Fare, but pristine with amazingly clear water.
Drinks on the flydeck, then dinner – fresh meka (from the swordfish family) with a French sauce – amazing!
Learn more about Tahiti Yacht Charters.
Tomorrow – sail to Raiatea
7 Day Tahiti Crewed Catamaran Charter – Introduction & Overview
Our family of 5 recently enjoyed a 7-day Tahiti Yacht Charter on a 56-foot Lagoon 560 crewed catamaran. The entire trip was idyllic! In this series of blog posts, we will take you through the arrival, departure, itinerary, cuisine, crew, and lots of other observations to give you a clear picture of what it’s like to charter in Tahiti and the brilliance of being on a crewed catamaran.
Note, you can see this entire 7-day Tahiti Crewed Catamaran Itinerary here.
The Yacht
We chartered a Lagoon 560 crewed catamaran through Boatbookings. Lagoons are fantastic catamarans – they offer great open spaces both inside and out, and the cabins are roomy and comfortable. The 560 has a very large flydeck with seating for 8, where we spent a lot of time, especially at sunset, because you get a 360-degree view of the incredibly beautiful surroundings. We ate most of our meals on the spacious and comfortable aft deck, because it is never windy and offers easy access to the galley.
The crew had their own quarters so that each of our children could have their own cabin and bathroom, what a luxury! See the layout below.
The main salon is large, well lit and comfortable, although we honestly never spent one minute in it – there was too much to do outside!
The boat had 2 paddleboards, 2 kayaks, and plenty of snorkeling gear. We used them every day!
The Crew
We had a fantastic crew who took care of all of our needs, set the daily itinerary, and produced world-class cuisine (a mixture of french and Tahitian cooking) three meals a day.
Jerome was our captain – he is French and has lived in the Tahitian Islands for 20 years. He knows where the best snorkeling spots are and always moored the boat in quiet, beautiful anchorages so that we had amazing views and sunsets!
Clara served three fantastic meals a day, plus sundowner drinks and hors d’oeurvres so we could fully enjoy the sunsets. She cooked meals to meet our dietary specifications – Tahitian food is, of course, centered around amazing fresh fish, but one of our party didn’t eat fish so she always had a great substitute.
See more in our Tahiti Yacht Charter Guide.
Tomorrow: Travel to and arrival in Tahiti
One of the Great Migrations – the Humpback Whales in French Polynesia
Every year in the Antartic, as winter closes in and food becomes scarcer, one of the worlds great migrations takes place.Many hundreds of humpback whales swim 6000 km north to spend 4-5 months enjoying the warmer and food-rich waters of French Polynesia, to breed and to give birth to their calves. This is a time for mating, with underwater singing that can be heard all day long as the males try to impress the females.
