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FRENCH CRUISING — SIMPLY THE BEST

After years of cruising the world, circumnavigator John Freeland has memories of many exotic places, but was the standout among them all. His unsolicited endorsement of that French Overseas Territory couldn't have been submitted at a better time, as this month was an absolute guessing game. But dozens of westbound cruisers will embark on the Pacific Puddle Jump now the cruiser-developed 'guesstima- passage from the West Coast to the Marquesas and beyond. tor' is usually within 45 minutes of be- ing spot-on. Another relatively new development A fter a single circumnavigation I hardly saw any yachts while working in the is that I can't claim to know every nook and on trading schooners from Trinidad to now has a haulout and storage yard cranny available to bluewater cruisers, Anguilla. But a comparison of the Ca- that uses hydraulic lift trailers and, but having taken a total of 10 years to ribbean basin to French Polynesia as a by comparison, has better prices than close the loop, my experience is cer- long-term cruising area provides some most yards. tantalizing food for thought. For starters, consider that the five The Society of French Poly- The Societies are classic South Pa- nesia cover a vast area of the cific islands with gorgeous mountains South Pacific that is as big as and fringing reefs, the most famous Western . isles among them being and . You'll find many fine anchorages The here, reasonably good boat supplies, The Marquesas are geologi- marinas, boatyards and many worth- cally young volcanic Islands while cultural attractions ashore. similar to the Hawaiian archi- Each of these islands is encircled by pelago, but not as volcanically a reef, with a flat-water lagoon inside it, active and lacking the hordes adjacent to the land. As a result, an- of tourists. Currently, they get chorages are well protected and have very regular supply ships and backdrops of absolutely stunning ver- frequent, regular air service to dant mountains, and beaches skirted all islands except Fatu Hiva. with palms. Well-known writers such as the Hiscocks list several anchor- & Astral Archipelagos ages in the Marquesas among Farther afield and less often sup- their favorites, and that archi- plied, these islands provide a real break ALL PHOTOS LATITUDE / ANDY EXCEPT AS NOTED EXCEPT ANDY / LATITUDE PHOTOS ALL pelago is cyclone-free. from the modern world for the few From one generation to another, reverence There is now a haulout yard in Hiva cruisers who visit them. for traditional music and dancing is universal Oa that can accommodate most mod- In terms of variety of geography, it is throughout the archipelagos. est-sized yachts, and there are also at- fair to say that French Polynesia offers tainly more than a 'mile wide and a foot tended moorings available. Shipping a much wider range of cruising oppor- deep'. parts from is cheap by regular tunities than, say, the Lesser Antilles. Now that I'm nearing the end of my cargo ships. cruising years, I thought it might be worth sharing a well-kept secret: There The Tuamotu are no better cruising grounds in the There are 78 atolls in the trade winds belt than French Polynesia. Tuamotu , but Such claims are usually made on the only about a dozen of these basis of beautiful pictures with moun- jewels of the Pacific are visited tains and palm trees, but in addition to regularly by cruising yachts. all that, a look at some facts is worth Plenty more are worth seeing. consideration. These islands are generally Many people love the idea of exploring formed by a ring of low-lying a cruising area over the period of many motus (islets), laid out like a seasons without making long bluewater string of that form la- passages, but generally the South Pa- goons, and are essentially cific is ruled out when considering such small inland seas containing arrangements. After researching the fantastic coral and reef fish. history of cyclones in French Polynesia, I can attest that 20 years it occurred to me that for the most part, ago, a major issue like an en- the French only share this huge hunk gine problem could have been of paradise with other sailors who are nearly catastrophic in these bent on crossing the South Pacific in a waters. But today, many season or two. atolls enjoy the aforemen- We recently spent four years in the tioned regular air and freight- Caribbean basin and enjoyed it im- er service. Twenty years ago, mensely. Of course, it has changed finding slack water in passes since my first trip there in 1975, when (breaks in the fringing reefs)

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oft-heard claims of Getting There prohibitive costs are The challenges of getting to French overstated. Polynesia depend mostly on where you Needless to say, start from. If you're leaving Europe, from the West Coast the Atlantic crossing takes the average of , bluewater cruising boat about three French Polynesia is weeks. By comparison, the trip from the far and away easier Galapagos (roughly 1,000 miles west of to reach than the Panama) to the Marquesas, the east- cruising grounds of ernmost group of French Polyne- the Eastern Carib- sia, often takes closer to a month. bean. Once you arrive in French Polynesia, There are 78 atolls in the your biggest jumps will be three to five Tuamotu Archipelago, yet days between the only about a dozen of these major archipelagos. Every year in July the best dancers, musicians jewels of the Pacific are visited and atheletes come to Tahiti to compete in a sort of cultural Olympics called the Heiva. regularly by cruising yachts. Weather & Cyclones French Polynesia was long consid- Humboldt Current, French Polynesia is ered to be out of any cyclone , on the outer edge of the South Pacific Once across the Caribbean, transit- and, while relatively rare, they can oc- cyclone belt. ing the Panama Canal is a unique expe- cur during El Niño conditions. In comparison to the Caribbean, re- rience, albeit a wee bit nerve-racking on Meanwhile, with an estimated cords show that there has only been occasion. The cost is about the same as 63,000 boats damaged or destroyed in one cyclone in the and an extra haulout. It's worth remember- the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, the northern Tuamotus for every 22 ing that on the route from the south- many boat owners are now asking, hurricanes in the Caribbean Basin. western Caribbean all the way to the "Why risk keeping a yacht in the Carib- El Niños are among the most thor- Marquesas, cyclones are not a factor. bean?" oughly researched climate patterns, It's roughly 4,000 miles from Pan- In Polynesia, many cruisers apply a backed by millions of dollars in super- ama to the Marquesas, or 3,000 miles seasonal strategy that can best be de- computer computation time. In a care- from the Galapagos, a stop-off that I scribed as "hurry off to ful review of satellite-based cyclone would enthusiastically recommend. The in one season" to avoid the November- tracks from 1969 to 2010, no storm to-March cyclone season. But for sav- with hurricane force (>64 knots) winds The salty Herreshoff replica 'Rhapsody' glides vy cruisers who wish to make French has come within 50 nautical miles of into Cook's Bay beneath the majestic peaks Polynesia their main cruising ground, of Moorea. Tahiti, and only two within 100 nm. The there are several highest reported gust in Tahiti was 87 options worth knots. considering. In the same period, a Google search The option of shows that six hurricanes came ashore staying in the So- on the coast of New York — not a place ciety Islands has one normally associates with fear of higher risks than devastating storms. in, say, the Mar- Remaining in the Societies during quesas, which are the cyclone season (again, November to virtually immune March) during a La Niña or a Neutral to cyclones due ENSO (El Niño/Southern Oscillation) to their proxim- year, you will probably experience re- ity to the equator duced trade-wind strength and some- (between 8° and what higher temperatures than during 10°S). Neverthe- the dry months (April to October), but less, major storm conditions will still offer fine cruising. risk in the Society The Gambiers have well-protected Islands is minimal anchorages and are a bit cooler than except during El the more northerly islands and atolls of Niño years. French Polynesia, although they are re- Cyclones are mote and lack the ‘first world' supplies dependent on and services of the Societies. warm seawater in Staying in the Tuamotus during cy- order to form, and clone season is an option, but doing due to the cool- so requires keeping a close eye on the ing effects of the weather, and being ready to move across

March, 2018 • Latitude 38 • Page 79 FRENCH POLYNESIA CRUISING — SIMPLY THE BEST

the lagoons when strong winds change direction. Such caution is equally nec- essary during the winter months (April bleaching caused elsewhere by elevated owners then sail to the or to October). water temperatures. another nearby island nation, then re- In El Niño years there are five secure Besides the subjective impressions turn to Tahiti and reset the clock. options (fewer for multihulls): The Mar- of cruisers, experts support the fact If you prefer to import your vessel quesas and Gambiers have never had that French Polynesia is ideal for those the duty is now 8% of the boat's as- of us who find coral sessed value (plus additional broker's ecosystems to be one fees). of cruising's biggest Holders of European Union pass- perks. The Ocean ports can stay in French Polynesia Health Index reports: (without working) as long as they like. "Worldwide, 60% of North Americans get 90-day visas upon coral reefs are already arrival, which cannot be extended lo- seriously damaged." cally. However, prior to setting sail Long A report titled Status Stay Visas of up to a year can be ar- of Coral Reefs of the ranged in person at a French embassy World, 2008 says, or consulate. "The reefs [in French Polynesia] are gener- Comparing Stats ally in good condition, Since the Great Recession of 2008, especially the outer tourism in French Polynesia has reef slopes of the high dropped, and remains around 140,000 volcanic islands and tourists per year, compared to the pop- atolls, as there have ulation of about 240,000. Outrigger canoe racing is the national sport. been no major natural disturbances By comparison, the Caribbean Ba- Every afternoon you can see strong-armed men during the past decade. The vast ma- sin gets more than 5,000,000 tourists and women practicing in the lagoons. jority of the 15,000 km2 of reefs and annually. We have been on Caribbean a tropical cyclone. There are two boat- lagoons of French Polynesia are under islands where tourists far outnumbered yards with hard stands for dry storage low risk of degradation in the coming islanders when multiple cruise ships in (in Tahiti's Leewards), one in decades; provided that the impacts of were visiting. the Tuamotus and one in the Marque- climate change are not too strong." In Except during a few annual events, sas. Tahiti has a protected anchorage comparison, sadly, the International French Polynesian anchorages are nev- at Terevau that many cruisers consider Union for Conservation of Nature's re- er as crowded as those in the Eastern to be a good hurricane hole, and many port states: "The Caribbean's coral reefs Caribbean. also opt to simply leave their boats in have collapsed, mostly due to overfish- Marina Taina, close to Tahiti's capital, ing and climate change [bleaching]." Downsides to Long-Term Cruising in Papeete. However, none of these options French Polynesia are completely risk-free. Keeping a Yacht in French Polynesia To be fair, there are a few negative That said, it is worth noting that Visiting vessels can remain for up once you sail west of the Society Is- to three years without any customs Bora Bora is the most famous — and some say the most beautiful — isle in Tahiti's Leewards. lands, the likelihood of experiencing issues. At the end of this period some But many cruisers prefer laid-back . major storms between November and March increases as you travel through the South Pacific islands.

Coral Reefs My first trip to the Caribbean's Less- er Antilles was in the mid-'70s. Back then, I don't remember ever seeing large areas of damaged or dead coral. But fast-forward 40 years and it seems like a special treat to find areas with healthy coral in the Eastern Caribbean. Having snorkeled all over the globe doesn't make you an expert on the relative health of coral reefs, but most cruisers in the Tuamotus, Society Is- lands and Gambiers generally find the snorkeling and diving to be exceptional. French Polynesia, being on the eastern side of the South Pacific Basin, benefits from the Humboldt Current's moder- ating effect on ocean temperatures, reducing the deadly incidence of coral MARINE NATIONALE / PM BOUDARD SABINE MARINE NATIONALE

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• Healthy coral reefs. • In a year French Polynesia aspects to long-term cruising in gets the same number of tour- French Polynesia. These include: ists as the Caribbean gets in • Non-Europeans need to less than nine days. apply for a visa before coming • The Society Islands and if they wish to stay more than Northern Tuamotus only get three months. one cyclone for every 22 hurri- • Airfare from the US is gen- canes in the Caribbean basin. erally higher than to the Carib- • There has never been a bean. cyclone in French Polynesia • In the Caribbean the in- equivalent to a Category 5 Hur- frastructure for yachts is more ricane, such as Hurricanes extensive than in French Polyne- Irma and Maria. sia, although sadly, hurricanes • French government sup- Irma and Maria have significantly re- A traditional sailing canoe cuts across the ports good emergency services. duced services in Puerto Rico, the Vir- Moorea lagoon. Yes, the water inside the fring- gin Islands and St. Maarten. ing reefs really is that blue. • Uncrowded anchorages. A ll these factors contribute to • Very low crime rates. the fact that when many world cruisers A s final food for thought, here's a • Very friendly people. hear the word "paradise," they immedi- summary of why I think French Polyne- • Infrastructure very well supported atly think of French Polynesia. sia is the world's best tropical cruising by the French. — john freeland ground: • Excellent health care system. • Safest tropical cruising grounds • Little of the extreme poverty seen John and several fellow cruisers have from cyclones (while still having trade in other tropical areas. authored a 90-page guide to resources winds.) • Reasonably good infrastructure for cruisers in Tahiti. You'll find it at • A wide range of island geography. for yachts. www.tahiticruisersguide.com.

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