25,000 NM & TAHITI

- 4 years, 3 months;

- 31 countries;

- 400 anchor drops;

- 1 trans-Pacific crossing; AND

- 25,000 nautical miles... all this to get from our origin (Asuncion, Paraguay) to our dream destination: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia.

Our goal had been to dock downtown Papeete, at the "Quai des Bateaux" (originally Quai Bir Hakeym) but we were directed to Marina Taina in Punaauia, some 9 miles south of Papeete Harbor, because the downtown dock is being converted into a marina and is out of commission, the "front de mer" on Blvd. Pomare obliterated by palissades (though we've heard of yachts overnighting there anyways.)  A coffee at the "Retro" somehow doesn't feel the same without the view on the docked yachts.

Here is the deal with Marina Taina.  There is no room for boats the size of Domino inside the marina, neither any mooring for large yachts (>50') on the mooring field.  What was left for us was a small patch of free anchoring between the marina and the moorings south of the Beachcomber Hotel in 15meters of water and a very crowded anchorage, rotting boats included.  Another tricky part of Marina Taina: the unmarked reef that extends north of the dingy dock and that we unhappily hit while dinghying over to the dock... a word of advice: give the dinghy dock a wide berth if you approach from the anchorage area!

Docking at the "Quai des Bateaux" at marina Taina was indeed an option, for $200/night and a hideous surge that generally slaps the yachts into the dock, no thank you.

This said, Marina Taina is great.  The 24-hour gas station-cum-convenience store outside the marina has fresh baguette every morning; Carrefour is a block away and you can take your shopping cart with you (make sure to get a free Carrefour Fidelity card on your 1st trip: more savings to you!); a shipchandler can arrange for most of your pressing needs; and 2 really good restaurants can relieve you from your galley slave duties... for a price, but the food's great.  A Casa Blanca on Wednesday nights you can be sure to find a member of "Les Freres de la Cote" having a drink and waiting for a visiting brother.  We were invited to join their dinner and oh-what a happy and helpful bunch of yachties they are!  How helpful?  Claude ("s.v Moemiti")had helped us contact John Deere Panama when he provided us with Inmarsat Internet access the morning we got hit by lightning in San Blas 2 years ago, and we were very glad indeed to reconnect with him in his home harbor of Papeete.

Of note: while we were at Taina, we met the most extarordinary boats.  First, "JAMBO," the Sunreef powercat owned and designed by French great sailor Laurent Bourgon.  Then, "NEODIS," a Hobie-cat style catamaran owned by Laurent's younger brother, Yvan, currently doing a solo-around-the-world... yeah, on that little cat: sporty, even if Yvan has a support boat following him!  Best of luck to you, Yvan!

Of course, our Tahitian friends Caro and Williams were waiting for us too, letting us use their car as we needed.  How nice!  No need to dinghy in the lagoon for 20 minutes to Papeete; no need to wait for the elusive bus to town (awe... the "trucks" no longer exist;) no need to hail a cab that is sure to charge the tourist double for the fare.  We were free to drive and hit the good spots as we pleased: the haulout facility Technimarine, the ship chandlers in Fare Ute (Papeete harbor) and, not to be missed, the Sunday morning fresh produce market at the Papeete market.

It was a full week of shopping, maintenance planning, visiting with friends and hardly time to breathe before the big Easter weekend that will see us in Moorea, with of course Caro and the kids for an Easter egg chase in Moorea...

Until then...

dominomarie

Our 31 Countries....