Finally we had excellent wind at a decent angle and were able to sail on a beam reach at 6.5 knots overnight to Papeete. Approaching Tahiti was a special experience as we had dreamed of it for so long. The island was impressive with the steep mountains, lush greenery, and nearby Moorea.





We entered through the Papeete Pass through the reef and made it down to the Marina Taina where we anchored for the night. We went ashore and had a nice dinner at the local Italian restaurant. Back at the boat there was a gorgeous sunset behind Moorea.





The next day we did a Mediterranean mooring to an outer dock, on the other side of which were about six huge superyachts with giant masts and booms and lengths up to 300 feet. They were private yachts and very impressive.

We went ashore and met Tehani, our agent for handling all the paperwork for entering Tahiti. She was very helpful, and also arranged a tour of the island given by her aunt who has formally studied Polynesian history and culture. On the tour we saw a number of beautiful waterfalls coming off the volcanic cliffs and through the abundant green vegetation.









Tehani invited us over to her home for dinner that evening. Her boyfriend, Scotty, is a superyacht chef, and cooked up a fabulous lasagna dinner. Her father teaches ukulele, and we had fun singing our songs and harmonizing, and we learned a few polynesian songs as well. Reggae is very popular throughout Polynesia, so our music fit in well.



Carole and Phil now headed back to the United States for the month of June for graduation ceremonies and other family activities, while I will be going to Easter Island for a week and then on to Santiago, Chile, for another three weeks before we all return to Tahiti to continue on across to New Zealand.