Raiatea run
Raiatea Island was our next destination, known as the religious capital of Polynesia. We had to motor sail our way there because the winds were super light and this year the trade winds were not as consistent as usual. Instead there was some big low-pressure systems and we were getting even west winds sometimes instead of regular southeast trades.
On the way there, we had a problem on one of the engines but lucky for us Raiatea has a lot of boat yards and marinas with charter boats and it was easy to find a mechanic and the part to fix the engine. While the engine was being repaired we explored the passes around the island to try to find some surf. We found a fun little left hand wave close to a small beautiful private Motu (little island). There I met a local guy (Tutaina), that was also SUP surfing and he told me a lot of cool stories about the Island and invited us to go check Marae. Marae was a religious place where all Polynesian navigators used to go to get blessed, and human sacrifices would be made before their big journeys through the Pacific. This place definitely had a lot of energy and Tutaina will remain in our memories as a true example of a Polynesian island.
Tahaa time
Next stop was an island called Tahaa, just a few more miles northwest. It was a place that Captain Mario and Paula had visited before and they told us we could not miss the incredible snorkelling in the “Coral Garden”. My wife Nana was in heaven at the thought as she is an oceanographer, she could not believe the amount of different species of fishes, coral and life underwater. The highlight was the colourful Clown fishes nestled on the anemones. The next day the wind came up a bit from northeast and I had a great kite session on the flat and crystal clear water in between the small islands called Motus.