July 28- 29, 2012
We were sad to leave Moorea, but strong winds were predicted and we wanted to get to the Leeward Islands (Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Bora Bora) before they arrived. Our plan was to spend 3 or 4 days in Huahine and then head about 20 miles west to Raiatea to sit out the windy period. Specifically we wanted to be in the city of Uturoa, the second largest city in French Polynesia. There we’d hoped to have a secure place to tie up our boat, access to grocery stores, eateries, and a rental car if we wanted to see the island.
For now, our plan was to see Huahine while we had the chance. It’s a little off the beaten path as most tourists focus on Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora. We headed out late in the afternoon for the overnight passage. It was uneventful as we motor-sailed the entire way, but we did notice our radar was getting an awful lot of noise spikes, like someone else with a very powerful radar was nearby. We blamed a large super yacht that was in the area and didn’t think much more about it. (It turns out that other radars may not be the cause and Simrad is sending us a new unit to try to fix the problem.)
We arrived at Huahine early in the morning and headed in through the pass in the reef. All these islands are surrounded by a barrier reef, but unlike the Tuamotus, these passes are easy to navigate and can be done at any time with no worries about the state of the tide.
Unfortunately, getting anchored was not as easy as going through the pass. It was a small anchorage off the main town, and there were a lot of boats there. We maneuvered in and managed to find a spot, but it was a little closer to other boats than we like to be. It would have to do for now. Unfortunately, getting to a place and dealing with a crowded anchorage is like meeting someone and getting off on the wrong foot. You start with bad feelings and you either get past them or not. And so began our time in Huahine.
