Location 16° 41S, 151° 29W
Monday, 08.27.2007

For the weekend in Bora Bora, we went on a little “road trip” to Taha’a, which is just a few miles across a channel. Twenty miles. For older romantics, you may remember the movie “South Pacific” where there was the big US Navy base on one island, but across the way, close but remote, was Bali Hai. The base that Mitchner was writing about was Bora Bora and “Bali Hai” was Taha’a and Raitatea (they share a lagoon). In the Second World War, most of the girls were sent across to Taha’a to be out of the reach of the Americans (Overpaid, Oversexed, and Overhere).

Taha’a isn’t like that today. It is the sleepy garden island. Currently we are at the lovely Tara Vana Yacht Club, on one of their moorings, at 16° 41S, 151° 29W. It is a perfect quiet spot just at the south end of the island. We went touring around today and couldn’t help but notice that the roads were the best we’ve seen in all of French Polynesia. The answer seems to be that no one uses them. No big trucks, no tearing up everything for new sewers, just bicycle on the smooth macadam from time to time.

We had a great sail across to Taha’a with three friends, Richard Postma and his son Kahai (see sailing vessel Tara Vana) and Erwin Christian. For those of you who might want to see more of this lovely area, go to Amazon and get some of Erwin’s books: “Tuamotu” with Dominique Charnay, “Moorea” with Robineau, “Marquesas,” “Light in the Lagoon,” and my favorite, “Tahiti, au gre du vent — Tahitian Glimpses.” The last one is all black and white, and I think is totally Christian’s favorite personal photos, as opposed to those that become famous postcards.

We were marvelously fortunate that Christian, before he sailed with us, got a speed boat and photographed the Maggie B sailing in the lagoon of Bora Bora and just along the reef outside. As all know, the Maggie B is beautiful, but Christian’s photos may make her exquisite. The cover of Yachting? Who knows….

We are headed back to Bora Bora tomorrow, hopefully to return to our new favorite patch of sand near the Hotel Bora Bora. It should be a fun run across. Willis and Kath are scheduled to join us September 9th, so we’ll probably hang out in Bora until then. No hardship! Once they are on board, we look forward to returning to Taha’a and Raitatea.

All is well.