On Sunday morning we set out towards Raiatea in order to make sure we’d reach the island during daylight after a nightsail (120 nm). During the first hour we were in the lee of Tahiti, with no wind, but confused cross seas as usual in the channel between Tahiti and Moorea. After an hour a strong wind set in and we had a quick but very rolly passage. We passed Huahine at sunrise and reached Raiatea at 10 o’clock.
As it’s the beginning of the humpback season here we were hoping to encounter one of these giants on the way, but no luck there.
We were as usual trolling a lure, which attracted a tuna early in the morning. We saw him jumping twice (a big, tasty looking guy), but he managed to get away, so Pitufa remains a vegetarian boat for now.
The twin islands of Raiatea and Tahaa are protected by a barrier reef that’s dotted with sandy motus and has a deep, easily navigable lagoon inside. We are now anchored behind a motu with a nice view of the high islands. They are densely forested but not as steep and spectacular as other islands of the Societies.
