Bali 4.6
Dream Yacht's Bali 4.6 — five cabins with gen, AC and watermaker in Raiatea
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The Society Islands. On the Same Charter.
Raiatea, Tahaa, Huahine, Bora Bora — the pinnacle bareboat trip for a reason.
Overview
Tahiti — more accurately, French Polynesia — is the bucket-list bareboat destination. Charters depart from Raiatea (the second-largest island in the Society chain) and work the leeward islands: Raiatea and Tahaa share a lagoon and a barrier reef; Huahine is a half-day east; Bora Bora is a full-day west. Each island is its own world. The lagoons are flat water in vivid turquoise. The pass entrances through the barrier reefs are the only open-water sailing on a typical charter — most of the trip is inside protected lagoons.
What's hard: getting there. From the US West Coast it's 8 hours nonstop to Papeete (PPT), then a 45-minute flight to Raiatea. Provisioning is in Uturoa (Raiatea's only town) and Bora Bora; between, you're carrying. Charter rates are at the top of the global market.
Best for charterers planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip, sailors who want lagoon-flat cruising in vivid water, and groups willing to commit to the travel time and rate.
Quick Facts
- Best months
- May – October (dry season, austral winter). November–April is hot and wetter (cyclone season is December–March but rare in the Societies).
- Sailing conditions
- SE trades 10–20 knots May–October. Inside lagoons, flat water; pass entrances can build with wind against tide.
- Water temperature
- 77–84°F year-round.
- Typical trip length
- 7-day most-booked, 10-day for the full Bora Bora run.
- Cruising character
- Lagoon-based, flat-water cruising punctuated by short pass crossings between islands.
- Customs
- Visa-free for most nationalities (90 days for US passport holders). Charter base handles cruising permits.
- Currency
- CFP Franc. Euro accepted in some places; USD less so.
Sample Itineraries
All depart and return from the charter base. Distances are approximate nautical miles.
7-Day Active
- Day 1 — Raiatea (Marina de Uturoa) → Tahaa (Hurepiti Bay). ~6nm N (inside the shared lagoon). Short first sail. Anchor in the bay. Tahaa is the vanilla island — visit a working vanilla farm in the afternoon.
- Day 2 — Hurepiti Bay → Coral Garden snorkel + Tapuamu. ~5nm. Drift snorkel through the Coral Garden between motus on the north end of Tahaa. Tie the dinghy to the marker line and let the current carry you over the coral.
- Day 3 — Tapuamu → Bora Bora (through Teavanui Pass). ~20nm W. Cross open water to Bora Bora. Enter the lagoon through Teavanui Pass — the only pass into Bora Bora. Anchor or mooring in the lagoon off Vaitape.
- Day 4 — Bora Bora, hold. Snorkel the famous outer reef. Lunch at Bloody Mary's. Sunset off the boat with Mount Otemanu in the background.
- Day 5 — Bora Bora → Raiatea. ~20nm E. Return to the shared Raiatea/Tahaa lagoon.
- Day 6 — Raiatea → Huahine. ~25nm E (open water). The least-developed of the four islands. Anchor in Fare or Avea Bay.
- Day 7 — Huahine → Raiatea. ~25nm W. Return sail back to Marina de Uturoa.
Available Yachts in Tahiti
Anchorages Worth Planning Around
Coral Garden (Tahaa)
Between two motus on the north end of Tahaa.
Why stop here: A drift snorkel between two motus on the north end of Tahaa. Coral-paved bottom in 3–6 feet of water; the current carries you over it. Some of the densest reef-fish life in the Societies.
Holding & approach: Anchor outside the motu chain in 20–30 feet of sand. Dinghy in to the drop point — there's a marker line. Tie the dinghy and start the drift; pick up the dinghy at the downstream end.
What to do: Snorkel the drift. Picnic on the motu at the end. Easy half-day from any anchorage on the north side of Tahaa.
Getting There
- Airport
- Faa'a International (PPT), Papeete, Tahiti — the main French Polynesian gateway. Most charterers connect via PPT to Raiatea (RFP) on Air Tahiti — ~45 minutes. From the US, direct flights to PPT from Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO).
- Charter Bases
- Dream Yacht Charter — Marina de Uturoa, Raiatea.
- Airport Transfer
- RFP to Marina de Uturoa is ~10 minutes by taxi.
- Customs & Check-in
- Visa-free for US, EU, and most nationalities. Bring passport.
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