Bora Bora

Sailing around French Polynesia in March offers warm, steady trade winds and calm lagoon waters—ideal for smooth passages between the Leeward Islands. Starting in Raiatea, the “Sacred Island,” you'll find lush mountains, ancient marae (islands) like Taputapuatea, and vibrant coral gardens perfect for drift dives. Bora Bora, the “Pearl of the Pacific,” dazzles with its turquoise lagoon, dramatic Mount Otemanu backdrop, and world-class snorkeling and diving—think manta ray encounters, coral canyons, and technicolor reef fish. In March, expect daytime temperatures around 80–86 °F with occasional tropical showers that keep the islands lush, plus fewer crowds than peak season. The water will be equally inviting with average temperatures between 82-84°F. Between sailing legs, you can explore vanilla plantations, enjoy some local cuisine, experience sunset anchorages, and dive sites like Bora Bora's Anau for manta rays or Raiatea's Nordby wreck for history beneath the waves—making each stop a blend of adventure, culture, and pure lagoon bliss.

3/7 Saturday Day 1 - Raiatea marina to Tipaemaua. 45 min boat ride.

Tyler and Vadym will need to begin the boat check out process at the Dreamyacht Charter office at 1 p.m. Our boat should be ready to go at 2 p.m. We'll meet up at the boat, load up the boat with our bags and groceries and get ready to set sail. Our first stop is a short 45 minute boat ride from the marina. It's a private island with beautiful beaches. We will have plenty of time for diving/snorkeling/beach activities.

3/8 Sunday Day 2 - Motu Tipaemaua to Fare Reef Huahine island. 22 nautical miles. 2:45 min boat ride.

We'll wake up and get going to Huahine island. Fare Reef anchorage has good swimming/snorkeling/diving near it. It is also dinghy distance to a town where we can go to the local distillery, refill our dive tanks, explore the island, and try out some local cuisine.

3/9 Monday Day 3 - Huahine to Motu Mahaea. 24 nautical miles. 3:00 Hr boat ride.

Ile Mahaea has a super sweet diving spot right near where we'll be anchoring. This is another remote island to relax at.

3/10 Tuesday Day 4 - Motu Mahaea to Bora Bora Yacht Club mooring. 29.9 nautical miles. 3:45 min boat ride.

We'll leave our remote island behind and head to the most famous island, Bora Bora. They changed anchoring laws around Bora Bora, so there are only 2 places for us to keep our boat. The Yacht Club has a nice dinghy zone where we'll be able to get to land easily.

3/11 Wednesday Day 5 - We are staying on Bora Bora.

3/12 Thursday Day 6 - Bora Bora to Motu Tau Tau on Tahaa. 25 nautical miles. 3:10 min boat road.

This is another island getaway, but there is a restaurant and resort here. This is also where the famous coral garden dive and snorkel site is. Along with "Love Island", a heart shaped beach.

3/13 Friday Day 7 - Tahaa back to Raiatea Dream Yacht Charter marina. 10.2 nautical miles. 1:20 min boat ride.

We have to be back at the anchorage by 5p.m. so we can spend more time at the beach of tau tau or take the dinghy over to the mainland of Tahaa before heading back to the marina. We will sleep on the boat this final night at the marina.

3/14 Saturday - We need to be fully off the boat with all of our stuff cleared out by 9 am.

We chartered a Bali 4.5 Catamaran. It's 45 feet long. It comes with 4 cabins all with their own bathrooms. It has 2 additional porthole cabins for singles. Below are some images that Dreamyacht has of the Bali 4.5 boats. Ours might be a little different, but for the most part it will be like the below (click on the pictures to expand):

We'll be out at sea, so it's a good time to practice minimalism. Not too much storage in the cabins. The Charter company provides life jackets, bed sheets, blankets, and pillows. Everything else, we'll need to bring. Here is a list of the essentials to get you started:

• Soft-luggage only (the hard suitcases are hard to squeeze on a boat). If you have a carry on hard case bag you use for airplanes, you can use that too if you're ok with it standing up in your cabin and having to climb over it.
• Power Adapter. They primarily use the European style outlets here. I'm not sure what kind of outlets the boat has, but bring adapters just in case. You'll need them for your hotels anyway.
• BUG SPRAY. We will be out in the tropics staying at lush remote islands. There will be tons of mosquitos so be sure to bring plenty of mosquito repellant and some breathable long sleeved clothing to help keep the mosquitos away.
• Medications (bonine for seasickness, works much better than dramamine and doesn't leave you drowsy); can buy on Amazon
• Swimming gear - towels, suits, reef safe sunscreen, sunglasses, snorkel, fins, mask, booties. Having booties you can get wet and still walk around in is pretty handy. We will be doing a lot of dinghy riding to shore and will be getting your feet wet. You can get some cheap booties on Amazon.
• Bio soap, bio hair shampoo. We will be in some marine protected areas, do your part to keep nature healthy.
• A rain jacket or poncho. It's the tropics, so rain is to be expected.
• Light hiking clothes. Although we will spend most of the time on the water, there will be some opportunities for light hikes around the islands if you are so inclined.
• Portable Chargers. We will have electricity on the boat. But it's good to have a backup battery pack just in case.
• Sailing Shoes or sneakers with light soles to avoid dark streaks on deck.
• Optional dry bag to keep your electronics dry and secure while in the dingy.

For Scuba Divers

I already spoke to the local dive shop in Raiatea. They will rent us gear and deliver it to our boat! Please coordinate your own gear rental with shop. The shop is Hemisphere Sub Plongée.

Their email address is hemis-subdiving@mail.pf

Please fill out their FORM and email it over to them. Please also be sure to say that you are going on the same boat as "Vadym" so that they will know to bring all of the items over in one go.

Please DO NOT order more than 1 tank each. We have limited storage on the boat and won't be able to store everyone's tanks. There will be plenty of opportunities to get the air tanks refilled.

We will be sharing food and drink expenses as a group. Please fill out the food form with any food preferences/dietary restrictions. We will be spending time on remote islands where we'll want to cook on the boat. We'll also be spending time on islands with restaurants where we can try out local cuisine. Here is the food form link to fill out: Bora Bora Food Form

The trip will be a blast and we aren't expecting to have any major issues arise. Those of you who have already joined us on one of our sailing adventures know what to expect. Those of you who are new, please take the time to go over the links below:

• FAQ Page
• How to Use a Sea Toilet - you'll be shocked how many people are intimidated by the toilet!
• Sailing Knots - Don't stress memorizing these. Main ones to look at are Cleat Hitch and Round turn and 2 half hitches if you're interested