Bora Bora

[bayoubouy]

I'd like to get some comments from you experienced folks. My friend is an experienced sailor and has a 42 foot Hunter with genset, watermaker, radar, etc.. He said to me the other day, why don't all of us fly to Bora Bora and rent a boat and sail around the islands for a couple of weeks? I said why don't we really make an experience of it and sail there ourselves? He said with the expense of the Big Ditch and provisioning and all, it would be too expensive. Any thoughts or comments on either one of our ideas. He bought the boat to travel extensively, but he may feel this is too much of a trip. Thanks for any input!

[imagine2frolic]

What's another $1000.00 when you are doing a trip of a lifetime? I am sure my estimation is not exact, but I bet it is not far off either.......GO SAILING!!!!!!

[Alan Wheeler]

Chartering a boat over there is hugely expensive. But you don't have to contend with the hop across. I don't think you will charter from Bora Bora itself. You will most likely need to look in Papaettee in Tahiti. Bora Bora is just a very small Atoll out on the Western end of the French Polynesia chain. Absolutly stunning. Dawn and I stayed on Moorea many years back. 19yrs back to be exact. We looked at chatering, but it was going to cost us US$600/day each. Tahiti and more spicificly Moorea had to be the most expensive place we ever visited. Bora Bora is the same in fact, even more so.

[GordMay]

The idea of French Polynesia was what started me thinking about long-distance cruising.
Societies Map

[Viking Sailor]

I think your friend may also be thinking of the cost, time, and effort needed to bring the boat back from the Societies. That sail is a lot longer and harder then the month long sail to the Societies.

[Tspringer]

Seems to me the issue is one of time. Flying out there and chartering.... you can go in a day, sail for 2 weeks and be back in a day.

Sailing there and back.... seems to me your talking about a year long adventure. You save on airfare and the charter fees but you would certainly come out cheaper chartering given the shorter nature of the trip. But if you have time.... DO IT. What the heck, you got the boat.... use it.


Terry

[BambooSailor]

In 2006 my family and I spent 2 weeks in the area (Society Islands) chartering Belize 43' catamaran from Sunsail, which is based on Raiatea (as is Moorings and other chartering companies). We visited 4 islands of the group: Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora and Huahine. We liked Bora Bora the least. Bora Bora is the most beautiful of the group when it comes to nature, but we found it to be more like Disney Land - busy, touristy and over-developed. We did not feel welcome anywhere (unlike on other islands) and rudely chased away on several occasions e.g. going to resort, trying to get to the reef or approached some places. Lagoon on the east side was being built-over with new resorts with over the water bungalows everywhere. UGLY. If you want to go, go now since we heard rumors that they might close the lagoon for yachts! We thought about renting bicycles and circling the island, but the traffic was as bad as I5 in LA (well, almost - but the smell and pollution seemed much worse). Highlight of the visit was dive on outer reef - spectacular. The point is: two weeks did not seem enough in the area, you can easily spend that much time on one island and still miss a lot, so if you have an opportunity to sail and spend more time there, do it by all means. I would in a heartbeat.

[maxingout]

I had Bora Bora on my mind for more than ten years before I got there on my own catamaran.

There were big charter operations going on in Raiatea when we were there. Plenty of catamarans for rent.

As to sailing there - that's a very big trip.

Seven to Ten days to Panama if you leave from Florida
Five days preparing for the transit and making the canal transit.
One week to the Galapagos
Three weeks to Marquesas
Three days to Tuamotus
Two days to Tahiti
Two days to Bora Bora

The problem with all of this is that you would be racing through paradise.

On the other hand, the value of the dollar is so low, and the Euro so high that a charter would be extremely expensive.

[Wotname]

And that is the easy bit - you still gotta get home.