Nautical charts for tahiti

[bensolomon]

Hello everyone. I am going to do a bareboat charter in French Polynesia. Specifically, I'm going to sail Tahiti. I have only seen a few charts for this region as well as a collection called Charlie's charts for Polynesia. Does anyone have suggestions for the best paper charts I can get to study the region and take with me for the trip? Is want I've seen all there is? It's certainly not the plethora of charts available for US Waters, Caribbean Waters, or the Mediterranean.

Thank you in advance,
Ben

[s/v Moondancer]

We used:

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Navigat.../dp/2879231523

[bensolomon]

Thank you. I am on the MD nautical website trying to find as many charts of the region as I can.

[JPA Cate]

Ben,

We found the French paper charts to be the best for the Outre-Mer areas, including the Societies. If you like, I can drag one out and try for an address for their Hydrographic Office, just send me a PM.

I personally would NOT trust the Navionics charts for the area, as the real charts show all the hazards.

Ann

[jmschmidt]

If you are bare-boating from a reputable charter operator they will supply you with adequate charts and a cruising guide. If you've booked the charter I'm surprised they haven't sent you these already. They may look Mickey Mouse but, hey, sailing the usual Raiatea/Tahaha/Bora bare-boat shuffle isn't that tricky. You'll be restricted to daylight only and the water is crystal clear. If you PM me I'll mail you one. I'd mail you a cruising guide too but the last one I had I loaned out and never got it back. No good deed goes unpunished. You'll love it down there. Good luck, good sailing.

[bensolomon]

Ann and Jm,

Thanks for your reply. I completely agree regarding electronic charts in general. I use isailor from transas on my iPad. That said, I navigate using paper charts and keep my course plotted on paper charts. As for waiting until I get there, when I cruise the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, I always familiarize myself with the charts and areas well ahead of time. After a web search, I found the British admiralty charts of the area. I have ordered them from the web. I also found this cruising guide called Charlie's charts for the area but I don't know how reliable that one is. Thank you, again, for both of your replies.

[CarstenWL]

... I had both the cruising guide called Charlie's charts and the one suggested by s/v moondancer on board when I work there last October / November.

Both are useful in the description of approaches, anchorages but dated regarding the 'general information' about what to do ashore for instance is mostly outdated. Plus a few new marinas 'popped up'.

Not planning a dash over to Moorea?

Enjoy!

Carsten

[bensolomon]

I would love to, but it's a charter vessel and they forbid sailing overnight, which is reasonable. I know that cats are fast, but I didn't think I could do the hundred or so miles all within the light of day. I would have to average approximately 12.5 knots for about 8 hours. Besides, it's my wife and I and two other couples. We are the sailors and the other folks are less interested in seafaring.

[CarstenWL]

... not talking about Huahine or Bora-Bora ;-)

Tahiti - Moorea is 12nm or so ...

Carsten

[LongGone]

This was suggested to me recently when I began daydreaming ... S/V Soggy Paws - St. Francis 44 - Circumnavigate with Dave and Sherry McCampbell

[bensolomon]

I apologize. I misled you, inadvertently. We are flying into Raiatea, and sailing from there. That's where the charter base is. I mistakenly lumped all of those islands together as French Polynesia when I created this thread. Sorry about that.

Ben

[Lihuedooley77]

one other thing to be prepared for are the very, very different navaids used in FP. If they are still using this system, you will understand.

It has been some years since we sailed Riatea, Taha'a, Bora Bora, and Huahine....so things may have changed, but we really stayed alert at to the different NAVAIDS, entries to the passes, and marks near reefs and lagoons. Four different trips with the moorings and sunsail. In fact the first tahiti sailing vacation was with a company before the Mooring bought them out. Lordy, these ol bones are getting well seasoned.

Just from our outlook.. last trip to FP....Bora Bora's lagoon was filled with cruise ships, on land it was extremely flooded with cruise ship passengers, vans, trucks, etc.
Our first day, was at Bloody Mary's to meet freinds who just happened to be on one of the large cruise ships.

We passed on our usual anchorages and our first overnight was at the the Bora Bora Yacht club. The next day we found a great, and empty anchorge on the back ( reef) side of I believe it was topua motu...long time so memory may be off on the name. We anchored for the day and night, and dinked out to the reef for great snorkeling, sharks and sting rays. ( this motu is on your starboard hand side as you enter the main pass at bora bora.

Also, we liked Taha'a, and spent a few days there as well. Plus visited Huahine, and Raitea . We had a cruising guide and paper charts, no electronic navigation of any kind. Good ol' coastal piloting, paper charts, hand bearing compass, ships compass, knot meter, depth sounder, plotter, dividers, pencil and watch. Narry a problem.

I cannot remember if we had charts and the cruising guide before flying over from LAX, or they had them available. We are usually ahead of the power curve, and like you, study the charts and cruising guides well ahead of our trip, and of course used them constantly when sailing the leeward islands of Tahiti.

Tahiti Island and Moorea were too far distant for our bare boat sailing, but we visited them on two of the trips, via air either upon arrival or at the very end.

Have a great time.

Manuia ( mah-new-yah ) A Tahitian toast The name of our very first Tahiti bare boat, an old and worn Peterson 44. We loved Tahiti. The moorings and sunsail came in, about a year later with all new boats.

Denny and Erica

[bensolomon]

Originally Posted by Lihuedooley77

one other thing to be prepared for are the very, very different navaids used in FP. If they are still using this system, you will understand.

It has been some years since we sailed Riatea, Taha'a, Bora Bora, and Huahine....so things may have changed, but we really stayed alert at to the different NAVAIDS, entries to the passes, and marks near reefs and lagoons. Four different trips with the moorings and sunsail. In fact the first tahiti sailing vacation was with a company before the Mooring bought them out. Lordy, these ol bones are getting well seasoned.

Just from our outlook.. last trip to FP....Bora Bora's lagoon was filled with cruise ships, on land it was extremely flooded with cruise ship passengers, vans, trucks, etc.
Our first day, was at Bloody Mary's to meet freinds who just happened to be on one of the large cruise ships.

We passed on our usual anchorages and our first overnight was at the the Bora Bora Yacht club. The next day we found a great, and empty anchorge on the back ( reef) side of I believe it was topua motu...long time so memory may be off on the name. We anchored for the day and night, and dinked out to the reef for great snorkeling, sharks and sting rays. ( this motu is on your starboard hand side as you enter the main pass at bora bora.

Also, we liked Taha'a, and spent a few days there as well. Plus visited Huahine, and Raitea . We had a cruising guide and paper charts, no electronic navigation of any kind. Good ol' coastal piloting, paper charts, hand bearing compass, ships compass, knot meter, depth sounder, plotter, dividers, pencil and watch. Narry a problem.

I cannot remember if we had charts and the cruising guide before flying over from LAX, or they had them available. We are usually ahead of the power curve, and like you, study the charts and cruising guides well ahead of our trip, and of course used them constantly when sailing the leeward islands of Tahiti.

Tahiti Island and Moorea were too far distant for our bare boat sailing, but we visited them on two of the trips, via air either upon arrival or at the very end.

Have a great time.

Manuia ( mah-new-yah ) A Tahitian toast The name of our very first Tahiti bare boat, an old and worn Peterson 44. We loved Tahiti. The moorings and sunsail came in, about a year later with all new boats.

Denny and Erica

That's great information! Thank you. We have charted with the Moorings seven times and just about as many years. Four of those were in the BVI so we got used to being able to make our own itinerary and not following the herd. The " lonely anchorage's" are what I am looking for.

I am working my way through the Yacht-Master program, although slowly. I have read about the nav AIDS in this area. This is one of the reasons I want to get the charts well ahead of time so I can have a greater understanding of where I'm going and where the reefs are.

Thanks,
Ben

[CarstenWL]

Ben,

not sure if this will help (but it might - pictures are worth a thousand words).

Here is a link to a VERY COMPREHENSIVE description of anchorages in 'the Pacific' but it is in GERMAN:

https://knausswassersegeln.jimdo.com...f?t=1514835083

(from https://knausswassersegeln.jimdo.com/ankerplätze/ , Hille & Torsten)

Torsten is kind of 'classifying' the anchorages also but the pictures might help as a first step.

The area is awesome but as Lihuedooley77 said, avoid times when cruise ships pull in.

Regards,

Carsten

[bensolomon]

Thank you!