Paradise Found | HAVAIKI Pearl Farm | Ep 113
18 September 2023 · 15 min · 5K views · Fakarava
What this video covers
Meraki anchors mid-atoll at Fakarava, France, in a private cove shared only with the sailboat Nirvana, with water clear enough to wade and no other boats in sight.1:09 The atoll's reef at that point measures 0.1 miles wide, confirmed on Navionics — a narrow coral strip separating the lagoon from open ocean.5:22 Fresh produce in Fakarava arrives by supply ship once a week and sells out by midday; locals can pre-order a personal shop, and the crew notes the option for future provisioning.3:02 Pearl farm floats, which break free and wash ashore, are used by cruisers as chain floats or fenders; the crew bought a supply from a villager who had collected hundreds.4:34 The episode's centerpiece is a tour of Havaiki pearl farm, established in 1989.9:51 Grafts cut from mussel shells harvested on Japan's Mishin River are implanted in black-lipped oysters, kept six feet underwater in boxes cleaned by hand every three months, and yield a pearl in 14 to 18 months.10:52 Each oyster can be regrafted four to five times.11:17 Irregular, ungrafted pearls — called akeshi, meaning "garbage" in Japanese — are prized in French Polynesia for their unusual shapes.11:42 The crew each opens an oyster and has the pearl set into jewelry on site.12:00
Boats in this video
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