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A Perfect Lazy Sail in Paradise | Tahaa to Raiatea
January 9, 2026 · 12 min · 116K views · Taputapuatea, France
White catamaran sails past Tahaa’s lush green islands
What this video covers
Bobby and Chloe sail the Island SPIRIT 525 from Tahaa to Raiatea in French Polynesia on a relaxed downwind passage through the lagoon in 16–18 knots of breeze, using only the genoa with the motors off.1:26 The electric winch rolls out the headsail; speed through the lagoon runs 3–4 knots with several jibes to follow the channel.3:27 At Raiatea, they anchor in muddy silt at the mouth of a river, then dinghy upriver roughly 10 minutes — navigating driftwood and sandbars — to the Raiatea botanical gardens.5:03 Fuel in the dinghy is critically low after failing to refuel on the previous island, where a power outage prevented the fuel dock from pumping gas.6:05 After the botanical garden visit, they re-anchor in the lagoon beside the reef on the south side of Raiatea and dine at a small resort on the beach.9:46 Bobby notes the Dream Yachts charter base at Raiatea has a dozen unchartered moorings and a marina, but carries a reputation for poor maintenance.3:33 The town dock offers free daytime tie-up, which they plan to use the following day for a waterfall hike.3:39
Boats in this video
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