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Sailing French Polynesia: New Crew, New Boat, New Paradise
December 12, 2025 · 13 min · 253K views · Raiatea
What this video covers
Bobby and crew member Chloe, a first-time sailor from Nashville, charter a 2021 Leopard 40 catamaran through Moorings out of Raiatea, French Polynesia, beginning a multi-part sailing series.2:25 The travel route runs Dallas to LAX to Papeete, then a 45-minute puddle-jumper flight 100 miles to Raiatea, where the charter base is a five-minute taxi from the airport.0:33 Bobby tours the three-cabin, owner's-version Leopard 40, noting its generator, air conditioning, powered winches, single-piece trampoline, and combined salon-cockpit layout via a full-width opening window.3:03 Groceries were ordered online and delivered to the boat; beer runs roughly $60 a case locally.5:06 The first sail covers two miles from the dock to a black pearl farm, with 9–10 knots of breeze and 3.5 knots of boat speed under genoa alone.7:07 Mooring balls at the pearl farm are free for visitors.10:10 The farm uses Gulf Coast pearl nuclei as starters; the full cultivation cycle takes three years, with finished pearls ranging from a few dollars to thousands.10:58 A broken drone arm, re-epoxied before departure and broken again in transit, prevents aerial footage; Bobby plans to buy more epoxy on Bora Bora the next day.9:35 The following leg heads to Bora Bora for three days.7:18
Boats in this video
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