BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
French Polynesia: chartering a catamaran from Raiatea to Bora Bora
Raiatea, Tahaa, Huahine, Bora Bora: sailing the Leeward Islands, the Pacific's most spectacular cruising grounds — seasons, budget, skill level.
Sailing French Polynesia means changing planets: lagoons enclosed by reef, green peaks plunging into 28 °C water, and names that have fuelled dreams forever. The historic charter base is Raiatea, at the heart of the Leeward Islands — the perfect position.
The Leeward Islands itinerary
Raiatea shares its lagoon with Tahaa, the vanilla island: you sail in reef-sheltered water from the first hour. Twenty-odd miles away lie wild Huahine on one side and Bora Bora with its unreal lagoon on the other — the crossing runs downwind in the trades, in three to four hours. A week covers the full loop without rushing; ten days add Maupiti, the quiet jewel.
When to go
The dry season, April-May to October, is ideal: steady south-east trades (the maramu), cool nights, little rain. The austral summer (November-March) is hotter, wetter and theoretically exposed to depressions — prices drop accordingly.
Budget
This is a premium destination: €5,000 to €10,000 per week on a catamaran depending on season, plus flights and provisioning (expensive: nearly everything is imported). Poisson cru in coconut milk from the village store rebalances the budget. Price spreads between platforms on the same boats easily justify ten minutes of comparison.
Skill level and local quirks
Lagoon navigation demands attention (coral heads, passes to time well) but remains within reach of a careful skipper; the passes at Raiatea and Bora Bora are wide and buoyed. A local skipper is an excellent investment first time out — for the safety and for the stories.