Weather

French Polynesia extends over a vast territory like Europe. In the Society Archipelago and the Tuamotu’s center, temperatures are warm and constant mostly all the year. The tropical and green jungle covering the islands prove that the rains are frequent. The hot season, from January to the end of March, is frequently called « rainy season » because the probability of rain is higher. Temperatures fluctuate between 27°C at night and 34°C the day, the ocean temperature is around 29°C and we feel the humidity. It is the austral summer and generally the weather is fine, but when a low pressure coming from the east is coming, the weather conditions become bad for navigation with strong winds, rough seas and heavy rainfall. In the « cold » season from June to mid-September, daytime temperatures are around 30°C but can drop to 20°C in the evening. The ocean temerature is around 27°C and generally the rains, which can be heavy are short and don’t last.

Internet

There is no Wi-Fi on board. It exists two networks in French Polynesia: Vini and Vodaphone. The first is the network that works best in all the archipelagos of Polynesia, including the remote islands. There are several prepaid card formulas depending on whether you want data, phone or both. Refills for these cards can be found everywhere.

What should I bring on board?

Sheets, towels, soaps, fins, masks are at your disposal. Apart from your personal toiletries, during your stay on board you will not use so much : bathing suits and a few T-shirts. No need to carry to much. Remember to take a pair of shoes for small hiking, « water shoes » for walking on the broken corals of the motus, a sweatshirt or warm clothing when the wind blows in the evening, mainly in the cold season. A raincoat or poncho can be useful to protect yourself from the rains. Electricity on board allows you to recharge all electronic devices either on USB sockets or on 220/110V but does not allow the use of a hair dryer or large energy-consuming devices.

Meals and allergies

I you wish to dive, it’s possible to organise with dive shops pick up to the boat.

Sailing and sea sikness

Most sailings between the Leeward Islands do not exceed half a day. About fifteen hours between Tahiti and Huahine, the two most distant. They are generally done in the direction of the prevailing wind (from east to west) even if sometimes the program and the weather forecast require less comfortable navigation. We usually organize ourselves so as not to have any offshore sailing on the first day, which gives everyone time to use to be on board. The other navigations in the lagoon or the anchorages looks like sailing on a lake and no one ever gets seasick.