Sailing Tahiti and Her Islands Sailing across the warm aquamarine Tahitian waters is an unsurpassed experience. What better way to discover Tahiti and Her Islands than from the same perspective as the first voyagers to arrive in these magical and pristine islands.

The island of Raiatea is the main hub for sailing activities in French Polynesia. Long regarded as the yacht charter capital of Tahiti and Her Islands, Raiatea is home to several preferred South Seas yacht charter companies with offices in the U.S.

The Moorings is based in the modern Apooiti Marina complex, less than five minutes from the airport on Raiatea and just 10 minutes from the town of Utuora, the island’s capital. The Moorings’ fleet of 30 boats includes single-hull vessels ranging from 38-51 feet and catamarans from 42-47 feet. The Moorings can be reached in the U.S. at (800) 535-7289 or (813) 530-5424. Or visit their web site at www.moorings.com.

About eight miles southeast of Uturoa by the main road is beautiful Faaroa Bay, home to Sun Yacht Charters and Stardust Marine. All 20 of the Stardust Marine sailing yachts offer either bare boat charters or cruises with qualified skippers. In the U.S., call (800) 772-3500 or visit their web site at www.paw.com/sail/sunyachts.

Operating out of Moorea, yacht charter company Archipels Croisieres offers catamaran cruises and scuba diving cruises around many Tahitian islands, including Bora Bora, Huahine, the Marquesas and the Tuamotus. To contact Archipels Croisieres in Tahiti call 011 689 56 36 39, or visit their web site at www.archipels.com.

In addition, the Papeete Port Authority on the island of Tahiti maintains a marina for sail boats and luxurious yachts just five miles west of Papeete Harbor. Several yacht charter companies also operate in the area. In all, a total of five nautical bases operate sailing charters on a year-round basis in Tahiti and Her Islands.

Visitors to Tahiti and Her Islands can enjoy both bare boat and crewed sailings, each offering breathtaking views of cloud-shrouded green mountain peaks, sheltering atolls and reefs, and deep water lagoons with visibility that extends to a depth of 100-feet. Yachts can be chartered for just a few days or weeks, but the resulting memories last a lifetime.