The Tahiti Pearl Regatta

Here we are back on the boat in beautiful French Polynesia. Rob has been working hard getting “things done”, Louis has had a sojourn in Ireland and Sabine in California. Our new crew is installed, Heidi and Liz, finally the girls outnumber the boys!

Since the girls arrived it has been all go! Irene IV was registered to race in the Tahiti Pearl Regatta some time ago and Louis had invited an all-star crew – Kirsty and Callum from Intrepid, Raul and Sofia from Serendipity, and Ed, Adam, Joau and Alia from Black Lion. An insurance hiccup necessitated a quick change of vessel, Irene IV remained on her mooring while Black Lion ran the course.

This year the 4-day regatta is supported by the Ministry of Youth and Juvenile Crime Prevention, responsible for Sport. As a result, there were many very young crews among the 43 participating boats. Three Oysters from the Oyster World Rally, Nakaia, Seabird and Black Lion (in Irene IV’s stead) took part, the others ranged from outrigger canoes to decked out racing yachts, with Hobie Cats and high-performance dinghies in between. Quite a spectacle, especially around the starting line. The base camp for the regatta was on the graceful and softly textured island of Taha’a, famous for vanilla production. Taha’a is encircled by a lagoon, which it shares with the high and imposing island of Ra’iatea,.  Day one (25^th May) was for registration, practice, and preparation. Day two was when the rubber hit the road and the real racing began. The 3 Oyster yachts were vying with each other. The race started in the Taha’a lagoon and ran down the east coast of Ra’iatea for 23.5 nautical miles. The competition was fierce and the winds favorable. Nakaia squeaked a first-place finish, ahead of Black Lion with Seabird tagging behind. Day two had the girls joining the Seabird crew as they were shorthanded. The day started with a delivery of baguettes to each participating boat, a lovely French touch! The 4 Passes Race was 28.5 nautical miles of absolute focus - dodging coral reefs, shallow water, rushing currents, wind shadows, and other boats, some racing with us, some at anchor, some out to watch the fun. The Around Taha’a Race on day three was a day of gorgeous views, with less stress, as we raced only inside the aquamarine lagoon. Great fun was had by all, both on the water and at the awards party on the final night. Oyster made a significant appearance on the winners’ podium whetting our appetites for the next regatta on Australia’s Hamilton Island in August/September.

The regatta committee provided special compostable bags with instructions to separate plastic, glass, cans, and other rubbish. They even picked it all up on the final morning. Every effort helps.

We have just read that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 3 times the size of France, 1 million square miles, and located in the North Pacific between San Francisco and Hawaii. This is the stuff of our dinner conversation!