Sailing is all about balance. I step over the narrow bow of the bug to take the outstretched hand of Alexis Moerai, aka Galax, who has been paddling and sailing around Tahiti’s lagoons since childhood.
Nowadays, he shows tourists how to sail a Holopuni.
Developed by Hawaiian Nick Beck in the early 1980s, the canoe is based on the ancient Polynesian design, with a nine-metre-long slender hull, two outriggers for stability and a sail. Modern materials make it lightning fast and easy to manoeuvre.
Polynesians are renowned seafarers, and their island empire stretched from Hawaii to New Zealand and Easter Island.
Although paddling remains a national sport, few Tahitians still sail. Teiva Véronique hopes to change that with Holopunis. Every Saturday morning, she gives sailing lessons for children in the marina in Papeete.
Hard-hitting waves, velvety green mountains
Véronique shows tourists how to navigate the outrigger canoe through the lagoon, Galax unfurls the sail, lowers the sloping boom and pushes off from the quay. “Paddle,” he yells, and after a few strokes we’re off. I stare straight ahead, marvelling as we plunge into the waves.
The sky-high boom and bobbing at an angle through the lagoon are a little unsettling. But Galax reassures me that the boat has never capsized … not even when he spent two days and nights saiing to Rangiroa.
But today’s voyage is not plain sailing. Galax paddles relentlessly and we eventually pass the receding reef into the widening lagoon. Our helmsman has stayed the course with only a paddle to our destination, Point Venus, a peninsula on the northern tip of Tahiti marked by a white six-storey lighthouse.
Traditions and old techniques
Point Venus got its name from James Cook, who set up camp here to watch the 1769 transit of Venus between the sun and the Earth. Like many European explorers, Cook was fascinated by the sailing and navigation skills of the Polynesians.
Yet, Polynesian seafaring culture was in decline and plunged dramatically from the 15th century. Ocean-going canoes no longer took to the high seas, and the knowledge of valuable seafaring skills was lost for centuries until the arrival of Hōkūle on June 4, 1976 in Tahiti.
This double-hulled canoe had been reconstructed in Hawaii by experimental archaeologists. The ship was greeted by 17,000 spectators, the beat of drums and a church choir to mark the return to Polynesian traditions
“Our ancestors all came here aboard canoes,” says Matahi Tutavae. “Everything in our culture is linked to va’a, the canoe. It’s a school of life.”
Tutavae, 44, ran the Faʻafaite organisation for many years, and brought his own ocean-going canoe of the same name to Tahiti. Since 2009, this school has taught Tahitians long-lost navigation and sailing skills – and their ancestors’ values.
A double-hulled canoe masterpiece
The bay in Point Venus with its fine, black sand is one of Tahiti’s few public beaches. Families and couples splash around in the waves, friends play volleyball while children and teenagers surf the gentle waves.
The break is short, but pleasant after the rough sailing.
“We will surf from now on,” says Galax as he tightens the sail. Stretched out on a mat between the canoe and the outrigger, I have a pleasant view of mountains and valleys that appear especially green after the blue of the sea. The sister island of Moorea, whose jungle mountains, rises opposite the strait.
There, in the village of Hauru on the north-western tip of the island, Raphaël Labaysse works tirelessly to resurrect great canoes. His masterpiece, the “Vaapiti”, lies on the village beach.
Labaysse spent five years building the eight metre-long and four metre-wide double-hulled canoe. To do so, he glued together centimetre-thick strips of wood and covered the entire canoe with synthetic resin.
“I like mixing old and new materials,” he says.
The triangular sails of the Vaapiti, made of synthetic fibres, are cut in the traditional Polynesian style. Some had to be changed to meet the government’s demands on tourist boats, which are fully booked in high season.
The ancient Polynesians navigated by the sun, wind and currents. Birds and the shape of clouds helped them find land, Labaysse, says, adding: “We go slowly so you can see more.”
Many tourists go sailing or snorkelling and are fascinated by the island’s history. And if there are no tourists, so be it. The ‘Vaapiti’ was built mainly for fishing or surfing – the good Polynesian life.
Additional information
Destination: Tahiti, with its capital Papeete, is the main island of the French overseas territory of French Polynesia. It is located in the southern Pacific Ocean.
Getting there: Various airlines fly to Tahiti, albeit with stopovers for anyone crossing the Atlantic.
Travelling time: French Polynesia is warm to hot all year round. The dry season from April to October is also the peak season. The rainy season from November to March is wetter and windier, but also cheaper and more secluded.
Currency: The local currency in French Polynesia is the Pacific Franc (XPF/CPF). $1NZD is equivalent to about 66 CFP francs. $1AUD is equivalent to about 73 CFP francs.
Sailing: Excursions in Holopuni can be booked with Moana Explorer. Two hours cost from 20,000 CFP francs or about $300NZD/$270AUD. A three-hour sunset tour on the “Vaapiti” costs 9,000 CFP francs per person. You should book a few weeks in advance.
