Life in the Gambier Islands is pretty good for sailors. There is very little infrastructure for land tourists in the Gambier Islands – there are a few hostels and local bed and breakfasts, but no hotels at all. So that means that people who arrive on boats are more or less the only visitors.
Angie making friends with a couple of localsHiking the Mangareva ridge trail with SY Saecwen’s crew, Charlie, Heloise and Justin Looking out towards Aukena from the Mangareva ridge Pines and lichen in French Polynesia? Totally unexpected and so beautiful!Hitching a ride back into town BBQ with fellow cruisers
And since the archipelago is harder to get to than most of the other parts of French Polynesia – the course from nearly anywhere, while not completely upwind, does requires wind forward of the beam for at least part of the trip – the sailors who arrive tend to be either more experienced and/or more adventurous than average (in our opinion, at least). We’ve met some great folks here, some of whom will likely remain friends in the future.
Paddling around whenever the wind is down and we get a chanceDinghy parking for a hike up the island of Mekiro Practicing our new sport Angie getting the feel of the wingMike taking a turn with the wingLazy lunch at one of the two sit down ‘restaurants’ in Rikitea
Of course boat projects take a significant portion of our time, but the remainder is what people likely think life is like in a tropical paradise. We explore by paddleboard, we spend time (slowly) learning to ride a wing-foil board, and we socialize with the other sailors.
Hiking up Mt Mokoto trailAgain we are amazed by the lovely pine forestsMike with Mt Duff in the background Rikitea town anchorage from near the top of Mt Mokoto Heading back down from Mt Mokoto. Some sections are quite steep and covered with pine needles, which makes it incredibly slippery. Ropes have been set up in some sections for assistance Steak frite and draft beer (!) at Snack Teava with David from SV Incantation
It’s not all perfect. Because the islands lie at the extreme southern edge of the tropics, strong weather driven by systems in the Southern Ocean pass through every week or two, turning the anchorage choppy from the stronger winds and the skies rainy and cloud-covered.
But we’ll take it!
Oso sailing from Mangareva to Akamaru (photo by SV Pinecone)Makapu beanbags surf break (photo by SV Pinecone)Peter and Mike surfing at Makapu beanbags (photo by SV Pinecone)Mike riding one in on the only ‘surfboard’ we’ve got onboard…a 10′ inflatable stand up paddle board – super impressive he could catch waves on that thing (photo by SV Pinecone)Incredible dinner of yellowfin sashimi on SV PineconeFun evening aboard SV Pinecone with Wendy and Peter
