Our time in Mo’orea drew to a close. We sailed back to Tahiti to prepare for our next expedition: we had accepted an offer to be delivery crew on S/V Antares, a 70’ custom Croatian monohull. We would be sailing from Pape’ete to Fakarava, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and one of about 80 gorgeous atolls that make up the Tuamotu Archipelago. We anchored Aldebaran well and battened down the hatches so she’d stay safe and dry while we were away.
The 250 mile journey northeast took 36 hours (Antares is re-ally fast!). We arrived at Fakarava’s North-northwest facing reef pass to turbulent conditions—a ripping incoming current was opposing the Southeast wind. S/V Antares powered through the waves like a champ.
For the next 5 days, we took full advantage of being in one of the most abundant marine environments in the world and spent our time snorkeling and scuba diving in world-class visibility. The Tuamotus is the largest chain of atolls in the world, covering an area roughly the size of Western Europe. Our short stay left us eager to explore more. On the flight back to Tahiti we began planning our own expedition to the archipelago on Albebaran.