Tahiti is the name people search and Raiatea is where the boats are. Papeete is the airport and the ferry terminal rather than the charter harbour, and almost every Society Islands charter starts a short flight away at Raiatea, which puts Tahaa, Bora Bora and Huahine inside an easy week. Getting that straight is the first practical thing about chartering here.
Why Raiatea and not Papeete
Raiatea sits inside the same lagoon as Tahaa, which means a first day that is sheltered water rather than an ocean passage, and it is within a comfortable day's sail of Bora Bora and Huahine. Papeete has the international airport and very little charter fleet. Nearly every itinerary you will be quoted therefore begins with an internal flight, and that flight is yours rather than the charter company's.
What it costs, and what is published
No company in this record publishes a French Polynesian rate. The nearest published anchors are The Moorings' $3,284 to $49,584 for a 7 day charter for 2 people in the British Virgin Islands and $2,634 to $36,999 in Greece. Polynesia runs above both: the fleet is small, everything in it was shipped a very long way, and the season is short.
The lagoon changes the sailing
You sail inside reefs rather than across open water, the passes have to be timed and read, and the navigational skill is judging depth by the colour of the water with the sun behind you. It is not hard sailing but it is attentive sailing, and it is why catamarans with shallow draught dominate the local fleet and why bases brief the passes carefully before letting anyone go.
Questions people ask about tahiti yacht charter
How much is a yacht charter in Tahiti?
No company in this record publishes a Polynesian rate. The Moorings publishes $3,284 to $49,584 for a BVI week and $2,634 to $36,999 for a Greek one; Polynesia runs above both.
Where do Tahiti charters actually start?
Raiatea, not Papeete. Raiatea is inside a lagoon with Tahaa and within an easy sail of Bora Bora and Huahine; Papeete has the airport.
When is the best time to charter in Tahiti?
May to October, the dry season, when the trades are steady. November to April is the wet season and carries cyclone risk.