Few places on earth are as naturally beautiful as French Polynesia. Moorea, Huahine, and other islands amid the Society Islands are lush, lovely, and laid-back. Your hardest decision on a yacht-charter vacation here is choosing what time to go swimming or snorkeling. Yet, it’s also a destination where you can enjoy one-of-a-kind cultural experiences. Cam Bray, the founder of The Superyacht People, and his team guide clients through the possibilities every day. This includes matching them with the right yacht run by a crew who go above and beyond. He recently spent a week aboard the charter yacht Big Sky to explore Moorea, Huahine, Tahaa, and Raiatea. If you haven’t chartered before, or if French Polynesia is on your must-visit list, his experience will whet your appetite.
Personally going on charters as a broker is key. The top charter brokers need to see first-hand how the yacht operates and the crew interact. For this trip, no set itinerary existed, purposely. Instead, the general idea was to visit the islands and let the destinations’ opportunities unfold naturally.
Bray and guests got their trip aboard the yacht Big Sky off to a good, leisurely start—even if it was early in the morning—with a two-hour cruise from Papeete to Moorea the first day. The anchorage was impressive, he says, with dramatic volcanic mountains reminiscent of Jurassic Park. It was the perfect backdrop to breakfast, too. Since the group wanted to enjoy some straightforward fun on the water, the crew got the watertoys ready so that they could jump into action after eating. From paddleboards to Seabobs and waterbikes to wakeboarding, they did it all. The only break in the action, in fact, occurred because they were hungry for lunch. Speaking of food, the crew caught some tuna, which the chef prepared for an alfresco dinner on the sundeck. They toasted to a thoroughly enjoyable day with cocktails in the hot tub, too.
If you know anything about Moorea, then you surely know about the area nicknamed Stingray City. Stingrays are so plentiful in this area that you can swim with them. Bray and company couldn’t wait to go, practically jumping into Big Sky’s chase boat immediately after breakfast. “One of the most incredible experiences of my life,” he says, “something truly unique with large stingrays and reef sharks swimming around you in waist-deep, crystal-clear blue waters.”
The exhilaration continued back aboard. The crew surprised everyone by having the inflatable waterslide ready and waiting on their return. Gleeful zipping down from the 157-footer’s bridge deck into the water was too good to pass up.
Arguably the two more memorable days of the week aboard the charter yacht Big Sky came visiting Huahine and Tahaa. In Huahine, the group visited a remote motu for a private lunch on the beach. A motu is a tiny island of sand and coral. The crew transferred them by tender directly to the shore. Locals greeted them by placing traditional woven headpieces on their heads. Additionally, some of the locals sang traditional songs and played the ukelele. After dining on lobster and fish caught on the reef that morning, they spent further time with the locals. Learning to spear a coconut, debunk and core a coconut, and dance were just some of the highlights. “Hearts and cups are full while we reminisce about the day under the stars on the sundeck,” Bray fondly recalls.
In Tahaa, meanwhile, they visited a pearl farm, one of the places producing the renown Tahitian black pearl. Yet another farm visit, this time to a vanilla farm, was a wonder as well. Even arriving in Tahaa was a treat. Since it’s a few hours from Huahine, Big Sky departed in time to arrive at sunrise. Entering the lagoon, and then slowly rounding the north side of the inside inside the fringing reef, was a spectacle.
Bray and guests bid goodbye to the crew of Big Sky in Papeete. As is the case with charter, they made all the difference. Bray says they “make you feel like the most important people in the world.” From keeping drinks refreshed to keeping the watertoys clean and ready, and to the chef never ceasing to amaze with local ingredients, “this has been the most incredible experience of my life.”
Big Sky is available for $190,000 per week.
The Superyacht People thesuperyachtpeople.com
More About the Yacht Big Sky
LOA: 157’5” (48 meters)
Beam: 28’9” (8.8 meters)
Draft: 8’5” (2.6 meters)
Guests: 11 in 5 staterooms
Engines: 2/3,480-hp MTUs
Range: 3,000 nautical miles at 12 knots
Builder: Oceanfast
Stylist: Oceanfast
Naval Architect: Oceanfast
Interior Designer: Oceanfast