What is next?

….a lot of planning! Today after I said goodbye to my family, one of my first stops was the Gendarmerie, who handle customs and immigration here in French Polynesia. They keep a close eye on who is coming and going. I was told it takes about three days to process the paperwork and clear out of FP with a sailboat. Once those clearance papers are stamped, you have just 24 hours to leave the country.
I explained that my goal is to depart on Wednesday, July 15th, and thankfully they agreed that the timing should work perfectly.
On the home front, my clean laundry is finally making its way back to me on Monday—clean sheets and towels is a large victory when living at sea!
The rest of today has been spent tackling all those little jobs that somehow never end. I’ve fixed a handful of odds and ends, organized the boat some more, and pulled out all of my paper charts.
Yes… paper charts!
As much as I appreciate modern electronics, there’s something incredibly satisfying about plotting a course by hand. Spreading the charts across the table, drawing the route, measuring distances, and imagining the adventure ahead never gets old.

So, here’s the plan:

Bora Bora to Maupiti (FP) is 27 NMiles

Maupiti to Maupiha (FP) is 100 NMiles

Maupiha to Aitutaki (Cook Island) is 355 NMiles

Aitutaki to Beveridge reef (Cook Island) is 468 NMiles … the long one😬

Beveridge reef to Niue is 125 NMiles

Niue to Vava’u (Tonga) is 238 NMiles

I will have just short of a month to complete these legs, as I have a flight to catch on August 13th, to Italy for my daughter’s wedding!

Goodnight from Bora Bora!