Tahiti Pearl Regatta

The Tahiti Pearl Regatta is a relatively new event, the first having been held in 2004, with the festivities taking place annually thereafter. A spectacular venue for sailing, holidaying and the regatta itself, Tahiti is situated among the French Polynesian Society Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, and is the largest of the Windward Islands that form the eastern collection of Society Islands. With its volcanic origins and tropical climate, Tahiti has become renowned for its breathtaking topography and dramatic black sand beaches.

The 2014 Tahiti Pearl Regatta will be held from Wednesday 30th April until Sunday 4th May, with the celebrations kicking off in the Port of Uturoa on the island of Raiatea. Raiatea is the largest of the Leeward Islands – the western Society Islands – that neighbour Tahiti, and is the starting point of the regatta’s exhilarating four-day race. Any type and size of sailing boat can be entered into the regatta, and crews can register in one of two race categories: monohulls or multihulls. Professional and sponsored crews may also register for the ‘Défi Pro’ or ‘Challenge Enterprises’, which is essentially a race within the main race, and has its own trophy to be won.

Prospective participants and spectators can vote online for their preferred race route, although the course will usually take sailors between the sacred island of Raiatea, the vanilla island of Taha’a, Huahine the Wild and Bora Bora, known as the ‘Pearl of the Pacific’. Each stage does not normally exceed twenty nautical miles, and the tropical trade winds blow from the southeast at a consistent ten to fifteen knots, making the Tahiti Pearl Regatta an ideal event for developing racing ability. The three best crews from each of the two categories will be awarded trophies, and as well as the ‘Challenge Enterprises’ trophy there is also the ‘Trophée Henri Dejust’ that is awarded to the first sailing canoe.

Visitors to the Tahiti Pearl Regatta will be able to enjoy a mixture of traditional and modern culture, with the sailing crews receiving a traditional blessing before the race and lively evening entertainment consisting of local bands, popular music, dancing, singing and games. Revelers can sate their appetites with delicious Polynesian cuisine or sizzling barbeque delights, and at the finish line of the race, sailors are offered revitalising fresh coconut. The celebrations conclude with a prize-giving ceremony and a sensational ritual fire dance.

Photo Credit: Jean-Sébastien Roy via Compfight cc