The Eastern Pacific - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 247

Marquesas to the Society Islands
Having sailed all the way from the Galapagos Islands to the Marquesas - 3,000 miles of
very open ocean - it's easy to think of the next 770 miles to Tahiti as a mere hop. Espe-
cially when the hop is broken in two: 550-plus miles to the Tuamotus, and a mere 250
miles to Tahiti. A couple of days! Nothing to it! Right?
Be warned: these passages may be relatively short, but they are not to be underestimated.
Conditions west of the Marquesas are such that the weather may be considerably less pre-
dictable than that of the previous leg. Which isn't to say that every day will be a challenge;
this is, after all, the Coconut Milk Run. However, complacent sailors can easily be caught
unaware and consequently report rougher passages than expected.
A case in point: we lucked into a brisk and mostly pleasant trip, whereas boats just a few
days behind endured rough, squally conditions. One crew we later met in New Zealand
called their Marquesas-to-Tuamotus run the worst of their entire Pacific season, with heavy
seas and howling winds. Given a choice, who wouldn't choose a pleasant journey over a
trial?