The Eastern Pacific - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 250

Planning Ahead
Every beginning starts with an end: a farewell to the land behind. For us, four weeks of
blissful Marquesas cruising inevitably gave way to three days of provisioning, rig checks,
and fuel runs to get Namani ready to roll. This, too, can be more of a project than it initially
seems. The passage itself should only take about a week, but crews planning to spend time
in the Tuamotus will easily be stocking up for a month or more. Don't count on finding
many (or any) food, fuel, and water options in the Tuamotus. The good news is, the best
shopping of the central Pacific awaits in Tahiti, with chandlers, grocery megastores, and
hardware stores.
Another plus is that all of French Polynesia is one administrative area. Once cleared into
the Marquesas, you are clear for the Tuamotus and Society Islands as well. Sailors are tech-
nically required to check in with the local gendarmerie (police station) in large towns, but
not in the Tuamotus. Therefore, once you notify the gendarme in Nuku Hiva of your depar-
ture, you're clear until Papeete.
In addition to gathering supplies and weather data, another important consideration for this
“easy” passage is arming yourself with information on the atoll passes. What are the gener-
al pass conditions for the atolls you hope to visit? Are your tide tables accurate? When will
slack water be? Even the widest, deepest, “easiest” passes in the Tuamotus can make for
roller coaster rides (and worse) when attempted in the wrong conditions. One excellent -
and free - resource is the wonderful Cruising Compendium for the Tuamotus compiled by
the crew of s/v Soggy Paws [#1] .
Thinking about visiting multiple atolls? Make sure you have a realistic view of what that
involves. Neighboring atolls may appear to be an easy day sail apart, but even a short hop
can turn into an overnighter once you factor everything in: departing Atoll A at slack water
and with the sun sufficiently high for good visibility, traveling twenty to forty miles, then
running the pass into Atoll B when slack water again coincides with good visibility.
Squeezing all that into one day takes planning and a little luck. For a more thorough look at
what the Tuamotus have in store, see the next chapter: Atoll Cruising 101: The Tuamotus