Every passage is different from the one before and this passage from Aitutaki in the Cook Islands to Bora Bora in French Polynesia started with pure sailing. But about one third into the journey it was back to motor sailing with little wind and some adverse current. From Bora Bora it will be a short hop to Tahiti and the end of this journey.
This video covers the 7th leg of our long journey going east from the Philippines to Tahiti. How did we do? Was our advanced weather forecast accurate? What weather did we really have and was it expected? Did our strategy for the voyage work? This video was filmed during December 2025 and January 2026 and the next and final video will cover the trip from Bora Bora to Tahiti and a recap of the lessons learned during our one year passage from the Philippines to Tahiti.
Now that we have reached Tahiti, we are planning to stay here for awhile to renew old friendships, volunteer our assistance to other sailings, passing along the help that we received during our 34 years of sailing in the tropics. I will also be assisting the GLYWO25 fleet across the Pacific and South East Asia and our three sailing Schipperkes also wish to meet any sailing dogs passing in the area. In 2027 we plan to visit some of the less visited areas of French Polynesia such as the Australs and the Gambiers.
Luc Callebaut
s/v Sloepmouche
…………………………………
About the Author
Belgian sailor Luc Callebaut and his American partner Jackie Lee have been exploring the warm waters of the world since 1992 on board their 46ft Norman Cross trimaran. They have lived and worked in the Caribbean, Pacific and for the past five years have been cruising in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. For the past six months they and their three travelling Schipperke dogs have been cruising eastward through Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands into the Pacific and their final destination of Tahiti in French Polynesia.
Luc worked as a regional editor for Noonsite for many years. Find out more about Luc and Jackie here [https://cornellsailing.com/archives/past-rallies/the-team/#LucJackie]
Videos about their cruising adventures can be viewed on their YouTube channel “Tropical Sailing Life” or their Tropical Sailing website, which contains more than 600 original, edited, titled, cruising videos.
………………………………
Other Noonsite reports from Luc and Jackie:
- From Tonga to the Cook Islands
- From the Solomon Islands to Vanuatu
- Solomon islands: A Very Enjoyable Six Month Cruise
- Navigation: Staying Safe When Sailing in Remote Locations
- From Philippines to Tahiti: Kavieng to Noro in the Solomon Islands
- Papua New Guinea: Cruising the North East Coast
- Indonesia, Bitung: Notes on a Lengthy Check-Out
- SE Asia: Cruising Notes on Malaysia and Indonesia.
- Vanuatu: Cruisers Deliver Aid to Communities
- Indonesia: Clearance Experiences at Bintam and Batam
- Malaysia: Update on Sebana Cove Marina
- Pacific Crossing 2022: Panama and Galapagos Update
- Pacific Crossing 2022: French Polynesia Update
………………………………
© 2026 Noonsite. This content was edited by Noonsite. Do not reproduce without permission. All rights reserved.
The opinions expressed in this article and video are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of http://Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.
If you have found this information useful, become a paid member to enjoy unlimited use of Noonsite plus many other perks. Your membership fees really help our small, dedicated team keep country information up-to-date in support of cruisers worldwide. Find out more about Noonsite Membership levels and benefits here.
Subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletter: https://www.noonsite.com/newsletter/
Leave a comment
You must Login or Register to submit comments.