Huahine - Docking
Huahine has been placed on a restricted status for all boats. For sailors, it now means a maximum stay in any one place of 72 hours, and only where specific moorings have been installed. The 72h max is on one specific anchorage area, so you can stay indefinitely as long as you move between different areas inside the lagoon.
See: Arrêté n° 2997 CM du 23_12_2021
Note: As of February 2022 no new moorings have been installed and there has been no company appointed to manage the moorings and take fees. It is also not clear how the new restrictions are going to be policed. A similar system to that in Bora Bora will probably be used. So for now, no fees are being charged.
This map by the AVP gives a guide as to where moorings have been placed, how many boats are permitted in each anchorage, and for how long. Moorings are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Smaller vessels, less than six meters in length, may continue to berth in other locations in the lagoon except passes and channels. They will be invited to park in suitable places, away from reefs and coral reefs but the duration of their stay will be limited to 24 hours.
Full details can be found on the AVP website: New Regulations for Mooring in Huahine
Moorings:
Mooring balls in Fare are limited. There are a number of mooring balls located in front of the the town with access to a dinghy dock and cheap happy hour drinks at the local yacht club. Alternatively south of the village close to the reef between the two passes but it can get rolly here in strong swells from the west. Take care with the spacing between moorings and adjust your lines accordingly to allow for yachts swinging with the change in current.
Baie d’Avea at the south end of the island is a popular anchorage. There are now a very limited number of mooring buoys inshore, with more choice further offshore in shallower depths. Avea Bay Resort (Le Mahana) is yacht friendly and has water, WiFi and laundry available (charges apply). There is a dock for easy dinghy access. This bay does have a reputation for petty theft, so be sure to lock your boat at all times and leave the deck lights on if going ashore in the evening.
Motu Murhimahora on the east side of Huahine comes recommended by cruisers as a good anchoring spot but now only has three mooring buoys. Entry is via Passe Farerea. A local called Paul, whose property fronts onto the beach here, is an incredibly warm and friendly person and will undoubtedly speak with you, not wanting anything other than friendship.
There are several mooring options in and around Bourayne Bay on the west coast, and in Haapu Bay.
This map by the AVP gives more details as to where mooring buoys have been placed and the rules re. length of stay etc. New Regulations for Mooring in Huahine should also be read to better-understand the rules.
Dinghy Docks:
There is a convenient floating dinghy dock just in front of the bar/restaurant Fare Yacht Club (this is not a Yacht Club). The restaurant has a tap on the land side of the dinghy dock. The tap is locked and the restaurant charges by the hour to access water. Mornings only.
See water for more details on where can fill up here.
Fare Dock / Dive Club can only be used with prior arrangement.
Avea Bay Resort (Le Mahana) has a dock for easy dinghy access.
Ashore:
Fare village is small with a well-stocked supermarket just a short walk from the dinghy dock, 2 banks, a pharmacy, police station and a range of small shops.
Last updated: May 2022
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Related to following destinations: French Polynesia, Huahine, Society Islands
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Fare is very convenient to provision with the well stocked supermarket being within a short walk of the dinghy dock.
The yacht club is no yacht club and there was no WiFi or convenient way to access water here. The bar/restaurant is nice though!
In Fare there are mooring buoys that are convenient for access to the village. Exercise caution on the last 2 to the west as they have very long lines and if one or both occupiers do not bring much of the slack in the boats will likely bump into each other with the changing currents in calm conditions. It’s possible to anchor further to the west otherwise. It does get rolly here in strong swells with any west in it.
Elsewhere: plenty of mooring buoys that appear to be free of charge.
August 2019
We anchored near the reef at Fare, there were 2 boats on mooring buoys. We couldn’t see any other mooring buoys but a French boat had got his prop caught in an old mooring and was pulling his anchored boat towards a mooring buoy that he had re-floated. He called to tell us to be careful of the ropes in the water. We managed to anchor in 2.5 metres in sand. A few metres from our anchor was an old mooring that had lost its float. We re-floated it and it was very strong so attached our boat to it. We couldn’t leave it afloat because we didn’t have anything to leave on it. There were moorings outside the yacht club but we only saw about 6 and can’t tell you the condition.
The Yacht club food is very very good. Staff are friendly and efficient. We booked a table on the Friday night and it was a good thing because it was completely full. All tables were reserved, inside and out.
Yachts can come to the wooden wharf next to the yacht club dinghy dock and fill their water tanks, arrange this with the yacht club.
We had an unpleasant experience here, our dinghy was locked to the yacht cub dinghy pontoon,whilst we were having dinner , a young french girl came over and said that the owner of the local boat rentals had come over to our dinghy and had taken hum-bridge that we were on the same cleat has him and had got into our dinghy and swished our petrol from our can into the dinghy. Our can is locked to our dinghy otherwise he probably would have tipped into all into the sea! We can only assume that he was drunk because our painter had not stopped him from moving his dinghy. We managed to clean up the dinghy and there was enough petrol to get us back to the boat.
Recycling right of the yacht club and a very, very well stocked supermarket a few minutes walk away. We also hitch hiked here after we started to walk to Fare Potee ( a museum) and it turned out to be a fair distance. There is a very nice walking track just across the road from Fare Potee and also public toilets.
Don’t try and hire bikes when the cruise ship is in!
If I’ve missed anything you may wish to check our website : http://www.untilthebuttermelts.com
lderamus says:
Nov 11, 2018 07:38 AM
After several lovely months in French Polynesia encountering nothing but friendly people we finally got robbed.
At anchor in Avea Bay in Huahine, someone swam to our boat while we were at dinner ashore, went through the boat and got away with all our cash (around $2000.- total).
Thank God passports, credit cards and electronics were ok. Our bad for leaving the companionway unlocked.
UNMARKED REEF
If you are coming up the west side of Huahine there is an unmarked reef just south of the entrance to Fare. It is obvious in the daytime from the breakers but at night (like two nights ago).
You will not see it and lose your boat. Stay 3 nm offshore until abreast of the range markers for the. Hannel. This is out more than you need to be but caution is better than a fatal grounding.
Reported by Hugh Pilsworth, SY BlueFlyer – 1 May, 2018.
I’m sitting on a mooring in Fare, Huahine, and sending this report. Initially, we anchored the boat in a bay on the east coast. I am unable to find a name for it.
The entrance is easy and well marked with greens and reds, so no problems there.
Pushing on into the bay through the narrow entrance opens out into a wide and long bay with depths of 35m plus. On the south side is a small village with a dock and a restaurant with good food. You can anchor there in about 15m behind a marked reef.
After lunch, we motored back towards the entrance, but turned south into a cut sheltered by a sand island. You need to keep an eye on depths here and sand spits stick out. The cut is a pass and is marked with buoys as well. We anchored for a very peaceful night in about 10m in good holding sand.
Next day we sailed round to Fare. Picked up one of about half a dozen moorings belonging to the Huahine Yacht Club, a bar and restaurant with a dinghy dock. Good food and cold beer with a happy hour.
The town is small with a good supermarket, 2 banks, a pharmacy and a range of small shops. Being on the lee side we all found the nights warm and sleep difficult. Also, there are mossies around.
All in all a good stopover on a lovely island.
There are about 10 mooring balls in Fare, some of them brand new (November 2016). They are located in front of the beach or close to the reef between the 2 passes.
Very good supermarket (Super U) in Fare.
De passage en polynésie à Huahine, nous gardons un souvenir inoubliable de cette île et notamment de la baie d’Avea :
– vaste mouillage sur fond de sable, sans patates !
– facilité d’accès depuios FARE en suivant le balisage vers le sud.
– accueil chaleureux (canal 68) du Relais Mahana pour les plaisanciers : Monette et Christian les nouveaux propriétaires sauront vous charmer.
– Christian est un navigateur qui comprend nos soucis et peut donner toutes les bonnes adresses.
– location de voiture sur place
– WIFI et possibilité de plongées bouteille avec Mahana Dive
– Déjeuner d’un Ma’a Tahiti chaque dimanche midi chez Tara en terrasse au bord du lagon
et si vous aimez le Palme-Masque-Tuba vous apprécierez les coraux, les anémones et leurs poissons clowns au bord d’une très belle plage de sable blanc.
A ne pas manquer ! *****