Our Last Few Days before Everything Gets Remote

Huub van der Mark and Maria Paula prepare to depart Moorea and return to Tahiti for crucial vessel repairs and provisioning before heading into the remote Tuamotu atolls. Sailing aboard their 38ft catamaran featured on Huub Vlogs, the pair balance open-water exploration with the mechanical preparations required for months of isolated voyaging.

Before crossing the channel back to Tahiti, the crew shifts to the opposite coast of Moorea to dive the fringing reefs and complete final shakedown routines. The stop offers an opportunity to verify underwater gear, assess local holding conditions, and observe marine life across the barrier lagoon.

Diving Moorea and Shifting Anchorages

Anchored along the outer lagoon, the crew spots two humpback whales passing offshore before loading their dive equipment into the tender. A two-minute dinghy ride brings them to a reef shelf where blacktip reef sharks circle beneath the surface. Maria Paula notes the greeting as they gear up on the pontoons: “The sharks are welcoming us at the anchorage.” With proper backward roll entry technique practiced with regulator and mask held securely, both divers descend along the reef wall to observe eagle rays, coral formations, and schools of reef fish.

Back at the anchorage, calm conditions allow for a shore hike followed by an afternoon drifting across the lagoon in the dinghy with pizza and drinks. However, as the wind drops completely, the slack sea reveals a hazard directly beneath the catamaran. Looking down into the clear water, Huub spots a dark coral head, known locally as a bommie, dangerously close to the hulls. Rather than risking contact on a swinging tide, the crew starts the engines and resets their ground tackle. Huub confirms the adjustment: “We reanchor the boat about 30 ft back.”

Troubleshooting Galley Refrigeration in Tahiti

Crossing back to Tahiti, Huub focuses on fixing a persistent refrigeration failure. Roughly one week after defrosting the galley freezer, the evaporator plate failed to freeze down, remaining only lukewarm despite normal operation from the adjacent refrigerator. Facing the prospect of cruising isolated Pacific atolls without food preservation, Huub reached out through a regional cruising app for technical advice. A neighboring Dutch cruiser named Andre, known online as Big’s Life on the Ocean, came across by dinghy to assist with troubleshooting.

Huub appreciated the mutual support among cruisers at anchor: “The boating community is so nice helping each other out.” Working together through the galley locker, Huub and Andre executed a systematic diagnostic sequence:

• Verified correct DC voltage and power supply to the compressor unit.
• Inspected the cooling fan and ensured ventilation openings were unobstructed.
• Checked thermostat calibration and sensor continuity.
• Attached pressure gauges to the service port to measure internal Freon charge.

Gauges confirmed the closed system had lost refrigerant pressure. Because the filter is welded into the line, Andre connected a canister to the refill port and recharged the Freon circuit until the plate began frosting normally. Huub noted the value of observing the repair firsthand: “Yesterday I learned yet another thing that I thought I would never learn in my life.” To prevent recurring flat tires while carrying heavy provisions along island roads, Huub also visited a local shop to install solid puncture-proof tires on both the front and rear wheels of their electric scooter.

With the freezer restored and shore transportation sorted, the crew prepared fresh provisions aboard, making a lunch of tuna poke bowls with diced raw fish, cucumber, mango, pickled vegetables, and edamame steamed over the rice cooker.

Traversing Tahiti and the Swells of Teahupo’o

Before leaving harbor civilization behind, Huub and Maria Paula organized a driving trip around the island to explore its diverse landscapes. Their route stopped at Taharuu Beach to view its distinctive black volcanic sand before continuing south toward the narrow peninsula of Tahiti Iti.

At the road’s end lies Teahupo’o, home to one of the most powerful and feared breaking waves in ocean sports. The local name roughly translates to wall of skulls, describing a heavy swell that surges out of deep water and heaves violently over an extremely shallow coral shelf. Because the reef forces the wave to pitch below sea level, competitors must be ferried offshore by boat. Huub highlighted its international significance as the official venue for surfing during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, situated roughly 16,000 km away from Paris.

Huub observed that Tahiti encompasses three distinct environments: the urbanized commercial corridors of Tahiti Nui, the quiet rural farming communities of Tahiti Iti, and the steep jungle-covered peaks of the interior valleys.

Passage Preparation and Specifications

Stocking up in Tahiti serves as the final logistical barrier before entering remote archipelagos. The crew spent several days sourcing spare parts, filling cooking gas tanks, and loading bulk dry goods to maintain total self-sufficiency for 6 to 8 months across the Tuamotus.

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