Valuing our Cruising Community
Kevin and I spent several years preparing for our ocean crossing from Mexico to the South Pacific. We attended seminars, joined various Facebook and Whatsapp groups comprised of seasoned cruisers and sailors, sharpened our sailing skills, and spoke personally to many sailors who made the 3000-mile crossing. We heard advice about boat parts to buy and how many bags of rice to squirrel away in our cupboards; cruisers shared tips on when to leave Mexico, what kinds of sunglasses to wear, which weather router to hire, how much chain to have (300 feet or more—even if you’re a catamaran!), whether to have a drogue on board, whether to have crew, and on and on….
The Overlooked Need-to-Know
The other advice we heard after being in Mexico and knowing enough Spanish to converse somewhat easily with local Mexican people?
“Oh, you don’t need to know French! Besides, Polynesian people have their own language depending on the island, including Tahitian, and you can’t possibly learn all of the languages. You can easily get by without ever speaking French.”
I hate to say this, but this is by far the WORST advice we received. I wish we would have taken a year’s worth of French lessons before setting off to French Polynesia.
Take Advice with a Grain of Sand
I’m sure you are probably thinking: “why did you stick so closely to the advice and not learn any French?”
The reason I have been thinking of writing this post for so long is that I realized this fact about us: we do listen very carefully to the pearls of wisdom being tossed our way from every direction.
As an example, we had sundowners with some cruisers in Tahiti who told us about a great hike to do once we landed in Mo’orea with our sons, Kyle and Quinn. I was excited to mimic their experience! They hiked about a mile from Oponuhu Bay inland and told us, “Once the road starts getting steep, just hitchhike towards the point on the map that shows where the trail begins. Make sure to split the group up and hitchhike as pairs so someone will actually pick you up.”
Great idea, I thought to myself. The boys and I all walked about 2 miles through this beautiful valley, filled with healthy cattle, green grass, and pristine roads (see the pics: some of our most beautiful photos are of this valley). As the road got steeper, we decided to try hitchhiking, spreading ourselves out in groups of two. However, every single car that passed us was entirely full of people (lots of rentals); only two locals passed us in their truck—and the truck beds were loaded with various gear.
To make a long story shorter, we ended up not getting picked up by any car, and we proceeded to walk the entire trail and back to the boat (almost 12 miles in total). What should have been a half day experience stretched to entire day—without enough water and zero food.
I tell this story to emphasize a point that has come up several times in our cruising season: when cruisers share their own experience and we have tried to replicate it, invariably we have been disappointed almost every time because the conditions are never the same.
How Does This Relate to Learning French?
We have been struck by how many French speaking Polynesians do speak English—but they either pretend not to speak it, or they are offended when we know zero—zip—nada French. Even the Polynesians seem to prefer speaking French rather than English even though they only get one day of instruction each week in English in school (the exception to their preference is Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas. If you said “bonjour” to the locals, they respond in Polynesian only: “Keoha”).
This means that when you’re sailing from island to island, not all encounters will be the same, especially if you don’t know the language.
Getting the Most Out of Your Experience
The advice we heard, “you can easily get by without French,” is so subjective. One person/cruiser might be perfectly fine using hand gestures to communicate with a local. However, when we offered details about a place or experience other cruisers surrounding us had never heard of, they wanted to know of our source. We explained that we were buddy boating with our French Canadian friends more than half of the time in FP—and they speak perfect French.
When we would sightsee anywhere, Marie or Pierre would translate interesting or important information for us—and our experience in FP was so much richer because of them. From understanding a marker under a sacred tree, to knowing how to act within a working Pearl Farm, to reading navigational charts posted near airports: understanding basic French is the difference between getting by and truly appreciating the culture in FP.
Too Remote for Cell Coverage
In Mexico, when we were stumped by the language barrier, we simply got out our phones and used Google translate. Also, we used quite often the Spanish for Cruisers book that came with our boat (I picked up the French version of this book in a marina after we left FP…haha!).
However, most of the islands in FP are too remote for cell coverage, and we could not rely on our phones to rescue us. Basic navigational signs, polite phrases in social settings, general grocery store items—learn these in French before you arrive, and I can guarantee you will have an easier—and more enriching–cruising experience.
About The Author
Great article! Love you!
Mom
Thanks for being my biggest supporter, Mom!
Awesome, and great tips for FP! So inspiring that you’re able to work remotely and sail as a college teacher. I’d love if you were to write more about your experiences of the challenges of working whilst travelling. You’re living the dream that I aspire to achieve one day!
Aw, thank you, Lou! Yes, Starlink and our sailboat have made my working life possible–I hope you can achieve your dream, as well.Thank you for your reply!
WONDERFUL. Inspiring.
starlink you got looks expensive
come and visit me at glengariff, eastern cape , south africa?
rod matcham
entrobyte on linkedin
Thank you so much, Rod. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. We would love to sail to South Africa!
Hey you cutie pies! Love, love reading about your adventures. Yes, learning the local language always pays off –if anything, just to show a sign of respect! Inspiring me to continue learning Spanish for Mexico. Looking forward to joining you guys somewhere aboard “Flying Free”.
Hi Sara! We miss you guys–and thank you for responding! You are absolutely correct about the respect part. When we first anchored in Tahiti, one of the locals, speaking French, was yelling at us from shore. She then kayaked out to us, speaking in French. When we said we didn’t know French, her response was, “Why don’t you know French? You are not in America!” (sound familiar?) The irony aside, she eventually told us in perfectly good English that we were anchored in “her backyard,” blocking her view. Writing about this now, I should have included this story in my post…haha! Keep practicing your Spanish–you are the most diligent student I know. 🙂
I had the pleasure of meeting you and Kevin last month in Fji after your return from sea—it was such an inspiring encounter! Your article about sailing to French Polynesia resonated deeply with me. As someone who champions the beauty of remote work-life balance, your journey and honest reflections are both motivating and refreshing. Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights—it’s a wonderful reminder to embrace adventure and adapt along the way. Wishing you both smooth seas and continued inspiration!
Ah, Lia! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and respond. It was so nice meeting you and your husband, as well. We hope you had a safe passage back to NZ (I’m hoping I have not confused you with someone else.) I appreciate your kind words–and we hope to see you both again in the near future. Happy sailing…