After just over 10 days of efficient downwind sailing, we reach the Gambier Archipelago in French Polynesia! On the morning of May 14, we enter the lagoon through the Southeast pass to reach the small village of Rikitea on Mangareva Island. Gone are the anchorages where we were alone in the world—here, we are surrounded by about fifteen other boats, mostly from Panama, with plastic hulls and catamarans being more numerous, but also family sailboats. Nina and Diane are delighted to meet children their age. This small, isolated, and not very touristy archipelago has about 1,500 inhabitants who primarily live off pearl farming, which is very lucrative. The most beautiful pearls in Polynesia are harvested here but are entirely directed toward the Chinese market... Significant religious relics, including the impressive Saint Michael Cathedral, bear witness to the Catholic theocracy that ruled in the 19th century, followed by the nuclear testing period with the establishment of the CEP (Pacific Experimentation Center) in the neighboring Tuamotus during the 1960s. We enjoy the island's pleasant hikes for a few days, but you have to get up at dawn to avoid the heat, although most trails are shaded. But the Mangarevans rise early with the roosters' crowing—impossible to buy a baguette after 6 a.m., as everything is already sold out! We then visit the island of Taravai, where 5 people live, including Hervé and Valérie, who regularly organize big barbecues with round-the-world sailors stopping by. The men go spearfishing in the morning while the women prepare the rest of the meal, and the children enjoy swimming. Damien returns with two beautiful parrotfish—watch out for blacktip sharks attracted by fresh blood. Here, it's important to fish with the locals' advice, as they know the coral reefs well and can inform us about the presence or absence of ciguatera (food poisoning from eating fish contaminated by a microalgae growing on dead coral). It's also an opportunity to try local specialties like Ipo, a sweet coconut milk bread.
After several days of idyllic weather, the conditions worsen, and we return to anchor in front of Rikitea to wait out the depression. Perrine and the girls have flown back to France before reuniting with Libertaire and her captain in Papeete in 3 weeks.