Following a succession of hostile acts and aggression toward the cruising community in certain French Polynesian Islands, L’Association des Voiliers en Polynésie have set up a survey to allow them to precisely calculate the economic impact of boating in Polynesia. If you have sailed to FP in the past, are currently there or are planning to head to FP in the future, please take time to complete this quick survey.

Published 5 years ago

Message from L’Association des Voiliers en Polynésie (AVP):

The AVP wrote to the President of French Polynesia and the High Commissioner (the first being the elected president, the second the representative of France) a couple of weeks ago, alerting them again to the issue of attacks against sailboats, and the resulting menace to nautical tourism. It follows several such alerts, including in the local press, and a few meetings where government ministers and certain administrative bodies told the sailing community that anchoring is prohibited, that boats on anchor in certain areas need to move, and so on, without offering any alternative.

A few recent incidents include:

• Fakarava (Tuamotus): The local mayor threw stones at dinghies trying to come on land to re-provision. Signs posted in many locations stated that sailors are not welcome. The municipal government issued a decree illegally prohibiting boats in the lagoon. All of this was later rescinded.
• Raiatea: The local mayor visited boats in the anchorage and told sailors that they need to wear a mask when coming on land. Nobody else is under such an obligation. This was not enforced, but it was demanded.
• Huahine: The local municipal policeman went around the anchorage and demanded that boats anchored more than 500m one from one another. One boat complied after being told that it is a municipal decree. No decree was issued.
• Tahaiti, where the main anchorage at Taina (Puna’auia) is located and the boat density is very high, fishermen speed through the anchorage early in the morning shouting insults and demanding that boats leave. In the last week four boats reported being circled by locals, shouted at and told to leave immediately.

The AVP feel it is time for the authorities, elected officials and yachting professionals to recognize the economic impact of foreign recreational boats being here, and to defend us against these aggressions. To this end we have set up a survey that will allow us to precisely calculate the economic impact of boating in Polynesia.

We therefore hope every vessel who is, or has recently, cruised French Polynesia will participate in this survey. The results will be quickly publicized through the media and will serve as a basis to get the authorities to react. The survey will only take 5 minutes of your time.

Rest assured that the information you provide will be completely anonymous. Thank you for taking the time to complete and submit the questionnaire.

L’Association des Voiliers en Polynésie – SURVEY FORM

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.