Don’t Miss the (Charter) Boat in Tahiti
The Experts: Alex Delattre and Xionara Azzopardi Private Yacht Tahiti
Credentials: Skipper and Chef at Senso Lagoon Private Yacht Tahiti
As the dinghy putted along, carrying us along with our hopes and dreams, it closed the distance between the shore and our nomadic home. For the next 3 days, my fiancé and I had to employ every tactic imaginable to suppress our giggles. This boat was huge. It was the size where you were unsure what to call it. Was it a boat? A yacht? Whatever it was, we were living well above our means, and it felt good. We jumped out of the smaller boat and onto our yacht. We didn’t even wait for the tour. It was hard to believe that this was all ours. It was 56-feet long, had 4 separate guest quarters with private showers, an indoor and outdoor living room, and a killer sound system. What did we want to drink? Where did we want to go? Was there anything they could do for us? These were the only hard decisions we had to make from then on for the next 3 days. We answered, “Champagne” or, “to that island over there” and, “could you please plug in this Beyoncé mix?”
This was by far the most unusual place we have ever stayed. We have traveled on boats plenty of times, but usually only in hour increments. They have always been a means of transportation, not a floating hotel. During our stay, everything we wanted happened with ease. We had breakfast waiting every morning, and I am pretty sure they thought there were more of us because the breakfast they served would have fed 10 people. We were served enough fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes to feed a small army. There was toast with delicious jellies, granola and yogurt. Dinner was fresh, tropical and much like what you would be served in the nicest of restaurants.
“The best part of our stay was the freedom. Our skipper would pull out a map and ask us to point to where we wanted to go.” -Erik Hale Private Yacht Tahiti
The best part of our stay was the freedom. Our skipper would pull out a map and ask us to point to where we wanted to go. He would make suggestions, but he made us feel like the boat was ours. We anchored the boat and jumped on the paddle boards in the lagoon, and we paddled up rivers in kayaks and were retrieved by the dinghy. After dinner, we would grab a glass of wine, walk to the front of the boat , and sit on the netting, staring up at the entire Milky Way Galaxy in HD clarity. It is hard to imagine anything being more romantic. Beyoncé was right when she said, “If you like it, then you better put a ring on it.” And so I did.
Q: If someone was coming to French Polynesia for the first time and had chartered a catamaran like this, what is one thing that they must do?
Alex Delattre: I think they should see all of the Society Islands as there is such a difference between each island, and most people like to see sun, blue water and beautiful lagoons.
Xionara Azzopardi: And the snorkeling.
Q: You live on Raiatea so you might be a little biased, but which is your favorite island?
XA: I don’t know. I love all of the islands, but I love Taha’a.
AD: I love Raiatea and Moorea.
Q: When people come on board, what is your favorite meal that you make for them?
XA: The Tahitian Mahi Mahi with vanilla sauce and the raw fish which is a local specialty.
Q: What is in the raw fish dish you made for us? It was amazing.
XA: Raw fresh fish (tuna), coconut milk, lime, cucumber, carrots, tomato, onion, ginger and green pepper.
Q: What is the most dangerous thing that happens in your job as skipper?
AD: When someone falls in the sea when it is stormy.
Q: Has that happened?
AD: (Laughs) No, no that has never happened.
Q: What size is the boat we are on and who makes it?
AD: Lagoon makes this boat; it’s French. It is 56 feet long and the most luxurious ship in our fleet. It has four guest rooms, and one especially big crew room.
Q: How many people usually come on this size boat?
AD & XA: (In unison) It depends…
AD: All different. The best is five or six I think.
AD: They have different sizes like this one for large groups or for a couple maybe the 40-foot boat.
Q: If you could sail your boat from here to anywhere in the world where would you sail it?
AD: (Laughs) Woah!
XA: With our boat? Patagonia.
AD: We would love to go to Patagonia. We would like to go in 2 or 3 years.
Q: How long have you been sailing?
AD: I was born on a boat, so I was 5 days old when I went on my first boat.
Q: The meals have been amazing. Where did you learn to cook?
XA: My parents have a restaurant in the South of France, and I learned by watching them cook.
Q: Have you ever had celebrities on this boat?
AD: We are not allowed to say.
Q: Shake your head if yes?
AD & XA: (Shake heads yes)
Tahiti Yacht Charters
689.40.66.28.80
Erik Hale is the visionary and publisher behind LOCALE Magazine. He launched the magazine in 2010, wanting to give the community of OC a premiere lifestyle magazine that knew all the native knowledge behind OC. “Six years ago Ashley and I sat at a table scratching the name LOCALE (among some other names) onto a sheet of paper,” says Erik, “coming up with story ideas and basically dreaming. Everything we imagined has happened and we have been blessed with so much more. I am so grateful as we start another year for my family, my two wonderful children, my health, our amazing writers, designers and photographers, our advertising partners and you.”
