19 Year Old Man Makes 30 Day Solo Trip Sailing 2,400 Nautical Miles From Honolulu to Tahiti

19 year old Garret Tarter sailed the 2,400 nautical miles from Honolulu, Hawai’i to Tahiti in French Polynesia by himself, documenting the first eleven days of the journey.

After months at the harbor working on my boat, it’s time to leave the dock and sail to French Polynesia. This is a 2,400 nautical mile upwind trip and should take about 25 days.

Tarter left Hawai’i on May 10 and made landfall at Papeete Tahiti on June 12, 2023. The journey took approximately 30 days, although he did encounter some challenges along the way.

One week into the trip my phone stopped working, taking away my weather and communication for the rest of the trip. I had a few days of no wind in the doldrums which I used to motor east, and then absolutely perfect sailing after that all the way to about 5 degrees south where I spent 6 hot and miserable days becalmed.

While it wasn’t always smooth sailing, it was certainly an adventure, one he will never forget

…I sailed into a cold front and opposing current at the same time which at it’s worst brought gale force winds with squalls well into the 40’s and waves to 20 feet. But that didn’t last longer than a day and despite being dangerously sleep deprived, the last days of the trip were pleasant with great conditions and clear skies. I’m glad to have made the trip, and beyond grateful to be anchored safely in paradise with however much food and cold water I could possibly want.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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