Travel Drawings from Sketching in French Polynesia (Tahiti, etc.)
Sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Panama and the Galapagos Islands brought me first to French Polynesia. After one month at sea I arrived at the Marquises Islands. Then, aboard a different boat, I island hopped in the Tuamotu atolls before arriving to the Society Islands at Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, among others. I made these travel drawings sketching in French Polynesia from July to September 2013. Some are sailing drawings. Seasickness might have prevented me from sketching more often.
Sailing drawings are difficult. This is the cockpit of Wind Witch, Bob’s 44-foot CSY.
Inside Wind Witch, the cabin extended to the V-berth. This is a contorted drawing of Bob’s sailboat underway in the Pacific Ocean.
In Fatu Hiva, the first island we arrived to in the Marquises, I followed a stream, and made this drawing from the Fatu Hiva hike.
It had been one month on the sea with Sarim, the aluminum Wharram catamaran. We arrived in the Marquises and I sat to beautiful choruses coming from the church.
Virgin Bay is said to be among the most beautiful in the world (and least accessible). It was once called Penis Bay, but the missionaries sanitized the title.
A drawing of a enclove waterfall on Fatu Hiva, Marquises, French Polynesia.
The famous French painter Paul Gaugin is burried on Hiva Oa in French Polynesia’s Marquises Island chain.
The Marquises Islands are jagged, mountainous bits of land. Here, I found a good spot to draw the bay at Hiva Oa, known for its Tiger sharks.
Once I arrived to Tahiti, I made this travel sketch of a Polynesian canoe, known for its outrigger.
A quick travel sketch of Port Phaeton, a port on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.
For one week I stayed on Wind Witch while Bob returned Stateside for a funeral. Here’s a travel sketch of the sailboat’s cabin.
When we got underway we were heavy one marine, David, and my French friend Florent. We went to Moorea, where I made this sketching of a sailboat.
A drawing of a sailboat in Moorea, French Polynesia.
This is Thomas. He was Andrew’s cat. I sailed on Andrew’s boat Athena from Hiva Oa to Tahiti, a one week journey that turned in three, and we were nearly lost at sea.
With Bob, we caught many fish. The best were tuna, because we turned them immediately into sashimi and sushi. The freshest sushi on teh planet. Here’s a travel drawing of our creations.
We sailing to Bora Bora in French Polynesia, where I was able to make a travel sketch with some cheap colored pencils.
During the week that I was alone in the Tahiti Marina, I made a drawing sketch of Moorea, which was just across the way.
David brought an E-reader sailing, so provided me plenty of time to sketch him.
