Faire voile et jeter l’ancre en Polynésie française

Abstract

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, circumnavigating the Caribbean Islands and sailing through the Pacific Ocean many boaters stop on Raiatea Island in French Polynesia. Their journeys can extend over several spatial and temporal scales. Based on 13 boaters’s interviews conducted in Raiatea, the article identifies how their mobilities are structured and the role they play in their life. This study deals with new kinds of mobilities that question the conventional categories often used to analyse mobility and provides a reflection on the relationship between mobilities and moorings, giving an iconic example where mooring and mobility merge together in one place : the sailboat.

Keywords

• Mobility
• mooring
• boaters
• Raiatea (French Polynesia)