Supporting a safe and successful Pacific crossing—from the Americas to French Polynesia, roughly 4,000 miles—is what we’ve been offering since 1997 with the Pacific Puddle Jump.
“Freedom & Safety: you leave when you want, from where you want.”
This is how David Allouch perfectly sums up the spirit of the Pacific Puddle Jump (PPJ). Allouch has recently taken over the rally’s organization through his company, Sail Tahiti, the leading catamaran dealership in the South Pacific, which he founded in 2015 with his partner, Nikki Puttergill.
Launched in 1997 by Andy Turpin, then editor-in-chief of Latitude 38, the rally was originally aimed primarily at West Coast U.S. cruisers who saw it as a natural continuation of the Baja Ha-Ha rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, before heading on to French Polynesia and, for some, onward to Oceania.
Max and Elizabeth Shaw were among them. In 2014, they set off aboard their 47-footer Fluenta with their children—then ages 8, 6, and just 4½ months (see their blog). “We thought the Pacific Puddle Jump was a great way to meet other families crossing the Pacific and also heading toward New Zealand,” recalls Elizabeth.
“We had sailed a fair amount before, but never an ocean passage this long. We chose to do it through the PPJ mainly because assistance was available at any time if something serious came up. And also because entering French Polynesia can be complicated administratively. One of the big advantages of the PPJ was that they handled that for us,” adds Max.
Over the years, the Pacific Puddle Jump has attracted more and more boats—coming not only from the U.S. West Coast but also from the East Coast and Europe—reaching up to 200 participants per year before the COVID pandemic, or about a quarter of all yachts visiting Polynesia annually. In addition to its traditional departure points in California and Mexico, Panama has become a major staging location.
“We organize technical briefings and gatherings for cruisers in each departure area,” says David Allouch, who himself arrived in French Polynesia by sea in 2015…and has never left.
“Before departure, we attended several meetings, mainly technical—how to prepare your boat, provisioning, sails, rigging, weather,” the Shaws explain. “It was all very friendly, and we’re still friends today with people we met in 2014.”
A Privileged Introduction to Polynesia
This sense of community is one of the key reasons for the rally’s long-running success. The organizers are committed to keeping the event accessible, which is why they offer multiple registration levels—all of which include a form of guidance designed to reassure even the least experienced sailors.
Tumu, the basic program (“root” in Polynesian), provides preparation support, access to social events, and real-time tracking through PredictWind.
The Manava program (“welcome” in Polynesian) includes weekly weather briefings, expert advice, and pre-registration for the Tahiti Moorea Sailing Rendez-Vous—the signature event that traditionally marks the end of the Pacific Puddle Jump. The 20th edition will take place July 3–6, 2026.
Finally, the Aupuru program (“hope”) is the premium service level, which includes a pre-departure rig inspection, daily routing during the crossing, a technical hotline, and personalized administrative assistance.
Most participants leave the Americas between mid-January and April, and arrivals in Polynesia take place from April through early July, where they are guaranteed a warm welcome.
“Polynesians all originally arrived by sea—they love boats,” explain Allouch and Puttergill. “The archipelago has 118 islands, most of them without infrastructure and with very little tourism. One of the PPJ’s roles is to help sailors discover Polynesia by boat and encourage them to visit these more remote islands for richer interactions with local communities.”
Max and Elizabeth Shaw—who now help future Pacific crossers prepare—confirm this:
“Because we did the crossing as part of the rally, we had the privilege of visiting villages that you simply cannot reach except by boat. There really is no better cruising destination. If we were to cross again today, even with 55,000 nautical miles behind us, we would still choose the Pacific Puddle Jump.”
PPJ NEWS
- Drawn to the spirit and values of the Pacific Puddle Jump, Excess Catamarans—builders of performance cruising catamarans—has joined as an official partner. All Excess owners will now benefit from the premium Aupuru package, opening the door to a dream cruise in the South Pacific. Excess will also be present at the Paris Nautic Show, returning November 26–30 at the Parc des Expositions du Bourget.
- In line with its eco-responsible commitments, the Pacific Puddle Jump has partnered with local communities to launch a new initiative for the 2026 edition: participating crews will help collect and transport used batteries from remote atolls to Tahiti for proper recycling.
- For the 2026 season, 33 participants are already registered, and 2 boats have already reserved their “PPJ crossing” for 2027. When the rally began in 1997, there were 17 pioneers. Since then, 4,000 sailors have trusted the PPJ team to help them reach Polynesia from the Americas.
Did you know?
The Pacific Puddle Jump has its own YouTube channel featuring everything you need to know: PPJ history, sailing in Polynesia, preparation tutorials, deep dives into the Tahiti Moorea Sailing Rendez-Vous, weather guidance, and more.
The Pacific Puddle Jump is also on Instagram.
