Why We Bought a Boat in Tahiti

A German and an American, both working full-time and living in landlocked Colorado... what could make more sense than buying a boat in Tahiti?

It sounds a bit mad, we know. But somehow, this wildly impractical decision made perfect sense to us. So here’s the short story on why we chose to buy Tauha, a 44-foot sailboat literally on the other side of the world, and why she was the one.

Why Tahiti?

Let’s start with the obvious: Why not just buy a boat closer to home?

Well, we’re planning to begin our journey around the world in May 2026, when Niccy (hopefully!) finishes her PhD. Fingers crossed I haven’t jinxed it by putting it in writing. With our departure date set, we also want to arrive in Florida less than 1.5 years later. That means we’ll need to cross the entire Pacific Ocean within a single safe weather season. (Read more: “Oceans Have Seasons?”) So if we were to leave from the U.S. in May, we’d be racing the clock from day one. But by starting in Tahiti, we’re already halfway across the Pacific. This gives us more time for island hopping, exploring, and just a smoother, less stressful start. Perfect for sailors with limited experience.

That brings me to the second point: the budget reality. Let’s be real, between one just-graduated American engineer (hi, student loans 👋) and one still-working-on-it German PhD student, we’re not exactly working with a mega-yacht budget. When we looked at boats in the U.S., we kept running into the same issue: high prices and boats that weren’t ready for ocean passages. No solar panels, no watermakers, no proper safety gear. And don’t even get us started on marina fees. Just… no. In contrast, boats in Tahiti had one big thing in common: they’d already crossed an ocean to get there. That meant they were seaworthy, often better equipped, and far easier to find as true bluewater-ready cruisers.

Why Tauha?

This brings us to the next question: Why Tauha?

Tauha is a Kelly Peterson 44, a true bluewater classic from the 1980s. She’s sturdy, seaworthy, and built for comfortable long-distance cruising. A tank with sails, yet with enough elegance to make life at sea feel like home. If you're into the details, we’ve put together her full specs and story, or at least everything we could piece together, on our Team Page.

When it came to choosing a boat, our top priorities were:

• Cost (buying, outfitting, and anchoring)

• Safety and reliability

• Comfort at sea

• ...and okay, yes - a cool steering wheel

Even though we never imagined ourselves on a 44-footer (she felt huge at first, and still kinda does) Tauha ticked every box. She's solid, well-proven, and while she’s on the heavier side, she can still do up to 8 knots, which is pretty great for our future floating home. We’re not saying Tauha is perfect, no boat ever is, but she has a solid foundation, and every quirk or imperfection? We’ll either live with it or bring you along as we fix, upgrade, and outfit her over the coming months. What matters most is: we trust her.

The Not-So-Crazy Decision

So yes, it may sound crazy to buy a boat in Tahiti. But for us, it turned out to be the most logical, illogical decision we could’ve made. Timing, money, safety, and a bit of fate all aligned and at the center of it was Tauha, patiently waiting for us across the sea.

We can’t wait to have you aboard Tauha, sharing every knot, gust, triumph, and meltdown along the way.