Tahina’s Adventure Continues With Friends Now Holding the Helm

This is a post I’ve put off writing for months.

We began our long-term relationship with our beautiful traveling home and sailing vessel Tahina more than 12 years ago. Tahina took us safely around the Earth (and then some), and we completed our main expedition. That expedition really began in November of 2009 when we departed North Carolina, and officially ended in June of 2015 when we ended up back in the US in the exact same slip of the same marina. But, our relationship was wider with the purchase more than a year before the expedition, and five years more after it ended.

After our big expedition was finished, we used Tahina less often than we expected. And, the burden of upkeep on a now mature and well-traveled vessel became increasingly difficult as we re-acquired our land legs, bought a house, and began reconnecting with friends and family we had left behind on our journey. We did one last major refit, including replacing the standing rigging and rewiring the mast and countless other things, in 2017. It was an expensive and very demanding haul-out that lasted more than 3 months.

Fortunately, we have great friends – Jason and Lara – who we first met when we recruited them as crew on Tahina in March 2010 when we began crossing the Pacific with our Panama Canal transit. They spent several months on board and learned as much about her as anyone other than ourselves. We had great times with them the whole journey. We have stayed in touch all these years, and a few years ago we made an arrangement where Jason and Lara helped care for Tahina in return for the ability to use Tahina along the east coast and in the Bahamas. They have shown mighty love and care for her, and have enjoyed their time on one of the finest sailing vessels on the water.

Well, late last summer, we finally made the ultimate arrangement. We agreed to turn over the keys to the helm of Tahina, and a bill of sale to Jason and Lara. It happened 12 years from when we got those same keys. They are the people we trust most to continue her care and we know they will have many wonderful adventures in the future. The best part for us, we have a somewhat similar arrangement to continue experiences on Tahina from time to time as we have shared with them. Here’s a picture of them a short while after we finished the sale:

You often hear the two best days of a boat owner are the day you buy it, and the day you sell. We love Tahina so much, we never expected to be happy to sell her. And, in some ways, it was hard to pass on her ownership. But, Jason and Lara are special people, and we know Tahina is getting the best care from people who we know love her as much as we do. We wish them many, many happy days on her in the future!

Speaking of which, if you’re a fan of Tahina and are interested in chartering her for the 2021/22 season, she will be available for booking through Jason and Lara at https://www.oceanadventurecat.com soon.