Paul and Dominique: a 3-year journey sailing the NEEL 45 Trimaran

Sailing the South Pacific on a trimaran

“We arrived in French Polynesia in 2020 (the year of the COVID), aboard a monohull (aluminum centreboard boat) that we sold via Sail Tahiti to buy a second-hand Neel 45 trimaran. We stayed as long as we could, three years of sailing, a voyage of a lifetime, “to the last drop” you might say, so enchanted were we by this country: the archipelagos, the islands and atolls, the anchorages, the people, their lives, their kindness.”

French Polynesia, an extraordinary sailing journey

So many discoveries! So many encounters! On land, at sea and underwater!

We’ve been touched, because it feels like we’ve (almost) changed worlds. The vastness of the territory, the low population density, the permanent relationship with nature, the (partly free) access to food, a different concept of private property and family, the generosity of the inhabitants, the simple life and the fact of being content with what we have… And for us, a voyage on a Neel 45 Trimaran that is a dream life: a playground the size of Europe, a climate that allows us to live day and night in contact with the air, the sun, the moon, the ocean, the waves, the storms, the corals and the fish…

A territory where you can really go off the grid. Here, people live better with less – fewer laws, fewer constraints, fewer needs – and it would be a mistake to believe that the climate alone makes this possible.

Paul et Dom

Why choose a neel 45 trimaran?

Dom was looking for a boat offering the stability and space they lacked on their monohull. A boat that doesn’t roll and where you sleep better is also a guarantee of safety, as you’re in better shape for watches.

Paul wanted a boat that would go upwind at least as well as their aluminum monohull, and with more performance.

They weren’t disappointed by their Neel 45: optimal windward angle, speed at all points of sail, unprecedented space and great stability: “As for life on the Neel, for Dom who doesn’t have great sea legs, despite 5 years on board. On the Neel, it’s absolute comfort, combined with very good sailing performance. Enough to satisfy us both!”