“We wanted to live minimally and travel indefinitely”
OUR BOAT
They say a journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step. For us, rather than a step, our journey began with a leap. We sold everything we didn’t need, cars, computers, motorcycles, furniture — everything. What we couldn’t sell, we donated and we used the money to buy a sailboat
“But, why a sailboat”? Neither of us grew up even knowing the notion of sailing. The simple answer is, we wanted to live minimally and travel indefinitely—a sailboat was the ideal solution. Our boat “Uma” is a 1972 Pearson 36 (well at least she was before we changed everything) that we purchased for a whopping $3,000 USD. Needless to say, she needed a lot of work before she could take us beyond the horizon. As she slowly transformed into our tiny home, We wanted to give her name that carried with it the motivation and rationale that led us to buy her in the first place. Her name Uma was inspired by the Portuguese number 1, meaning first or primary. Because She is our first step towards a totally new life.
To us, “Uma” is more than just a number. In life, there are many paths to choose. All requiring a first step, a first idea, a first choice to stand on, to guide you on your journey. We hope that our story will stand as an inspiration to those wanting to take their first step towards their dream.
1 HULL … 3 STORIES
UMA 1.0
There seems to be plenty of books, video and websites devoted to guiding you to the boat that is best for you. If you’re still looking and are unsure, many are worth a read. But like many topics related to sailing, there are as many opinions as there are sailors.
Price of course is a major determining factor. Our post grad pocket books would definitely not allow us to afford a new boat and we certainly weren’t about to go into debt for one. So when the idea of getting a sailboat came to mind, we started to browse through a great website: www.yachtworld.com. The bigger the boat, the more expensive, but not just in initial price, but also the maintenance and the marinas as well. So we started small and worked our way up. For us, we knew we wanted a boat small enough so that we are able to handle it by ourselves but large enough for us to live in comfortably. With that said, we put our range for the overall length to between a 32-40 feet. We started researching for a good blue water capable boat within our range. We read some books, blogs and forums online. In the meantime, we contacted a couple of people and went to visit their boats in the 36-40’ range.
why choose a boat headed for the junkyard
Each and every boat is different. We wanted a boat that meets our personal needs structurally but also aesthetically, and in terms of the functionality of the space. Basically, we were looking for a boat that had the potential of being a comfortable, sturdy blue water sailboat, but easy to work on and repair—little brightwork, few complex mechanical systems, simple rigging etc. So for us finding a sailboat that we can fix ourselves and give it the features we want her to have was something to consider. It would also allow us to know our boat inside and out.
But after months of looking, we ended up buying one of the first boats we saw—certainly the first one that really caught our eye. And on October 28th, 2014, we officially moved onto our soon-to-be floating home.
We spent the first year and a half getting her sailing again, getting just enough of the basics and changing just enough of her interior to get a taste for life onboard. Our priority was to leave the dock, knowing we can learn the ropes, and figuring out what this boat really needs, while cruising through the Caribbean Islands.
SEE THE ENTIRE journey FROM ThE TROPICS TO THE ARCTIC ON OUR
YOUTUBE CHANNEL
UMA 2.0
Each translation of Uma is unique in its own way: in Inuit, it means Hope; in Hebrew, Nation; in Sanskrit, Tranquility. She’s also another name for Parvati, the Hindu Goddess of fertility, love, beauty, and strength. Uma even means horse in Japanese, though we won’t focus too much on that.
Over the years, we’ve come to understand Uma not just as a boat, but as a symbol of transformation and personal growth. After exploring the Caribbean, we realized that Uma had the potential to become the floating home we had always dreamed of. It wasn’t an immediate overhaul, but rather a slow, thoughtful process. Each step building on the last, each change a response to what we’d learned about the boat and our needs as sailors.
We sailed back to the coast of Florida, and started on changing the interior with the tools and knowledge we had available to us, and began transforming her interior to suit our lifestyle, gradually turning Uma into a space that felt truly ours.
After crossing the North Atlantic, we took another significant step: upgrading our motor system. We replaced our DIY electric motor with an OceanVolt system, allowing us to recharge our battery bank while underway (a huge leap forward in terms of energy management.)
Between 2019 and 2021, Uma 2.0 took us on incredible journeys, including sailing up the U.S. coast, exploring Canada, and crossing the Atlantic to England. We sailed along the entire coast of Norway, ventured above the Arctic Circle, and made it all the way to Svalbard (70 degrees north) . Uma had become a reliable partner in our adventures, continuously evolving to meet the challenges of our ever-changing journey."
SEE THE ENTIRE journey FROM ThE TROPICS TO THE ARCTIC ON OUR
YOUTUBE CHANNEL
UMA 3.0
Over the years, we’ve made so many beautiful changes to Uma. Our tiny floating home looked like a dream! However, there were structural issues that we didn’t address the first time around. After sailing over 20,000 miles, we learned so much about what this boat is truly capable of and, more importantly, what her limits are. We knew it was time to tackle a long overdue project.
By the summer of 2021, after sailing out of the North and into the Mediterranean Sea, we reached a turning point. That’s when we made the decision to do something we should have probably done from the start: strip her down to the bare hull, reinforce her structure, and completely rebuild Uma from the ground up.
You see, this rebuild isn’t just about preserving Uma; it's about giving her new life, using everything we’ve learned on this journey to ensure that she would last another 50 years. And, more than that, it became an opportunity to push our design skills and test new ideas, turning this rebuild into a platform for innovation.
As we stripped her down, we didn’t just see an empty boat, we saw a canvas full of possibilities. This rebuild became a chance to reimagine every inch, every detail, and make choices that align with our vision for the future. It’s not just about repairing what was damaged; it’s about creating a vessel that truly reflects who we are, and turning this experience into something that will not only improve the boat but also our approach to sailing and design for years to come..
Every decision we made, from the materials to the systems we’ve chosen, has been a direct result of everything we’ve learned, both from the challenges we’ve faced and the lessons Uma has taught us over the years. This rebuild isn’t just technical, it’s marking a new chapter in our journey, one that we’re excited to continue with her by our side.
WHY re-building a 50year old boat instead of buying a new one?
Sure, we could have started fresh with a brand-new boat or even designed one from scratch, but the reality is that would come with a hefty price tag. Building or purchasing a new boat would cost significantly more, and at this stage, that just doesn’t make sense for us. Fixing and improving what we already have is a fraction of the cost, while still giving us the opportunity to create something even better than before. But the reality is, it's not just about money. We’ve spent years getting to know Uma, every single inch of her. We love her lines and how she sails. There’s a connection that comes with time and experience. We've encountered challenges and triumphs, we know her strengths, we know her weaknesses, and through it all, Uma has proven her worth.
In other words, we’ve already got something perfectly suited for us, something that we’ve shaped and molded to fit our exact needs. There’s no need to start from scratch when Uma has everything we need. Instead of investing in an entirely new vessel, we’re focusing on enhancing what we have, making it more resilient, more functional, and even better than before. It’s the most cost-effective, personal, and rewarding option for us.