Mehiti Degage, a native from French Polynesia, dreamed up the concept for a decadent luxury yacht experience that would highlight the naked beauty of her ancestral home. Her family had always been involved in the local boating industry and the development of Nomade Yachting Bora Bora was a challenge Mehiti enthusiastically took up. No detail was overlooked, as she explains on the company’s website: “I dreamed of a stylish new voyage, completely different, intimate, nomadic, where the refined design and sleek lines of a yacht embrace the genuine warmth and welcome of our culture, where my guests voyage to the very heart of our islands to share an unique experience that stimulates the senses in a rich, vital, and fragrant manner. The realization of my dreams is just the beginning of yours…”

Ms. Degage began plans for the cruise line in 2001 and her two 40-passenger yachts, Ti’a Moana and Tu Moana, began sailing in 2003. She commissioned Austral Shops and Oceanfast of Australia to build these sleek vessels. She specifically built yachts with a very shallow draft, just seven feet, so the ships could easily navigate the islands and atolls, allowing for an itinerary that very few ships could replicate.

She painstakingly decorated the ships: one using light wood and one using dark. Polynesian artists were commissioned to decorate the public and private spaces, integrating their works with that of Ralph Lauren, Yanagi, Kenzo, and Stark.

When the ships were completed, Ms. Degage then handpicked a crew of 43 to cater to 40 passengers per voyage. No detail was overlooked and reviews of Nomade adventures have been incredibly favorable.

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Cruise ships and itineraries:

Tu Moana: Mata Utu registered, build 2003, 2,677 gross tons, 40 passengers, 43 crew members. Itineraries: Tahiti, Papeete, Bora Bora, Taha'a, Raiatea, Huahine.
Ti'a Moana: Mata Utu registered, build 2003, 2,677 gross tons, 40 passengers, 43 crew members. Itineraries: Galapagos Islands.