Fifteen Years to Hiva Oa

A working-class family’s 15-year struggle to leave their ordinary life behind, move onto a boat, and pursue a more meaningful life in the South Pacific.

In 1990s Detroit, Tom and Cindy are tormented by the feeling that life should mean more than their dead-end jobs. They dream of buying a sailboat, leaving it all behind, and sailing around the world with their kids. After a decade of saving, Tom and Cindy finally find a weathered sailboat they can afford. Their daughter names it Hiva Oa, after the mystical island in the Pacific. For years, family and friends work tirelessly to restore Hiva Oa to her former ocean-crossing self. Yet, just as the ocean is finally within reach, Tom is diagnosed with cancer. With time running out, Cindy pushes Tom to decide whether to keep wasting his uncertain future rebuilding a boat that might never set sail, or cast off the lines now and head to the atolls of the South Pacific before it’s too late. Fifteen Years to Hiva Oa is a tender yet raw novel about what one family is willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of a life worth living.

About the Author

N.L. Duran is a Venezuelan-American writer and former University of Michigan professor turned ocean vagabond. After two decades in academia, he left his tenured career to sail around the world with his wife on a small sailboat. Now he spends most of his days writing stories from remote anchorages in the South Pacific. When not writing or crossing oceans, he can be found with a camera, photographing life beyond the shore. Fifteen Years to Hiva Oa is his debut novel.

Notable Reviews

Within a few pages I was hooked. I finished it just three days later. The characters, the storyline, the ending, still keep coming back into my mind. This novel is an entertaining read for both sailors and non-sailors. Though it is fiction, it also should be read by anyone who dreams of taking their family off cruising. It explores some of the challenges, the realities and the pleasures that lay between you and your goal. – Lin Pardey, US Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee, Voyager and Author of Storm Tactics Handbook

An enjoyable, highly relatable read for anyone curious about life on the water. Fifteen Years to Hiva Oa speaks directly to anyone who has chased big dreams, only to find life had different plans. While fictional, the story accurately captures the genuine highs and lows of sailing, including sailing with teens aboard. The characters are warm and grounded, and their resiliency will stay with you. – Megan Schwartz, Noonsite Regional Editor

Fifteen Years to Hiva Oa

• Fifteen Years to Hiva Oa
• Published by Currents and Wind, June 2026
• ISBN-13: ‎ 979-8995644804
• Buy on Amazon – Available in Paperback or Kindle