Sail aboard Mahina Tiare III, Halberg Rassy 46, for a dynamic and unique hands-on learning experience with John Neal and Amanda Swan Neal.

With a combined experience of 472,000 miles and 63 years John and Amanda's unique curriculum attracts highly motivated sailors wanting to master ocean voyaging skills including seamanship, navigation and heavy weather tactics.

As a Mahina Expeditions graduate you will have the skillls and ability to sail anywhere on your own.

"For years we've urged our readers and clients to get real world experience before making major decisions on the cruising life style, their boats, or equipment. There's nothing like time spent living offshore and at anchor to clarify the issues, and one of the most efficient ways to do that is with John and Amanda aboard Mahina Tiare."

-Steve Dashew
Sailor, boat designer and author
of Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia,Surviving the Storm and Mariner's Weather Handbook

You are offered...

- The opportunity to increase your confidence and safety level by gaining the experience of an ocean passage and heavy weather before later sailing offshore aboard your own boat.

- The chance to experience ocean cruising before making a sizable investment in a boat and equipment, and perhaps finding out that cruising may not be quite what you expected.

- The opportunity to become actively involved in all aspects of operating and maintaining a modern ocean-cruising boat, including: steering    and standing watches, sail trim and reefing, anchoring, provisioning, meal preparation, cleaning, and ongoing maintenance of the boat.

- The opportunity to visit places and people rarely visited by tourists or cruisers.

You will be provided with . . .

- Three to six hours of dedicated, focused, hands-on instruction per day.

- A 100 page Expedition Companion documenting all aspects of instruction.

- Our commitment to answer all of your questions and concerns relating to ocean voyaging.

- A stimulating and exciting learning environment designed to help you master heavy weather storm sailing techniques, coastal, celestial and electronic navigation and boat handling.

Accommodations, Equipment and Food. . .

Mahina Tiare III has four separate cabins with a total of ten berths, two private heads and three showers, a saloon that can comfortably seat eight for dinner, an efficient sea-going galley and a sturdy hardtop dodger. Each expedition member has their own bunk and private storage locker. Although Mahina Tiare III can accommodate up to ten persons, limiting participation to six co-adventurers ensures more comfort and privacy.

Mahina Tiare III was built to our specifications under Lloyd's of London supervision by one of the world's finest boatbuilders. For a detailed description of Hallberg Rassy, check out their website at www.hallberg-rassy.com. A Germán Frers design with long waterline, modern underbody and powerful sailplan make our HR 46 a comfortable, easily-driven and powerful offshore boat.

For windless days, a 95 h.p. Volvo diesel engine provides 7.5 to 8.4 knots under power. Mahina Tiare III is equipped with an eight-person liferaft, extensive first aid supplies, INMARSAT-C and Iridium worldwide satellite communication system, 3 EPIRB's (emergency radios), radar, sextant, 4 global position systems, 4 VHF radios, marine SSB radio, weatherfax, Navtex, extensive instrumentation, 3 bilge pumps, automatic and manual fire extinguishers, float vests for each person, two manual and one electric watermakers and 265 gallons of water. Heat is provided by two independent forced air furnace. The tender is a rigid- bottom Avon R.I.B. 3.41 with 15 hp outboard.

Food aboard Mahina Tiare III is plentiful, healthy and interesting. Frequently, we supplement on board provisioning with fresh seafood including crab, mahi mahi, yellow fin tuna, lobster, clams and salmon. Everyone (including the skipper) takes turns in the galley. Bring a special recipe to add to our collection! Daily cleaning and continual maintenance, even on ocean passages, assures that Mahina Tiare III is always in first class condition.

Instructors/Expedition Leaders. . .

John & Amanda

John Neal was born on the banks of Sudan's Blue Nile River, but sailed away from Seattle on a 27' sloop to the South Pacific in 1974 at age 22, wrote Log of Mahina, a best seller, and has since sailed 257,000 miles. Since 1976, John's passion has been sharing his knowledge of ocean cruising to exotic locations. John has conducted 128 sail-training expeditions since 1990 in the South Pacific, Patagonia, Antarctica, Atlantic, Scandinavia and the Arctic aboard Mahina Tiare II & III. John's personal interests include kayaking, trail running, cycling, swimming, flying and studying history.

Amanda Swan Neal grew up in Auckland, New Zealand and sailed to Seattle as a teenager aboard a boat she helped her family build. Upon returning to New Zealand, she became a sailmaker and rigger, completing the Whitbread Around the World Race as rigger aboard Maiden, the first all-women Whitbread boat. Following the Whitbread, Amanda continued as an international sailor, logging 215,000 miles including two Sydney-Hobart Races and seven Cape Horn roundings. Amanda was involved in tall ship sail training in New Zealand for ten years prior to joining Mahina Tiare in 1994. She author of The Essential Galley Companion and enjoys introducing women to the joys of the cruising lifestyle. Amanda's personal interests include photography, Celtic step dancing, triathlon training and sewing.

Amanda writes the monthly "Galley Essentials" article for 48 North magazine and both John and Amanda write for Cruising World, Blue Water Sailing and Latitude 38. Amanda holds New Zealand Commercial Launchmaster and Ocean Yachtmaster licenses and John holds a USCG masters license.

Annually Amanda and John present seminars at three major boat shows as well as conducting several Offshore Cruising Seminars preparing sailors for safe, self-sufficient voyaging worldwide on their own boats.

When not at sea, John and Amanda live on San Juan Island, Washington.

Selection Process . . .

Mahina Expeditions attracts highly motivated sailors wanting to gain skill and experience and are attracted to our unique, documented hands-on approach to seamanship and sail-training. Our goal is to form crews that work well together and are able to sail Mahina Tiare safely in all weather conditions. Applicants are selected on the basis of attitude, evidence of interest in sailing, navigation and offshore cruising, additional skills (such as medical, language, mechanical, culinary, etc.), physical fitness and a willingness to participate fully in all aspects of shipboard life.

Successful applicants must have at least intermediate sailing skills. If you don't have intermediate sailing skills or need a refresher sailing course, we highly recommend Offshore Sailing Schools Fast Track to Cruising Program. Details are available on their website at: www.offshore-sailing.com If you have questions regarding your present skill level, please contact us before applying. Past experience has shown us that expedition members who have attended our Mahina Offshore Cruising Seminar are substantially better prepared for offshore sailing. For this reason higher consideration is given to expedition applicants who are also registering for the seminar. Completing a coastal navigation course is a prerequisite for the expedition.

The best crews love to have fun together and enjoy sharing the adventure and discovery that are always a part of Mahina Tiare's voyages.

Impact . . .

Our goal is to have a positive impact upon the places we visit and the people we meet. We started bringing medical supplies and doctors to clinics in the South Pacific in 1974. Since 1992, we have provided text books, a photocopier and typewriter for a small school in Fiji plus school supplies for a small school in the San Blas Islands of Panama.

In 2000, 2001, and 2007 we have provided school supplies for the San Blas Island school in Panama. Your assistance is welcomed in providing reading glasses and school supplies during Leg 8, 2008. Leg 6, 2010 we hope to bring volunteer dentists to again conduct dental clinics for the small Namba people of Malekula, Vanuatu.

We provision with the least amount of plastic as possible as there are no possibilities for recycling in many of the places we visit.

Mahina Tiare has two holding tanks which we use when not offshore. Expedition members are asked not to collect shells, coral or sea life. We go to great lengths to avoid damaging coral when anchoring.

Physical Ability, Health & Safety. . .

Safe and enjoyable voyaging on Mahina Tiare depends on the entire crew working together in all situations, many of them strenuous and challenging. Prior physical conditioning and an enthusiastic mental attitude are a necessity. Ocean passage making is physically demanding and it is essential that everyone is capable of performing all tasks on board, including steering and working on deck in rugged conditions.

You need to be a person who exercises daily, enjoys outdoor activities, is comfortable in and on the water, and is in good physical and mental health will be an asset on board. If you are significantly overweight, do not lead a physically active life or have psychological problems including depression you will have difficulty at sea. This is not a macho adventures women are equal participants.

At sea we follow strict safety rules, including the wearing of harnesses by everyone while on deck, practice of the Lifesling man-overboard procedures and abstinence from alcohol. No smoking or illegal drugs aboard or ashore are allowed on the expeditions.

If you have questions or would like to apply for an expedition aboard Mahina Tiare . . .

Contact Mahina Expeditions, sailing@mahina.com P.O. Box 1596, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, (360) 378-6131, fax (360) 378-6331to see if there are berths available on the passage you would like to sail, and to request an application form. You may also click here (www.mahina.com/sailingsched2.html) to obtain berth availability and information, or to apply online by clicking here to download the application as a Word Document and here as an Adobe PDF. To view current and past expedition log entries, click here.

We would like to meet you before acceptance, if possible, and strongly recommend that you attend our Mahina Offshore Cruising Seminar and review past expedition log entries.

Payment schedule:

1. Mail in your application with a deposit check of US $500 noting your first and second choice for an expedition. Your deposit check will be returned promptly if the expeditions you requested are full or your application is declined.

2. If you are accepted, your second deposit, bringing the deposit total to 50% of the expedition cost will be due 15 days after the date on your acceptance letter or by January 1st of the calendar year of your expedition, whichever date is later.

3. The final payment (50% of total) is due 150 days before the start of your expedition.

4. A $250 late fee is charged for payments received more than seven days late.

The cost of Mahina Tiare Sailing Expeditions includes: instruction, food, fuel, custom and port fees. It does not include your airfare, visas, departure taxes, personal expenses of any kind, or personal insurance of any kind. You're welcome to contact Michael Henrichs at Doug Fox Travel, 1-877-429-5787, email: Michael.henrichs@dougfoxtravel.com, who can provide you with the least expensive and most efficient air travel arrangements.

Please make all checks payable to Mahina Expeditions.

Cancellation Policy: Full refund less $500 non-refundable and non-transferrable deposit if we receive written notification more than 150 days prior to departure, providing that we are able to re-book your berth(s). Within 150 days prior to departure, no refund, credit or transfer can be made for any reason including illness.

Travel and Trip Cancellation Insurance: We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and trip cancellation insurance and recommend .

Offshore Sail Training Objectives:

Safety Systems Checkout

- Locate and practice donning of life jackets. Selecting a safety harness.
- View liferaft video, practice launching liferaft.
- Location and inventory of survival packs (3), manual watermakers (2), EPIRB'S (3),
     handheld VHF marine and aircraft radios (6).
- Discussion of equipment list for assembling your own survival packs.
- Deployment and use of highlifelines vs. deck jacklines.
- Location and testing of three separate bilge pump systems and bilge high water
     alarm.
- Location of thru-hull fittings and attached wooden plugs. Discussion of maintenance.
- Location and use of emergency tiller.
- Use and test of propane alarm and solenoid; safe use of stove and oven, and appropriate spares.
- Location and inventory of Offshore Medical Sea-Pak. Discussion of prevention and treatment of medical problems common to cruisers in tropical and isolated waters.

Boat Systems Checkout

- Use and maintenance of electric watermakers.
- Survey of battery charging and monitoring systems. Discussion of alternative power
     options.
- Use, cleaning and maintenance of marine heads.
- Use, maintenance and servicing a marine diesel engine and outboard engine.
- Spare parts: engine, outboard, electrical, refrigeration. What you should carry on your boat.
- Provisioning in foreign ports and stowage of food goods. Meal planning and cooking underway.

On Deck Procedures

- Steering by compass and stars during night watch.
- Raising, reefing and stowing mainsail including use of lazy jacks, rigid vang and
     preventer.
- Use of a furling and reefable headsail.
- Demonstrate points of sail and sail trim.
- Pre-departure, pre-passage and daily rigging checks including chafe prevention.
- Working safely aloft. Each person may go aloft at anchor or in port with a safety line
     attached.
- Location of spare rigging and fittings. Emergency rigging repair procedures.
- Sail repair: sewing sailcloth. - Use of palm and needle and sewing machine.
- Dismantle, service and reassemble one and two speed winches.
- Demonstrate properly belaying a line to a cleat, coiling short and long lines, bowline,
     reef knot, slippery hitch and figure eight knots.
- Splicing three-strand nylon line and dacron yacht braid. Installing a soft eye on yacht braid line.

Storm Sailing Techniques

- Rig storm staysail, running backstays, storm trysail.
- Practice heaving to, deploy tow warps astern.
- Deployment of Galerider drogue and discussion of Para-Tech sea anchor.
- Discuss Queen's Birthday Storm results and most effective storm management techniques for different hull designs and sea conditions.
- Preparation for storm conditions: locate storm sails, check bilge and pumps, clear decks and cockpit, charge batteries, preparation of easy meals, catch up on sleep.

Meteorology

- Sources of marine weather: VHF, SSB, Navtex, GRIBfiles, INMARSAT-C, PMO's, airports.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and explain the features of: high pressure, low pressure, warm fronts, cold fronts, occluded fronts, stationary fronts, convergence zones, ridges, troughs.
- Overall cruise planning: cyclone seasons, use of Pilot Charts, World Cruising Routes.
- Locating weatherfax frequencies worldwide.
- Programming Furuno dedicated weather facsimile receiver.
- Effect of El Nino and La Nina on tropical cruising areas.
- Overall prevailing world weather systems and predicting and gauging surface current and drift.

Navigation

- Chart selection and organization. Selecting best nationality of chart to cover a specific area.
- Use of BA and US Chart #1, Sailing Directions, Light List, Cruising Guides.
- Determining course, distance, VMG and ETA.
- Coastal Navigation: plotting course and determining dead reckoning position, depths, dangers, currents and obstructions. Use of several types of hand bearing compasses.
- Celestial Navigation: Use and calibration of a sextant, shooting, reducing and plotting a LAN and LOP.
- Use of Nautical Almanac, HO 229, constructing and plotting on a universal plotting sheet.
- Electronic Navigation: Use of three GPS units, discussion of accuracy of charts relative to GPS positions.
- Use of radar for collision avoidance, landfall and squall avoidance.

Communication

- Use of VHF and SSB radios for communication and distress.
- Programming and use of INMARSAT-C satellite communication system.
- Discussion of various communication options for long distance cruisers.
- Dealing with officialdom in foreign ports: health, customs, immigration, port authorities.

Anchoring

- Selecting best type of anchor and rode for varying conditions.
- Calculating scope and diameter of swing.
- Identifying best location for least contact with coral or rocks.
- Setting a second bow anchor.
- Safe use of electric windlass, use of manual back-up feature.
- Marking and stowing chain and use of a chain snubber.

Mahina Tiare Expeditions
P.O. BOX 1596, FRIDAY HARBOR, WA. USA 98250
PHONE (360) 378-6131 FAX (360) 378-6331

Expedition Application
Mahina Expeditions Sea Bag List for Temperate Legs
Mahina Expeditions Sea Bag List for Tropical Legs
The Challenges of Seasickness
Communications Form
Reading List
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