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.