Latest News

New Earthquake - Tsunami Response form posted today. Click HERE to view.

STRICTLY SAIL PACIFIC, APRIL 15-17 IS OUR LAST BOAT SHOW OF THE SEASON!
We had very packed seminars in Chicago and Seattle, and are now preparing for Oakland. Click HERE for a list of the five FREE one-hour boat show seminars we will be presenting April 15 & 16, including Storm Survival, Offshore Voyage Preparation, Sailing from SF to NZ and more!

STILL SOME SPACES LEFT IN OUR APRIL 3 SEATTLE AND APRIL 17 OFFSHORE CRUISING SEMINARS.
Click HERE for outline and registration.

STILL SOME EXPEDITION BERTHS OPEN DURING OUR 2010 SAILING SEASON:
Currently these berths are available:
Leg 5 - 2010: Savusavu-Lautoka, Fiji - 4 berths available
Leg 6-2010: Fiji to Vanuatu - 4 berths available
Leg 7-2010: Port Vila, Vanuatu to Noumea, New Caledonia: 4 berths available
Leg 8 - 2010: Noumea, New Caledonia to Auckland, New Zealand: 3 berths available
If you have questions regarding which leg would best satisfy your learning goals, email us: sailing@mahina.com.

BUSY TIMES FOR BOAT PURCHASE CONSULTATION CLIENTS!
One couple of clients in Denmark have just closed on a handsome Najad 490 in Holland, a client in CA just closed on a very reasonable Oyster 485, two clients (East and West coasts) closed on Pretorien 35s, another just made an offer on a powerful Bristol 47 and yet another is making an offer on an IP 350 in Florida. Bev & Robbie, seminar grads and expedition grads just took delivery of their new Hylas 46 which we will get to see as it will be on display in Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show mid-April and clients in Seattle just closed on an Amphitrite 43.

Quality cruising boats aren't going for fire sale prices, but they are selling for substantially less than two years ago. Contact me at: sailing@mahina.com if you'd like to get started on finding the best possible cruising boat for your adventure before prices start edging up!

I'VE FOUND COOL NEW TEVA SANDALS FOR TROPICAL EXPEDITION MEMBERS!
Perfect for hiking, trail running and even for wearing on the plane, these Tevas eliminate the need to bring shoes with you on the expedition. Click HERE to see them. http://www.rei.com/product/781265

MAHINA TIARE SAFE AND SOUND IN THE BOATYARD FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF OUR 20TH YEAR OF SAIL-TRAINING EXPEDITIONS!
With an exciting end to Leg 6 including a surprise dinner with Lin and Larry Pardey and a 6:30 am breakfast hike to the summit of a volcanic island overlooking Auckland Harbour, we've completed our 20th and best ever year of expeditions. MT is on the hard and tomorrow afternoon we will fit her shiny new full-boat cover and hop on the big bird to fly home to San Juan Island. We can't wait to knock the spiders out of our kayaks and get back on the (cooler!) water of Roche Harbor!

THIS IS ONE OF OUR MANY REWARDS FOR LEADING SAIL-TRAINING EXPEDITIONS...
what greater reward is there than helping our expedition members gather the tools, knowledge and experience to realize their own dreams of ocean cruising? Linda and Brad joined us about five years ago for the passage from Noumea to Auckland and now they sold up and sailed here on their own boat! Click here for the full story.

CONSULTATION CLIENTS SAILING THEIR DREAM BOAT IN SYDNEY, AUSTRAILIA, click for the full story.

MUSKET COVE, MALOLOLAILAI ISLAND, FIJI: A CRUISER'S PARADISE!
We're smiling now! Musket Cove has always been one of our favorite cruising stops, so much so that we chose to get married on the beach here 11 years ago.

Here's the scoop: There is no charge to anchor off and use the facilities of the small island resort started about 30 years ago by Dick and Carole Smith, boaties from Australia who purchased the entire island. There is a dinghy dock, showers, a small store, a couple restaurants, two pools, a dive shop and fuel dock. Moorings are available for $8 Fijian (about $4.50 US) and there is room for 30 boats in a little dredged marina.

The really fun part is that next to the dinghy dock on a tiny little island is the Two Dollar Bar, and there cruisers find TEN barbecue  places with free firewood and free use of plates, utensils and condiments. If you didn't catch a fish you can buy a steak, chicken or saucies from the store, already packed ready for barbecuing. Friday night was salad night, and for $6 Fijian you could pick up a choice of salads, plus a pre-cooked, foil-wrapped, ready for the barbecue potato. The place was jammin' - lots of music and tons of cruisers as the Island Cruising Regatta would be setting sail with 15 boats the next morning. We met cruisers of many nationalities, and nearly everyone we spoke with said they planned to sail back to Fiji after cyclone season to enjoy some more great cruising.

OFFSHORE CRUISING SEMINAR REGISTRATION ARE UP!
Brindy, owner of Armchair Sailor Bookstore in Seattle who handles our seminar registration says that they have been rolling in for all three seminars: Chicago: Jan. 30, Seattle: April 3, and Oakland: April 17. Most of our 135 seminars to date have sold out, so don't be afraid to register early! The Chicago and Oakland seminars are held during Strictly Sail Boat Shows and include a free one day admission to the show.

BOAT SELECTION CONSULATION GOES WORLDWIDE!
I am currently working with clients in several countries in Europe, Australia and Japan and every week or two, another client finds their ideal cruising boat. Several of this year's clients are already out cruising, and many more are setting off next year. If you'd like an unbiased, knowledgeable and honest evaluation of the many cruising boats available, I am ready to help you! Click on Boat Consultation on our homepage for more details.

AMANDA'S WHITBREAD 'ROUND THE WORLD RACE
Click here for a Youtube clip of Amanda's 1989-90 world circumnavigation as rigger aboard MAIDEN, the first all-woman Whitbread race boat.

NEW EXPEDITION SCHEDULES FOR 2011 & 2012 POSTED: ADVENTURE IS CALLING!
Check it out; we are headed to tiny Tikopia, a Polynesian outlier island north of Vanuatu, to Brisbane, Australia and to isolated and exotic Lord Howe Island, in the middle of the Tasman Sea. Each of these expedition destinations will be new to either one or both of us, and they are places we have been dreaming about sailing to for years!

THERE'S A NEW WEBSITE FOR WOMEN AND CRUISING
Amanda was recently interviewed for their latest Galley Article click here for her answers and galley advice.

PIRACY AND SECURITY
So many seminar attendees asked about what we have done to avoid any piracy or security issues aboard our boats over the past 35 years, that we have written a new page which will be in next year's Offshore Companion books and is now posted under Resources-Links-Piracy and includes links to the sites we use to determine WHERE NOT TO SAIL!

CLICK HERE FOR A RECENT INTERVIEW OF AMANADA AND JOHN ON www.threesheetsnw.com.

WHAT WOMEN REALLY WANT AND HOW THEY MAKE IT HAPPEN:
READ AMANDA'S NEW FOUR-PART SERIES PUBLISHED IN CRUISING WORLD, click here
MEET MICHAEL HENRICHS, MAHINA EXPEDITIONS DESIGNATED TRAVEL AGENT OF CHOICE
Michael is a sailor and manager of Doug Fox Travel North Seattle office which handles much of the international travel for University of Washington. Open six days a week, 8:30-6:00 weekdays, 10-3 Saturdays (Pacific time), Michael's toll free number is 1-877-429-5787 and his email address is: michael.henrichs@dougfoxtravel.com. He has traveled to many of the countries we sail to and we are working closely with him to ensure smoothest possible airline and hotel bookings for expedition members.

We don't receive compensation from travel agents, but we have found it helpful having a dedicated agent who understands our specific needs (expedition members must be in port of joining at least 24 hours early, and must not book return tickets before 2PM on final day of expedition). Many times Michael will offer a lower price than available on the internet by using a travel wholesaler. An additional advantage is if your airline changes your return ticket while you are aboard, Michael will alert us via email.

ANOTHER SATISFIED BOAT PURCHASE CONSULTATION CLIENT FINDS HIS DREAM BOAT!
Click here for the details!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR NEW NAUTICAL TERMINOLOGY TEST.
We welcome suggestions for additional terms to include on the test, and we invite expedition members to study this (the answers are in your Expedition Companion books sent out before you join us) in preparation for joining Mahina Tiare.

WE AREN'T LOOKING FOR EXPERT SAILORS, JUST INTERMIDIATE SAILORS WHO REALLY WANT TO GAIN OFFSHORE VOYAGING SKILLS!

Recently we've received emails from several people who didn't think they had enought experience to apply for an expedition, even though they have certainly had more than intermediate sailing skills.

THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAITS WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN AN APPLICANT ARE:

• the ability to get along well with others in challenging environments
  
• the willingness to give 100% in all situations
  
• the desire to learn everything possible about offshore sailing
  
• a personal committment to a healthy and active lifestyle
  

We find that if you are outgoing, enjoy making new friends and experiencing different cultures you will be a positive asset to our crew.

LINDA & MIKE DAWKINS, LEG 8, 2003 EXPEDITION MEMBERS ARE LIVING THEIR DREAM! read more!


MAHINA EXPEDITIONS GETS STRONG REVIEWS FROM A CORPORATE CONSULTANT/TEAM BUILDER!

Read the article here: http://www.etdalliance.com/wie_inaction.html?art=5"

CAN TESTING MAKE YOU A BETTER SAILOR?
We think it can increase retention of valuable skills and information, at the least. Our expedition tests started with a single page covering the following:

*Overboard Rescue (including individual hands-on demonstration)
*Abandon Ship Equipment (including physically inventorying each our our three containers)
*Liferaft Deployment (including a video and physically lifting our raft out of it's cradle on deck)
*Bilge Pumps: location, operations and alarms
*Hoisting the main, reefing (including individual time trials), dropping the main, shaking out a reef
*Wind speeds for reefing, upwind and downwind

The first test proved so successful at getting expedition members focused on learning and retaining key information we have added the following individual tests, each given the morning following the presentation of the subject:
Marine Weather (includes drawing different key weather symbols)
Diesel Engines (following our engine class and video)
Anchoring (includes drawing diagrams of each technique discussed)
Storm Tactics (includes hands-on deployment of warp and drogue as well as drawing each tactic discussed)
Sails and Rigging (includes utilizing our Pfaff 130 machine to make a sail repair)

MAHINA EXPEDITIONS REQUIRED BY TOP INSURANCE CARRIER FOR SOME CRUISERS APPLYING FOR OFFSHORE INSURANCE
Each of the major international insurance carriers (Lloyds, Pantaneius, Blue Water, IMIS) recognizes that completing one our our expeditions with intensive, focussed training makes you a much better risk,and we hear from previous expedition members of discounts as much as 40% on offshore insurance premiums. For the first time however, one of the very best insurers, Al Golden,owner of International Marine Services is specifically recommending Mahina Expeditions to clients with limited offshore experience who are hoping to be accepted into his very selective and most highly rated Jackline Insurance Program. Jackline is the first and only "A" rated US underwritten program that includes worldwide navigation for crews of two or more. www.IMIScorp.net.

CONCERNED ABOUT SEASICKNESS DURING HIGH SEAS EXPEDITIONS?
If so, click here for our latest addition, an overview of what really works for preventing and treating seasickness.

HOW TO ORDER AMANDA'S BOOK

"The Essential Galley Companion"
Recipes and Provisioning Advice For Your Boating Adventures


Whether you're a weekend boater or preparing for an extended voyage or perhaps traveling by RV, this book presents essential and concise information on:

- Stowage, food preparation and cooking in a small space
- Adaptable and versatile recipes for worldwide travel
- Delicious, healthy and easy-to-prepare meals
- Catching, preparing and cooking fish
- Cooking in heavy weather and preventing seasickness
- International medical and health concerns
- Avoiding disasters and frustration in the galley

Amanda has included over 375 recipes drawn from her 125,000 boating miles, experience as a professional chef and overland journeys in 50 countries. The Essential Galley Companion redefines the traditional concept of boating cuisine with an intriguing collection of 375 international recipes and galley advice interwoven with tales of personal adventure.

"The Essential Galley Companion is the most useful, authoritative and entertaining galley book published in a long time."
-Dan Spurr, editor, Practical Sailor

"Everything you could ever want to know about provisioning and cooking on a boat, a seagoing Joy of Cooking. The Essential Galley Companion will help you cut those dock lines and go cruising - for a week-end or a year."
-Steve and Linda Dashew, author of Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia

$29.95 plus tax
Credit cards or checks accepted

To order this book Call or fax us with your Credit Card number:
tel. 360-378-6131 · fax 360-378-6331
or send a check to: P.O. Box 1596 · Friday Harbor · WA 98250 USA
Or email us at : sailing@mahina.com