Since 1976, John has conducted over 106 Weekend Offshore Cruising Seminars for people considering or planning long-distance ocean cruising on their own sailboats. From 1990 to 1996 he operated Mahina Tiare II, a Hallberg-Rassy 42, as a sail training boat, conducting expeditions to Alaska, the South Pacific, Antarctica, Patagonia and rounding Cape Horn six times. Amanda Swan-Neal grew up cruising the Pacific with her family. Upon returning to Auckland she became New Zealand's first woman apprenticed sailmaker. Amanda's 137,000 ocean miles include a world circumnavigation as rigger aboard Maiden, the first all-women Whitbread race boat.
Additional experience includes woman's coaching, offshore racing and tall ship sail training.
She has instructed aboard Mahina Tiare II and III since June 1994 and is author of The Essential Galley Companion . Amanda's personal interests include swimming, photography, ballet and jazz dancing and sewing. Selection Process . Co-adventurers are selected from an application process. The goal is to form crews that work well together and are able to sail Mahina Tiare safely in all weather conditions.