Ocean Cruising Adventures Series - A Passion for Adventure: Mopelia to Sallyhamna

Join John & Amanda as they sail the seven seas and share the thrills and spills of their lives under sail. With a combined 644,000 miles and 79 years of voyaging experience Amanda and John prove they are addicted to adventure under sail – starting with the Whitbread Around the World Race for Amanda and for John, sailing away to the South Pacific at age 22 and falling in love at nearly every island.

Along the way you’ll meet Hina, queen of a remote island paradise who will instantly invite you to a lobster feast on a moonlit beach under rustling coconut palms. Discover the hidden treasure of a tiny fair isle when a ripped sail forces them ashore for repairs and learn from their mistakes after a hard grounding leaves them stranded in an icebound archipelago 500 miles from the North Pole.

Not to be missed are countless other tales of adventure including their first date, sailing from Cape Horn to Antarctica and their insights on keeping a relationship on an even keel.

About The Speakers

John Neal was born on the banks of Africa’s Blue Nile River. At the age of 22 his love of adventure and travel fueled a desire to sail to the South Pacific from Seattle aboard his 27′ Vega sloop.  John has conducted 171 sail-training expeditions aboard his Hallbery-Rassy 42, Mahina Tiare II & his Hallberg-Rassy 46, Mahina Tiare III, sailing 342,000 miles in the South Pacific, Caribbean, Patagonia, Antarctica, Atlantic, Scandinavia and the Arctic. John and has rounded Cape Horn six times under sail and holds a USCG 100 ton Master’s License. John established Mahina Expeditions with the goal of sharing his knowledge of ocean voyaging in a safe and supportive environment.

Amanda Swan Neal grew up in Auckland, New Zealand and sailed to Sausalito, Seattle and Vancouver as a teenager aboard a 38’ sloop she helped her parents build. Upon returning to New Zealand, she became a sailmaker for Hoods and transferred professions to rigging with Noake’s Rigging in Sydney, Australia then Southern Spars in NZ. In 1990 she completed The Whitbread Around the World Race (now The Volvo Race) as rigger aboard Maiden, the first all-women Whitbread boat. Amanda’s 300,000 miles of international sailing include two Sydney-Hobart Races, numerous international regattas and seven Cape Horn roundings intermixed with a ten year involvement in tall ship sail-training.