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Welcome to the new Cruising on Mantra Website
The catamaran Mantra was sold after circumnavigating westabout round the world. I then bought a displacement motor yacht, renamed her MANTRA and have very nearly completed the process of adapting this website for the new Mantra.
Any photos which show the M.Y. "Mantra" with a green hull are old. Mantra has been repainted and now has a yellow hull. I have adapted & updated nearly all the website. What remains to be done is the Mantra Operating Manual, past history of where I’ve cruised, new Full Specification, replacing the Video and adding more photos as well as replacing those photos which are of Mantra before I refurbished and repainted her. I face some technical challenges in getting the photo albums right, in replacing photos in the body of the website and other things which require better computer skills than I have.
The purpose of the site:
To provide information for people who might be interested in joining me cruising on Mantra To provide a means for friends and potential future crew to keep up to date with where I am, what I'm doing and what my plans are. To answer the most frequently asked questions.
Using the Website:
To navigate around the site, click on the buttons which are at the top left of the first page of each section.
IMMEDIATE PLANS / SUMMARY
I am spending the winter in Cyprus aboard Mantra. My plan is to set off around 12th June, 2008 to cruise Turkey and some of the Greek Aegean. Sometime we will also be antifouling and getting some ashore jobs on Mantra done. In the autumn, I’m thinking of returning to Larnaca to winter again in Cyprus, but who knows.
I am looking for a third person to join me for all of that (preferably). I had two people lined up but one has had to drop out due to family sickness. He not only had sailing experience but was of particular interest to me as he also was skilled in (and interested in) the boat maintenance, technical, engineering aspects of cruising. It is those skills and interests that I would like to replace. I am better at being the helper to an engineer / mechanic / shipwright than at trying to do those things myself. Therefore I’m looking at present for someone who knows more than me about engines, electrics, etc and who enjoys those aspects of cruising as well as enjoying the social, travel, etc sides of cruising. The person who has had to drop out also enjoyed cooking, but the lady who is joining in June also enjoys cooking as well as having a lot of experience of cruising under sail.
I am putting miles on Mantra (around 5,000 so far) as an enjoyable extended set of sea trials so that I can really find out what more should be fixed / changed / added, so as to continue improving her until she is fully as I would like her to be. During 2007, Mantra has been repositioned successfully from Portsmouth to Cyprus via Guernsey / Gibraltar / Malta and has also cruised from Cyprus to the Greek Aegean islands, on to Athens, through the Corinth Canal to the Greek Ionian islands, visited Italy, revisited Malta and come back to Cyprus again.
I am looking for crew who love cruising on yachts and pottering about on boats, who enjoy adventure and the romance of new places, and who are capable of keeping watch conscientiously, enjoy cooking, are fit, are agreeable and who will participate in ongoing work on the boat. Additional skills would be a bonus. Of particular interest are skills with engines, electronics, electrics, computers and cooking. Someone who knows more than me and can help me with maintenance would be great. Crew must be nonsmokers who don’t get sea sick and whose ego does not inhibit them from asking when they don't know or are unsure. Another important requirement is freedom from time constraints which might cause problems if we were delayed. We would share day to day expenses such as food & consumables, marina charges, mooring fees, etc. I would not expect any contribution towards the cost of diesel fuel, nor towards the costs of maintaining Mantra. While in Turkey and the Aegean we would be likely to try to eat our evening meal ashore at tavernas.
I am prepared to take a beginner to yachting who has a strong desire to learn and who is willing to dose with anti-seasickness stuff until sure of being free from seasickness; but I do particularly want someone with an interest in the boat maintenance aspects of cruising. I would prefer someone whose mother tongue is English, but I would be prepared to take someone otherwise particularly suitable who either has good English or wants to improve their English.
I have a lot of cruising experience (see PM Sailing Experience in the Section called "Ship's Company") but I am always learning.
MANTRA (ex-Strobarli) is very well equipped, including paravane stabilisers, comprehensive electronics, a get-one-home wing engine and sails. I bought her in 2006 and have considerably upgraded her. She is a Cygnus displacement motor yacht. Maximum speed is 8 knots. Cruising speed is from 4 to 7 knots. Safe range should be well over 3000 miles. Mantra has a steadying mizzen sail and also has twin running / reaching foresails.
On this "nearly completed'' website you should find answers to most of your questions. Unfortunately, most of the pictures are of MANTRA as she was (= green hull) rather than as she is now (= yellow hull). Also unfortunately, the current photos do not do justice to her lovely interior, nor do they show the new electronics. I have included on this website the Yacht Broker's specification which originally aroused my interest.
The best methods for communicating with me are email to paulonmantra@yahoo.com or by phone or SMS text message. Whilst in Cyprus and in Greek waters my phone number is (00 357) 99 647 619 and for those who have Skype (Voice Over Internet Protocol) my Skype name is: paulonmantra.
The website is organised as follows:
You can click on any of the yellow headings above instead of going back up to the buttons at the top left.
Thank you for visiting my Website
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