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CRUISING PLANS Mantra is currently at Larnaca Marina, Cyprus for the 2010 winter. I’m planing to set off cruising again on 3rd July, 2010. As you will have seen from the Immediate Plans Summary I am planning to spend the 2010 season cruising from Cyprus to France. Exact route is up for discussion. It is likely to be via Greek Aegean islands, the Corinth Canal, Gulfs of Corinth and of Patras, Greek Ionian islands, the south of Italy, Malta, Sardinia, Corsica, the south of France to Port St. Louis du Rhone / Port Napoleon where we would lower the mast and prepare for the canals. Then into the River Rhone and up the Rhone and the Saone to wherever we are going to enter one of the canal routes. I am currently researching places to spend the winter and would like to pre-book a winter berth.
Scenarios for 2011 onwards At present I am thinking in terms of continuing along the canals to Paris and then down the River Seine and crossing the Channel so as to get to England where I think I will look for a shore base and where I will put Mantra seriously up for sale. Again, I would discuss precise route with whoever is cruising with me. Whether I’ll buy another boat remains to be seen. If I were to buy another boat it would be one particularly for the inland waterways of Europe and some coastal cruising Watch this space! I have not yet succeeded in doing the uploading of details of the areas sailed previously, but sometime I hope to do so.
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SHIPS COMPANY Normally the ship’s company would be me and one other. Sometimes we would have friends join for a visit. Sometimes, there could be a third person, or more, but that would be unusual. I am English and retired and have lots of sailing experience but consider that I am still learning. I have been a full time live-aboard since 1991. For more details of my sailing experience, see below. I was born in Egypt to an English Yorkshire father and an English London Irish mother who were both teachers. I am grateful to them for forcing on me the benefits of a good education. I speak very good French and good, though now rusty, Arabic. I have a facility for languages and can nearly get by in Italian and have a few words in some other languages. I am fit and in very good health. I am 5’ 9” / 1.75 metres tall and weigh 165 lbs / 75 kilos. Hair was blond, now silver grey. Eyes are still blue and not at all bloodshot; nor do I have a beer belly. I am happy. I am content with who I am, with what I am and with what I have. I am generally relaxed, cool, and am becoming more philosophical and more tolerant. I have the normal Virgo traits, some of which can be annoying to other people! I tend to view things positively. I am endowed with a well developed sense of humour. I like comfort. I enjoy life and I intend to continue enjoying life. I am happily separated and a non acrimonious divorce is in process. I enjoy people, socialising, sunshine, food, female company, travel to new places and revisiting previous places, window shopping, learning new things of interest, eating out, happy hours and sitting at outdoor cafe’s watching the world go by. I am more into planning and making lists than actually doing work! But I do bestir myself when needed. I enjoy living on a boat (despite the nuisance of maintenance & repairs and the difficulties in finding useful tradesmen) and I much enjoy the cruising lifestyle. I am a good conversationalist and am also a good listener. I enjoy it all a lot more when I have compatible companionship. If I need to, I can handle Mantra quite happily on my own but, particularly when overnight passages are involved, I look for people to join me. Mantra can handle one or two people on their own or one or two couples. At a pinch Mantra could manage yet another person (sharing or in the dinette), but I would need to have significant reason for so doing. Ideal complement is a total of two (or three) people. For most of my earlier circumnavigation the ship's complement was just two of us. What I look for in people who join me is given in detail under Crew Specification. To go there, click on its button on the left. The photo below is Kathy and me taking the catamaran Mantra into Valetta Grand Harbour, Malta in December 1995. Kathy was with me for most of my circumnavigation but is now too busy with other things and also doesn’t like engines.
Sailing Experience Click on link below for details of my sailing experience:
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