Log of the Mahina: A Tale of the South Pacific

by John Neal

This is the story of a 14,000 mile cruise around the Pacific in a 27' sailboat.

Paperback

First published September 28, 1994

Reviews

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1974- 1975 John Neal sailed (& motored) to Hawai'i and then down to the Marquesas, Tuamotus, the Society Islands, the Southern Cooks and Samoa, then back up to Hawai'i, and his point of origin, Seattle. All this is a 27' sailboat, with (his preference), one interchangeable "pretty" female crew. Ah, male youth! Most of them dump him rather quickly . . . This is his edited ship's log book, from what he remembers. A few names have been changed.

He is very knowledgeable about sailing in general, before he leaves Seattle. Studying French or celestial navigation (better now that we have GPS) seem to be the only things missing from his studies; he is able to jury-rig nearly anything, including his broken rudder. He seems to be a "yahtie" who makes friends everywhere. There are suggestions in the back of the book from how to stow your gear to what kind of sails to buy & where to get them, and what brand of heater to get, in case anyone's interested. Oh yes, and who to get for a crew member.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Neal travels the South Pacific in his sailboat, making pudding and visiting Chinese restaurants in between mishaps, my favorite of which is his decision to jump off the boat with the only other passenger, while the boat, unanchored, has its sails up. The fact that he escaped death on that particular occasion leads me to believe that God must be watching him with a particularly close eye.

[Lucas]

nice