About the Boat... Ta Mana, a Trisbal 36, launched in 1981 at a boat yard in a coastal town in Normandy, France, is a shallow draft cruising boat. What sets her apart from the majority of today's sailboats is the building material used - aluminum -, and her shallow draft of 3-1/2' with her centerboard up. There is also a secondary smaller board before the rudder for better upwind sailing. The wide beam of 12-1/4' contributes to her remarkable stability. Going upwind, with her boards down and proper trim, she can be sailed hands off. The boat yard that built her measured her weight at 8-1/2 tons. Loaded for cruising might put her weight God knows where. The tank capacity for fuel is 100 gal. and 150 gal for water. The boat has traveled quite a bit. The first owner sailed her from France to the Caribbean, then through the Panama Canal to Tahiti, back to Hawaii and finally to San Francisco. That's where I became the new owner. Over the years she and I participated in four of the Pacific Cup races from San Francisco to Kaneohe on the island of Oahu. Encountering various weather conditions on these voyages instilled in me a great trust in my vessel. I hope there will be more adventures ahead. After all, Ta Mana means "Follow the sun to the west" (Egyptian according to the first owner), or as per my Samoan friends: "Power of the Spirit".