We had a Manta Mini-Migration party today at Sunset Bay Marina. The plan was to take our old Manta friends out for an afternoon cruise aboard Roam, but about the time the crews started showing one of those famous Florida afternoon thunderstorms flared up and we decided to stay at the dock, have a couple of cocktails, and enjoy the company of great friends.
Manta Catamarans built 127 sailing cats before they went out of business. Manta is a highly sought after cruising catamaran – the owners are proud of their boats and love to share experiences, ideas, and problems with fellow Manta Owners. We loved owning a Manta and we loved meeting up with other Manta owners when ever we sailed in to an anchorage and noticed a Manta anchored.
One of the things that got me excited about Nordhavns, when we started looking at trawlers was the special camaraderie that Nordhavn owners feel for each other, much the same as we experienced during our time as Manta Owners. Love it!
Aboard Roam on Memorial Day were
- Scott Ligon (Manta 42 – Sangaris) (Admiral Tina was back in Annapolis MD dealing with a serious leak in their condo :(.
- Mark and Michele Cole (Manta 40+ Reach)
- Mike and Cheryl Lezovich (Manta 40)
- Royce and Jennifer Johnson (Manta 42 – and the last Manta built!)
Rum was flowing until the wee hours of the morning (ok, until around 9:30 PM, but hey, we started early).
I’m not sure we convinced any of our sailing friends to come over to the dark side with us, but they were kind and didn’t make too many “Old Cruisers” jokes at our expense. I will say though, that at the end of the night, it was nice to settle in for the night in our spacious, well appointed Roam!
