Despite growing up on the shores of Lake Taupo, New Zealand, sailing did not come naturally to this self confessed bookworm!Ask anyone who knew Mahina growing up and they will tell you that sports, adventure and anything outdoorsy were not her style. You could always find her snuggled up somewhere cosy with a book, either reading it or writing in it. In her younger years she would often be found chatting away to her dolls and teddy's, teaching them new things that she had written up for them on her blackboard. The first words that appear in her Plunket book were "a very sociable baby". She smiled at people from the moment she appeared in this world.One of her first paid roles in high school was to look after Taylor, a young girl with cerebral palsy who lived a few doors down. Getting up at 6am to feed her and returning there after a full day at school, Mahina would also work longer hours during the holidays to help out Taylor and her family.She loved taking care of children and forewent university to live in the south of France as an au pair, a role which combined her love of children with her love of travel.Back in NZ, sailing took her by surprise. Initially interested in sailing as a way to spend time with a certain boy, the more she got involved in racing, the more she came to love it. Being raised to believe that she could achieve anything, she persevered despite feeling like she would never get this sailing thing!When the opportunity to work in the Caribbean on sailing boats presented itself to her, she was terrified. It was so far outside of her comfort zone, and at least it was role that dealt with teenagers. Teenagers she knew. Little did she know that sailing in the Caribbean with ten teenagers on board would end up being the turning point in her life. Having now sailed in the Caribbean, Australia and China, she is currently based in Split, Croatia offering customised seven-day sailing vacations in the Dalmatian Island with her husband.