Each month, BOAT catches up with superyacht owners exploring the far corners of the globe. This time, Mike Mahoney – owner of Alloy Yachts' 28.1-metre Tawera reflects on the camaraderie of the Cyclades Cup, cruising the Aegean with close friends, and why the key to stress-free yachting isn’t carbon sails or a top-spec boom – it’s a happy wife and a great crew.
Mike Mahoney
Yacht: Tawera
Length: 28.1m
Year: 1995
Location: Antiparos
How was your Cyclades Cup experience?
Amazing – the Cup’s just an excuse for us all to get together and have great camaraderie. That’s why we’ve come here – we love it.
What’s the best thing about the regatta?
Ilia and Mathios Rigas have created an atmosphere that is so friendly. We race as hard as we can, but the overriding attribute of this regatta is the friendship. The racing comes second to that.
Do you like to race with friends or import professional crew?
For this regatta we don’t import professional crew, but we do still set out to win and push the boat hard, which was probably best evidenced by the fact we broke our boom! A bearing broke, which in turn broke the mandrel. It’s very simple. The important thing is no one got hurt. It’s only a toy.
Where are you heading next?
We have some friends arriving in Milos in a couple of weeks, then from Milos we’re just going to drift east through the Cyclades and we’ll finish up in Kos. Hopefully we’ll leave the boat in Athens. Then we’ll come back (from New Zealand) in September and do another couple of weeks.
How’s Tawera running?
She’s a lovely old girl. We’ve owned her for 10 years. We do enjoy her and we’ve got a great crew – we’re like a family on the boat, and that’s what we love.
What is the secret to happy yacht ownership?
A happy wife. And having a good crew, keeping it safe and keeping it light.
First published in the August 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.
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