Typhoon
S/Y EFAKI is a Mirage 28 built in 1977 by Thames Marine (UK)

S/Y EFAKI is a member of the SNAPDRAGON & MIRAGE ASSOCIATION

S/Y EFAKI is a member of the Piraeus Sailing Club (I.O.P.)

Typhoon is a Mirage 28 MK 1 identical to Efaki. Almost of the same age, it came in Greece as part of a flotilla. After serving as a charter boat for several years, it was sold to private owners. Stelios and Lambros Nakis were the owners of Typhoon until last year that they sold it for a bigger and sportier boat. Typhoon has still her permanent mooring in the Piraeus Sailing Club near Efaki. I have met once with the new owner but he is in a similar state of life as such as I am (i.e. busy work schedules, newborn child, etc.) that have not permitted us a closer relationship.

While Typhoon was still at the hands of Stelios and Lambros Nakis we used to race at local regattas. Typhoon was always better in results than Efaki since it had newer and better sails and a more competitive crew !! Now let's see some similarities - differences between the two boats:

The side windows are changes too but a different approach has been followed. Aluminum frames hold Plexiglas pieces cut suited to each of the three windows in both sides. In order the boat not to loose her distinctive shape, the superstructure is painted blue.

Some of the mast lines are lead back to cockpit (but not the halyards which are external on the mast). The original furling gear on the forestay has been removed and all the sails (I remember there are a lot of them) are of the classic hoisting type.

I have always liked the teak-grating floor on the cockpit of Typhoon. In the starboard side of the cockpit you may notice the two lever remote controls of the engine. The original 8 Hp Yanmar YSE 8 engine is still there but I heard from my mechanic that the new owner is seriously thinking of installing a new engine possibly a reconditioned Yanmar 2Gm20F.

In the stern you may notice the backstay arrangement that helps trimming. Also you may notice the external ventilators and the adjustable outboard base. This is retractable and was installed by the previous owners when they had problems of reliability of the engine and used a 25Hp outboard they had handy.

The mast is the original of the boat although it has a snap just bellow the cross of the spreaders. It was snapped as my friend Lambros shortened the spreaders in an effort to get a better angle against the wind (although I did tell him that was not a right thing to do and finally resulted in the snap very soon afterwards). The repair was achieved by inserting and riveting four tubes of a forestay reefing gear that they just feet the inside of the mast and probably made it even stronger although there is more weight up the mast. And yes after the snapping he did change the spreaders to their original dimensions. On the right picture you may see the roller that is used for the stern kedge that is so often used in the Mediterranean.

I hope to meet the new owner soon so as to take some pictures of the inside of Typhoon and also to ask some details on the data of the boat.

This page was last updated October 6th 2003.

Update July 12th 2005

I have met with Stratos the new owner of Typhoon several times. Stratos slowly but steadily is updating Typhoon. This is his last addition to the boat, a stern platform to facilitate stern mooring and swimming. Stratos has the original Yanmar YSE 8 totaly build up (he did it himself), the boat rewired and re-plumbed and also put portholes in the place of the Plexiglas windows (I have to take a picture of that to put here).