After researching what a True North 34 sailboat was, the next step was to attempt to verify the validity of the for-sale listing. The reason for this scrutiny is many boat owners we had met previously had warned us about numerous irregularities with boats for sale, title issues, fake ownership, and untrustworthy foreigners - apparently this is a common problem in south east Asia.
Indra's advertisement stated, "Australian Registration Official Number: 858927". A query on the Australian Maritime Safety Authority List of Registered Ships yielded the following positive confirmation information that matched the for sale advertisement.
A internet searched yielded another for sale advertisement for Indra at website http://yachtvalhalla.net/forsale/indra.htm. The pictures included with this additional for sale advertisement are not included below, as they are the same as the pictures on the original Tasmania Boat Sales listing. The listing below also provided the identification of the owner's name, Margie Jesson.
Rearches on the internet using variations of the owner and boat name provided some additional information. It confirmed that the for sale advertisement was initiated by Robert and Margie Jesson and the ownership of Indra was real and traceable. The following articles were found on the internet (no longer available) and provided ownership information and some history on Indra.
The for sale advertisement listed Indra's current location as "Oceanview Marina, Samal Island, Davao, Philippines". A search on the internet revealed the marina's name and location as Holiday Oceanview Marina, Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines and it use to have a detailed and informative website (http://www.holidayoceanviewmarina.com/) but no longer; it still has a Facebook page. It was concerning that the US Department of State Travel Warnings for the Philippines advised against all travel to almost all parts of Mindanao due to crime, terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest.
Based on the information gathered on the True North 34 sailboat design and review of numerous other owners pictures and descriptions we felt that Indra was a viable possibility for what we were looking for. The for-sale advertisement, ownership, and location all appeared to be for real and not a scam. After a family discussion and unanimous agreement, next step was to initiate contact and arrange a onsite look at Indra.
