A Few Photos from the Florida Rendezvous

I wouldn't have missed the 2012 Spring Wharram Rendezvous in Islamorada, Florida this year for anything. This was the best one yet, as James Wharram and Hanneke Boon were there to answer questions, talk about the Wharram cats in attendance, and sign copies of their design book and Two Girls, Two Catamarans.  Their visit was made possible by David Halladay, of Boatsmith, who hosted their trip to Florida and gave them a tour of his new shop as well as a day of sailing on one of the Tiki 8-Meter cats he built for a charter operation in Marco Island.  The rendezvous itself, of course, was put together once again by Tangaroa Mark IV owner and Islamorada resident, Dan Kunz, who works tirelessly to make these events the best they can be.

I won't do a full report of the rendezvous here, as I just completed an article for Southwinds magazine that will run in the July issue.  When it is published I will post the link here.  But I did want to share a few photos for those of you who couldn't be there.

This was the scene on the beach at the Lorelei Restaurant, where there were four cruising Wharram cats pulled right up the the shore, from left to right: Tiki 30, Tiki 26, Tanenui, and Tiki 31.

Two schooner-rigged Wharrams: Vince Cameron's Tanenui to the left and Thom delForge's Tiki 31.  I was excited to examine these boats up close, as the Tanenui and Tiki 31 are two Wharram designs I had never seen in person before.

Both of them were really beautiful boats:

There was also an exceptional Tiki 30 present: Ray Barkley's Mahiya, which he built in the Philippines at Andy Smith's yard.  This boat had lots of really nice touches that could be incorporated into other designs such as the Tiki 26.  I took lots of close-up photos of some of the more interesting details, but here is a shot showing how well-appointed this vessel is:

Shown here in front of Ray's boat is Gene Perry's Tiki 26 Inseparable. Gene, who sailed down from Hobe Sound at the age of 87, is a truly inspirational Wharram sailor.  He is without doubt James Wharram's biggest fan and supporter in Florida, having been an enthusiast since he built the first Tiki 21 in the U.S. right after the design won a Cruising World magazine award in 1982.

Gene was clearly having a great weekend hanging out with James Wharram:

I signed a few of my own books as one of the speaking authors on Saturday afternoon, but for me the highlight of the evening was getting new copies of both The Wharram Design Book and Two Girls, Two Catamarans, and having them signed by James Wharram and Hanneke Boon.

Below is the rendezvous organizer, Islamorada resident, Dan Kunz, with Hanneke Boon and James Wharram:

I first met James and Hanneke the Thursday afternoon before the rendezvous, at David Halladay's new shop, where he hosted a grand opening party that evening.  The most interesting project he has going at the moment is the construction of the first foam-core fiberglass composite Ariki 47, an improved version of the classic Ariki.  James and Hanneke were inspecting the work and pointing out small nuances of the design that make their hulls so functional.

This Ariki is a big boat.  Here David is showing James and Hanneke the galley mock-up.  The owner will complete the boat after the Boatsmith crew gets it to a certain point.  But I spoke with David earlier today and he told me they just started on the second Ariki they've contracted to build for another customer.  He's certainly got the space to do it in the new shop.