Monday, June 04, 2012

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.


10 comments:

Edward said...

Looks like a great time!!! But Scott please don't tease with Tiki 30 Mahiya. In the one pic she looks beautiful. Please post more high res pics of her or please email them to me. I'm trying to stay baseline, but you never know when a brilliant idea may NEED to be added to a build:)
Ed
PS I took you advice and am using the Beckson access plates. Thanks for your input.

RogerX said...

Scott only you post Rendevuzs photos, have some more? And David no photos?

I want know more about this meting, May I do one in Brazil april next year.

Scott B. Williams said...

Ed, I do have lots more photos of Mahiya. I will try to get them posted to a Picasa web album - too many to put on here.

Roger, Lots more photos. I will try to post them to a separate web album as I told Ed. Email me with any questions you have about the rendezvous. Good idea to do one in Brazil.

Scott

Jeff Goff said...

Love that orange cat. Do you have any idea what type of paint they used? I'm trying out several types of paint in the next few weeks to have a 1 year outdoor test at least prior to painting my VARDO. Including some DIY KiwiGrip.

Will hopefully be down at the Hui next year on Hans Boortman's Woods Saturn he is building in Punta Gorda. Is the former owner/ builder of a Tiki38 and is friends of Dan.

Scott B. Williams said...

Jeff,

I love that color too. Not sure what he used but I can put you in touch with the owner if you send me an email. He keeps it somewhere on the southwest coast of FL.

I would like to see your Vardo sometime. Any pics or a blog detailing the build?

Scott

Last Paradise said...

Scott, my email is mummservice@yahoo.com

The build blog is sailingcatamarans.blogspot.com

I started just before christmas and worked full time till the end of march. Just got going again part-time last week and will start the second hull full-time later in August.

Omar M. Rashash said...

Looks like my Wood Duck kayak snuck into one of your pictures.

Omar

Scott B. Williams said...

It did. Makes a nice foreground, doesn't it?

Omar M. Rashash said...

Yes it does and I appreciate that. Most of my boatbuilding projects are intended to be preparation for the next boat. The Wood Duck for the Hitia 17, the Hitia for a Tiki 30. However, they can also be instructive. Specifically, after stripping the deck of the Wood Duck in Sapele, I'm NOT going to build the Hitia decks from strips.

While it is nice to be able to work to a high standard my wife likes to point out, sometimes it's more important to get the boat built rather than have an art object in the shop. I usually counter with the comment that plumb, level, and square doesn't cost any more to do than crooked, but it does take care.

Scott B. Williams said...

It really is an outstanding kayak. Photos do not do it justice.