Mana 24 is becoming a reality

Home News Mana 24 is becoming a reality
By James Wharram

At last my little dreamboat, the Mana 24 (actually 23’6” hull length), is coming into being. I can go out into our workshop and see and touch the first hull.

Sixty years ago I was sailing along the South coast of Britain on my first 23’6” catamaran, the Tangaroa (see my book ‘Two Girls Two Catamarans’), sailing to Falmouth to begin the first successful offshore catamaran voyage across the Bay of Biscay, later extended to become the first successful voyage across the Southern Atlantic by catamaran. I called her a double canoe, as the word catamaran was not yet in usage for such a boat.

James and Hanneke inspecting a boat hull in a workshop
James and Hanneke inspecting the first Mana hull

My first Tangaroa of sixty years ago was built of sawn planks, nails and waterproof glue and looked very crude to my present day vision. Time has moved on, sixty years later the Mana 24 is assembled from a precise kit of CNC cut plywood parts, epoxy and glass cloth, giving her a flowing power and grace to meet the seas.

Hanneke thinks the Mana can be finished by the beginning of October for celebrating Tangaroa’s departure from Falmouth on her pioneering voyage. I have my doubts, but the first hull of Mana is beautiful, I see it as my legacy for the dreamers of today, dreamers like I was 60 years ago.

Black and white photo of James sitting on catamaran
James Wharram with Tangaroa in 1953