Born again: Spirit of Gaia Part 2
By the time Spirit of Gaia arrived in Greece in August 1998, she’d sailed some 32,000 miles around the world. It was one of the longest voyages made by a Wharram catamaran, and the longest by that particular design, a Pahi 63.
The voyage proved that co-designers James Wharram’s and Hanneke Boon’s concept of a ‘tribal boat’ wasn’t a pie-in-thesky fantasy but was capable of serious ocean passages and extended cruising with large numbers of people on board.
The trip had taken its toll however and, although the boat didn’t suffer any structural failure during the entire voyage, there was the inevitable wear and tear of spending so much time at sea. The sails in particular were shot, and the Wharrams regretted not having sail covers made to protect them from UV light when they were lowered. A new set was ordered in 1999 – this time with sail covers – and for the next few years they cruised around the Ionian, usually accompanied by an inexhaustible supply of volunteer crew.
This was followed by a five-year hiatus while James and Hanneke busied themselves with another project in the Pacific. For five years, Spirit of Gaia sat in Trizonia, an island in the Gulf of Corinth near Nafpaktos, gathering weed. When James and Hanneke eventually managed to refocus their attention on their beloved boat, it was clear she’d need a major overhaul to bring her back into shape. As the flagship of the Wharram fleet numbering several thousand boats, she deserved no less.
‘What was intended as a 12-month refit turned into a four-year restoration project’
By the time Hanneke and friends came to fetch in September 2012, there were strips of coral 4in long hanging from the boats’ bottom. After several days’ work scraping off the bottom and getting the two outboards working, they set sail for Messolonghi Marina where the
