This site was created on Facebook for all owners, builders, sailors and admirers of Wharram catamarans, who want to share information and experience about these incredible vessels.
The Wharram Network (WN) was created in 2022 to make it easier and more convenient for “Wharramistas” to participate in the unique “world of Wharram”. It is specifically designed for people located in or voyaging through South East Asia, Japan, Australia New Zealand, the Pacific Ocean and continental South America.
Initially WN is operating as a simple public group on Facebook, just like the other pre-existing, well-known groups there – Wharram Catamaran and Wharram Tike Catamarans. They concentrate on the needs of “Wharramistas” located in UK, Europe, around the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and North America extremely well. So WN will focus its coverage and activities outside those geographies.
WN is not competing with any of the Wharram groups on Facebook, the former Polynesian Cruising Association or the WharramBuilder archive-style discussion web site. There is no point competing with them because they have each carved out their own niche in the world of Wharram and serve their members/supporters well. Wharram Catamaran has 6,800 followers and Wharram Tiki Catamarans has 3,400 followers. Each of these groups address different parts of the owner, builder, crew and supporter base and they seem to happily co-exist, without any negative rivalry that I have seen in the past 3 – 5 years
But neither of these larger groups has many followers from southern Africa, South East Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand or in the Pacific Ocean. Maybe there are not so many Wharram vessels in those countries and regions. It could be a chicken and egg situation. Perhaps a new Wharram group focused on those areas could also indirectly stimulate interest from more locals to buy study plans or boat building plans from James Wharram Designs.
However, the greatest need I see for a more international group is the difficulty of finding commercial organisations, or generous private owners of Wharrams. One of the first things a potential new Wharramista asks is where can they see a Hitia 17, or compare the features of a Tiki 30 with a 2 masted Tiki 31. And their female partners always want to know how much more comfortable they might be in a Tiki 38, compared to a Tiki 30! Going for a short test sail on someone’s Wharram or chartering a Wharram, with or without crew, is even more important for vessels 30′ or more in length. WN sees one of its key differentiators will be in providing an information hub where prospective builders or buyers can experience sailing or cruising on a Wharram vessel. Right now tracking down commercial or private operators of Wharram craft is difficult, to say the least.
NON-COMMERCIAL
Wharram Network (WN) is not commercial in any way. WN endeavours to attract commercial operators of Wharram vessels – for crewed charters, bare boat charters or passive cruising. But there will be no charges for listing commercial businesses nor for individuals wanting to buy or sell a Wharram vessel.
WN is also aware that young people are very attracted to SCUBA or snorkelling activity on a Wharram vessel in the Barrier Reef area of Australia, in the Caribbean and in the many Pacific islands. But none of the existing groups on Facebook or other parts of the Internet cater for this specific cohort or market sector. We are confident that WN can become the “go to” online place where young people with restless feet can search for or advertise for crewing or “marine hitchhiking” berths on a Wharram vessel, for short or long passages, because Facebook already provides the easy to use, essential software tools to support these activities. WN aims to attract adventurous people of all ages who want to travel internationally on a Wharram craft.
GUIDING THE EVOLUTION OF WHARRAM NETWORK
Both formal and informal organisations grow and change over time in response to changing requirements of the stakeholders. Social media tools and common interest groups are by their very nature dynamic. Managing the evolution of WN will be made easier by implementing an Advisory Council as soon as possible. This will consist of the Convenor plus 2 – 6 people, whose experience with Wharram vessels, their professional lives and interpersonal skills mean they will be able to offer advise to the followers of WN on changes that might need to be made to ensure people are behaving properly in the online forums, and that the WN group is responding to expectations of followers and any commercial operators who may be advertising, for example, their holiday packages on a Wharram vessel, training courses, slipway services for catamarans or expertise as shipwrights.
It is obvious that many forms of information distribution and informal decision making already operates in the Wharram world;
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- advice on specialists – shipwrights, riggers, electricians
- lots of information is shared on good places to cruise, which marinas welcome cats, etc
- where suitable slipways existing for servicing a Wharram
- advice on suppliers of plywood, epoxies, cordage, etc, especially outside UK, Europe and USA
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In time WN is planning to make this sort of information more accessible using a map based database of organisations and individuals. It will be done with a minimum of bureaucracy and rules, similar to the way that people already use Google Maps effortlessly. The WN Advisory Council will have a role in setting priorities on what new information sources could be of benefit to the Wharram user community.
QUE SERA, SERA…
Ultimately the speed of expansion and evolution of WN will be governed by how well it is received in the Wharram community all around the world.
John Young
Wharram Network
PO Box 536
Spit Junction NSW 2088
Australia
email: yindi1951@gmail.com
mobile: 0407 940 943
whatsapp: +61 407 940 943
17-oct-2024