Tiki 36

[Jean-Michel Bader]

To all wharramists: 2 weeks ago  I have finally realized my long dream and acquired the Tiki 36 Pelican formerly Tamalaa. She is now in Brest for a refit after sea trials. When I had sold my Tiki 28 I had looked upon this boat and decided to buy her 4 years ago. But when I rang Scott Brown he told me he had sold the boat the day before. Shoot! 

Then I had three years with another cat, an Azuli F40 by Erik Lerouge that had gone transatlantic twice and was well equiped. But that boat is a bronco: she would go nowhere in small airs and become a wild and impredictible beast when wind came, forcing reefing at 17 knots with a 56sq meters main sail. Impossible to auto pilot in F5 therefore to chart maps or run for a tea in the galley. I quited and sold her to a British guy (Hi Jonathan) who with his very pregnant wife took her back to Plymouth. They by the way are friends of Pip Patterson in Torquey Point who had sold me my first Tiki, small world hey? 

I have been here and there deciding against a very overpriced Tiki 38 in the Caribbean, visiting two Tiki 38 in Saint Tropez (the boat is a floating wreck) and in Marseille. That last boat Pilgrim was constructed by Jacques Pierret in New Jersey and sailed back across the Atlantic there is a nice movie on Youtube. But, pardon Jacques, like many 38 she had no central pod a major requirement for me, used as I was to the very clever Tiki 28 central pod. And Jacques was willing to co-own the boat but probably would not have happily met this change. 

At one point, I had discussed with my friend David Yettram was lives and works in Jersey in Saint Helier: David has had a Tiki 26 that won all the local regattas, and then he bought a Tiki 30. Does this all sound like a family or what? David works at the fisheries in Channel Islands arresting the french fishermen who illegally fish in The Minquiers archipelago and he said that Pelican was not going any where. I found easily Matthew Thomasson the owner and made the right move: for youngsters, who may ignore it, and seniors who had forgotten, it requires a piece of paper a pen an envelop and a stamp, and with the right words in sentences that coordinate themselves nicely, it is called a letter!!

Roughly I was asking a permission to come and visit the boat nothing too committing. 3 days pass and MAtt emails back yes come along. With my friend Anne we booked a ferry and guest house and came in Saint-Aubin with the owner the next day. There she was sitting in the mud of that drying mooring. We spent an hour on the boat and Matt said at one point Do you want to buy the boat? And I said yes very much and offered a price, which he accepted the next day. Does this sound miraculous? Yes it does. The boat was not for sale but the fruit was ripe and I just picked it up with the mighty power of one small written in english letter. If the boat had been for sale, I would certainly have face competition, and I am not sure I was ready for it. The boat, thanks to Matt is more than equiped: autopilot, solar panels, 2 new OB yamaha 9.9 HP, MOB, Navtex, VHF AIS, new Plastimo stove, furling genoa, one main one "artimon" sail (all in good condition, one Spi in a sock, one tempest sail, two parachute anchors, two 16 and 20 kilos blade and CQR anchors. The boats can house 6 people for a small cruise over a week end or 3 people for passages. She has that marvellously devised central pod, thanks to Andy Smith. We are in heaven. We shall certainly keep you posted. Jean-Michel

[SoLong]

congratulations. seem's you get a fine boat. a tiki36 would be my dream to. but i never found one. so i took the tiki30

[boatsmith]

sweet

[paul anderson]

Happy for you mate.