The boat
Mara Noka was built 50 years ago in Whitby, England.
It is a classical NARAI design by James Wharram, who is considered to be the “father of multihulls.”
Made out of plywood with nylon sheathing and tar coating, and having splashed in 1974, it spent most of its life in the Mediterranean Sea, and eventually made its way across the Atlantic to the jungles of Panama.
The boat is propelled by wind, only being supplemented with an outboard motor when entering or leaving tricky areas. Using traditional sailing methods, exchanging chart plotter for pencil and paper, and navigating without depth sounder, radar, auto-pilot, or wind-meter, Mara Noka and Kiana bring back to life the raw intensity of sailing as a primary means of transport.
Mara Noka’s design, NARAI MK I, is the direct descendent of Wharram’s RONGO, the first catamaran to sail west to east across the North Atlantic. It was built at a time when safety and sailing efficiency was priority, and little attention was given to space or comfort. The design and lifestyle of the boat is primal, and brings back to life the spirit of the ancients.
restoration
10 years since being practically abandoned, and after 3 years of non-stop sailing, Mara Noka was put “on the hard” for some work. What was supposed to be a routine haul-out with some painting, and one or two bigger jobs, turned into a full-blown restoration.
Mara Noka was stripped of much of its nylon-tar coating, down to the bare wood, and fiberglassed; the boat was fitted with two new beams, and even had an entire bulkhead reconstructed. There were many more rot spots than expected, but with most of them removed, Mara Noka finds itself stiffer than it has been in decades.
When Mara Noka was first lifted out of the water in February 2021, Kiana barely knew how to operate a drill and had only the faintest idea of where to begin with the work. Day after day after day of taking the boat apart and tackling different jobs has led to an evolution within Kiana and the relationship she has with her boat.
Doing the work herself was very important to Kiana as she wanted to know exactly how the boat has been modified should she encounter problems at sea. This newfound understanding of the structure of Mara Noka provides nearly as much security as a brand new liferaft. The restoration was limited by funds, so much of the material used has come from recycling older pieces of the boat.
In June of 2021, Laerke joined the boatyard effort for the final push before Mara Noka was put back into the water. They adjusted to living together while working tirelessly under the humid Florida sun. Mornings with yoga, days full of grinding, fiberglassing, and painting, the most rewarding hot showers in the evenings, and night-long dreams about being at sea were the norm.
Mara Noka splashed again in April 2022.
