We’re pleased to announce that People of the Sea has been translated into German! Get your copy here. This book has also been translated into Italian which is now available to buy from Il Fragente publishing!

New second edition of the autobiography of James Wharram and Hanneke Boon published November 2021. This more compact edition at lower cost contains all the text and illustrations of the special first edition. An easier size to fit the bookshelf on your boat. A must for all Wharram enthusiasts and other sailors.

After years of writing and many months of preparation James’ new book is finally published. We have worked closely with Lodestar Books, the publishers to create a colourful, poetic and informative book. Finally the book that tells the whole story which people who have read ‘Two Girls Two Catamarans‘ have been asking for.

People of the Sea is the life story of iconic catamaran designer James Wharram, from a Wartime childhood in Manchester, to mountaineer, to pioneer catamaran sailor in the 1950s, to designer of modern Polynesian catamarans. It is not just a book about his designs and sailing, but covers many aspects of his philosophy and ideas, on politics, lifestyle, psychology, experimental marine archaeology, boat construction and his relationship with the ocean and its ‘people of the sea’- the Polynesians. Interspersed are anecdotes and candid revelations about his own personal tragedies and achievements.

272 pages, many mono, sepia toned and colour photographs, drawings and charts, bibliography, index. Softcover with sewn binding, cover flaps and matt lamination.

Also available from Waterstones, Foyles, WHSmith and Amazon.

Foreword Excerpt

By well-known yachting writer Tom Cunliffe:

“Despite having known James for a very long time, it was only when I read this memoir that I came fully to realise quite how much more than a designer he really is. Half a century on, he remains an independent spirit. His refusal to compromise with the increasing bureaucracy that blights our times has made many a sailor in today’s consumer-driven scene ponder on what really matters. The stream of designs from his board has set generations free, but with a set of Wharram plans, you get so much more than the drawings.

“Running through the book like the rogue’s yarn in a length of three-strand rope is the man’s personal philosophy, and that is what makes it such a compelling read. His descriptions of the achievements of vernacular Polynesian navigators are compelling, but his commentary on their lifestyle and how it was torn apart by the representatives of our own is something every westerner should study. Page after page challenges readers to look hard at their own circumstances and do some serious re-evaluation before it’s too late.

“James Wharram’s early rejection of the monogamous mores of the post-war years while still in South Manchester must have required a deal of courage. Such questions remain close to his heart, yet the way he talks about them is tinged not so much with anger at small-minded bigots, but with a wry smile. Perhaps this is the result of the wisdom that comes to a few with advancing years but, joyous to relate, one can wring the chapters inside out and still find no hint of compromise with the establishment.

“As we progress through the pages, it is clear that although plagued by seasickness, James became a fine seaman, trained entirely in the school of hard knocks with the ocean as his chief instructor. His designs are criticized regularly by people who have not taken the trouble to hear what he says and thus to discover their subtle excellence. The description of a major storm survived so ably by Spirit of Gaia north of New Zealand while life on board retained its communal harmony is a revelation. The tale of a dead beat north up the Red Sea, a notoriously awful and difficult passage, is told in the almost throwaway manner of the sailor at peace in his own skin and with nothing to prove.”

External Reviews

James Wharram: His New Autobiography (Wavetrain)

“I have read many memoirs by yacht designers, but this one, I have to say, has been by far the most various and intriguing.”
Nic Compton’s Review In Wooden Boat Magazine

“People Of The Sea is eminently readable, in a format aimed as much at the general reader as the Wharram groupie.”
Simon Holman’s Review In Watercraft Magazine

“People Of The Sea is a reminder of how far ahead of his time and relatively under celebrated James has been; to outsiders his unconventional lifestyle often obscuring his work. “I was a dreamer”, says James of his ambitious vision and his life has been one of romance.”

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