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Wanda in 1957, with Henry Wakelan aboard, sculling out of Capetown.
The propeller had been removed for an Atlantic Crossing
A Boat Called Wanda
Henry Wakelan was a friend of Bernard Moitessier; most of what is currently known about Henry's boat Wanda comes from Bernard's book Sailing To The Reefs. I first came across Wanda in a blog by John Vigor; “The only yacht with black sails that I have known belonged to my boyhood hero, Henry Wakelam. He was making a deliberate statement, rebelling against organised society. He built himself a 24-foot sloop to Harrison Butler's Thuella design from plans he found in a municipal library book. His black sails were of a heavy canvas that had "fallen off" a railroad car. These, combined with a solid telegraph-pole mast, made Wanda top-heavy and she rolled downwind in deep swaggers like a sailor coming off shore leave. Nevertheless, Henry crossed the oceans singlehanded in his self built boat and so showed the yacht-club toffs what could be done on a budget that wouldn't feed a parakeet”
Noah Wakelam, Henry's son, is currently going through and typing up his father's handwritten notes about Wanda's construction, his early years as a sailor and what he knows of Wanda in later years. These include detail of Vagabond.
Noah would dearly like to know what became of Wanda and if she is still with us.
Update : 27th January 2017
Noah believes that Wanda was renamed Anita Pea Pea. I suspect this could be Aita Pea Pea which is French for “not to worry”. She was registered in Paimpol, France, and owned by a Frenchman.
Taken in the Carribean, when owned by the Frenchman
Wanda Statistics
Built : 1953 in South Africa by Henry Wakelam
LOA : --' -"
Beam : -' -"
Draft : -' -"
Displacement : - tons TM
Wanda Custodians & Home Ports
Henry Wakelam
Wanda Links
• None found (January 2017)
Page last updated : January 2017
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