The Meermark story

Growing up in Southern California, sailing was a natural thing to do when the afternoon onshore winds picked up and ruined the surf. In those years, I took every opportunity to sail everything I could get my hands on and to crew whenever possible. Since then, I have had the pleasure of sailing not just in California but in Hawaii, Mexico, the UK and many countries in Europe.

why isn’t everyone doing this

Though I had sailed many beach catamarans, one day in the late 80’s I had the opportunity to sail on one of Ian Farriers F27 trimarans and remember my immediate reaction… "why isn’t everyone doing this?" To skim effortlessly over the water at much higher speeds than monohulls, while sailing flat, without having to hike out I finally understood a saying I had heard years earlier… "if the Polynesians had sailed east before the Europeans sailed west, we would all be sailing on multihulls". I was hooked.

Attending all the major boat and sporting goods shows around the world to see "the latest and greatest" it dawned on me that the sailing industry, while producing many truly exceptional boats was moving ever more in the direction of complexity. Manufacturers were in a virtual arms race, competing with one another by adding one more feature in an effort to outdo one another, year after year. I also noticed that they were for the most part only interested in producing craft for the very small percentage of the population that already were "sailors".

I did not feel that it had to be that way. Reading 'Canoes of Oceania' and 'Outrigger Canoes of Bali and Madura Indonesia' I one day happened on an exhibition in Heidelberg, Germany Museums of Ethnology's boat collection.

Looking at these ancient craft, I realized that the outrigger sailing canoes that had been in use for centuries by these primitive seafarers, were incredibly simple but effective.

Outriggers for stability, a sail for propulsion and a rudder or paddle to steer was all these people needed to access their fishing grounds or travel between islands. Yet there was nothing that simple on offer in our modern world and I felt that was a shame.

I took Antoine de Saint-Exupery words to heart; “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”.

A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away

Our mission is to inspire a love for sailing, connecting people to nature, and providing an opportunity for renewal amidst the demands of modern life by building simple, safe, and fun sailboats that makes sailing more accessible, regardless of age, experience or physical ability.

We believe that if people try their hand at sailing and do so in a Meermark trimaran, the beauty, serenity and exhilaration that is sailing will attract many more people to this beautiful sport.

And if you are an experienced sailor who still likes sailing fast but prefers sitting in a comfortable seat with excellent back support over sitting on a trampoline or you just no longer enjoy scurrying from side to side with every tack, Meermark trimarans will keep you on the water, sailing for many years to come.