Tall ship Avatar
The Avatar has changed hands on 3 November 2023. For André Hanzens it was time for something new after more than 35 years in the charter industry. And a new project is already underway: the construction of the classic sailing yacht Quadra. The Blaak family is the new owner of the Avatar and under the new name Ocean Sherpa the ship will embark on expedition trips to Greenland and Spitsbergen.
Started as a skipper on the Dutch inland waterways, André built his own two-masted schooner Twister between 1995-1998 and sailed with her on the Baltic Sea, near England, the Channel Islands and around the Canary Islands for 14 seasons. From 2010 to 2014, the construction of a new sailing ship followed, the topsail schooner Avatar, with which sailing trips were continued after the sale of the Twister in the Baltic Sea area, near England and the Channel Islands.
But as said, after 10 great seasons with the Avatar it is time for a new challenge. In 2020, we purchased the hull of a classic yacht based on the design of John Alden’s Lelanta II, and we started the construction of this classic yacht, which is to be named Quadra. The Quadra will embark on sailing trips with six passengers. First on the Baltic Sea and later also in other areas in Europe and eventually worldwide.
We have mixed feelings about the sale of the Avatar. On the one hand, it is hard to say goodbye to this beautiful ship and the many loyal customers with whom we have experienced such wonderful trips. On the other hand, it is nice to be able to focus fully on building the Quadra now, and to look forward to something new, literally expanding our horizons in the future. And, of course, we hope to maintain a connection with our customers, suppliers, and associates through this future ship too.
We also hope the same for the new owners of the Avatar. They will be offering fantastic trips in beautiful areas starting from 2024. With their enthusiasm and sympathy, they have convinced us to grant family Blaak a bright future with the Avatar. We wish them every success, fair winds and following seas!
And we sincerely thank you for the trust you have placed in us and for the many wonderful sailing trips we have shared together. For us, this is not a goodbye, but hope to meet you again in the future.
André and Evelien
A new project: classic sailing yacht Quadra
In fall 2021 we have started the construction of the classic sailing yacht Quadra.
The design is based on the John Alden schooner Lelanta II / Lelantina. The hull was built over 30 years ago but never completed and was purchased by us in 2020.
After completion of the construction, the Quadra will offer sailing trips to up to 6 guests plus a permanent crew.
Her sailing area will be worldwide. First we will sail on the Baltic Sea, and then head towards Southern Europe. And a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean is also planned in future to explore the Caribbean, America and Canada.
Start dreaming already…
Avatar becomes Ocean Sherpa
Under the new name ‘Ocean Sherpa,’ the ship will be a sailing basecamp for adventurers and sporty travellers worldwide. In 2024, the ship has been hired to sail with skiers and expedition members in Norway and around Spitsbergen and Greenland.