Our Unique Tour Vessel
Tatzelwurm (Little Dragon)
50’ trimaran designed by Arthur Piver and homebuilt of plywood/fiberglass in Fairhaven, CA.
The Voyage
In 2011 Marc Borde Sailed out of Galveston, TX on a 26 foot sloop with a crew of musicians and toured the Gulf Coast completing 33 shows in 38 days, covering over 300 miles of coastline. The adventure was documented in the multi-media book “Guitar Strings & Sailboat Things.”
In the fall of 2017, Borde’s dreams of one day touring the world by sailboat came much closer to reality. He was presented with a boat. But not just any boat – an unfinished 50 foot trimaran “Tatzelwurm.” The boat had been inherited by Brisa Roché. Brisa grew up in the shadow of Tatzelwurm, as its construction was started before her birth, over 40 years ago. Brisa’s father Jim Roche and Martin Lederer spent countless hours and resources on Tatzelwurm to leaving her inomplete and upon handing it down to Brisa, made the request that she would one day see it sail. A chance meeting between Brisa and Marc in Northern California ended in Marc taking ownership of Tatzelwurm in order to fulfill Martin and Jim’s wishes. Brisa, now a singer in Paris, France, believed that Marc was the perfect person for the project and supported the idea of a music tour around the world aboard Tatzelwurm. She even expressed interest in being included in part of the tour.
Upon returning to Tatzelwurm in April 2018, after five months of nationwide touring by land with folk/reggae band That Captain, Borde put together a plan:
“Our mission is to complete construction of 50’ Trimaran; Tatzelwurm, and sail around the world with our crew of musicians that will perform at ports along the way.”
The world tour will start in Eureka, CA. with a voyage South along the Western Coast of the United States and Mexico. After proving the vessel seaworthy and capable of passage-making, Tatzelwurm will then make the Pacific crossing to Hawaii. There, in the Hawaiian Islands, the musical crew will take guests on sunset charters filled with live entertainment and tropical fun!
The adventure will continue with a Westward route following the winds and currents to destinations near the equator, eventually rounding the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and crossing the Atlantic Ocean toward Brazil and the Caribbean Islands, eventually returning to the United States and completing the tour in Clear Lake, Texas.
The entire sailing adventure will be documented by the captain and the crew, and blogs will be released regularly. Marc Borde will be writing at least one more book, and plans to have the tour televised worldwide.
About The Boat
When we were introduced to Tatzelwurm, she had never seen the water. Her life began over 50 years ago on the shores of Humboldt Bay in Northern California, when two friends decided to pursue their dream of building a sailing yacht that could take them to the island paradises of Fiji and beyond. They began construction of the trimaran, sometimes enlisting the help of the local community, and using Egyptian engineering to build the large wooden vessel.
Unfortunately, like many grand projects, the vessel outlived the builders and was left incomplete. Tatzelwurm was handed down to the builders daughter Brisa Roché, under the condition that she would one day see it sail. Brisa, now a singer in Paris, France, decided that Marc Borde would be the perfect person to complete her father’s dream. She donated the boat in support of Marc’s goal to do a worldwide music tour by sailboat.
History of The Boat
In the 1960s in Fairhaven, CA, Martin Lederer and Jim Roche began their dream of building a boat to sail the world.
Below you will find a collection of old photographs and writings documenting the construction of Tatzelwurm. Please enjoy our limited insight into the making of this large trimaran. Click the pictures for a closer look.
We welcome any more pics and information regarding the building of Tatzelwurm. If you have any, please let us know!
Learn More
Click the link below for easier to read versions of the newspaper articles written about building Tatzelwurm. These historical documents give great insight into the projects original intentions and the builders challenges.