Photo © Peter Schöler archive

We’d like to introduce our Wharram catamaran RISHO MARU which is now fully part of the educational and research environment of Sea-Water Amplification (SWA).

The RISHO MARU is a Narai MK IV class Wharram catamaran, designed by British designer and navigator James Wharram. The NARAI design is a direct descendant of the 40 ft RONGO on which James made his pioneering voyage across the North Atlantic in 1959. It is said that this type of catamaran attracts pioneering types.

Narai MK IV has become among builders and supporters of wharram design a term for a resilient family of ocean sailing ships suitable for long ocean voyages. The high stability of the vessel, achieved thanks to the low dimensions of the platform ensures that the ship will always take care of the crew, not the other way around.

DYNAMIC ECOLOGY

Together with RISHO MARU, we would like to expand our educational and research activities in the Azores and the Atlantic and other places. We have decided to launch a residential program in 2026 that is focused on artistic research activities. We called this program: Dynamic Ecology, and it’s going to take place mostly aboard the RISHO MARU in the Azores. The program is designed for individuals, collectives or a couple with children. You can see this link for more information: Dynamic Ecology.

Drawing © Sea-Water Amplification (SWA) Azores 2025

We are also open to possibilities of cooperation resonate with our vision. By mutual agreement, we are able to prepare and plan projects that are as close to your vision and needs as possible. In this case, the RISHO MARU serves as an ideal vessel and support for long ocean voyages, research expeditions, a platform for learning, sharing and telling stories.

Photo © Sea-Water Amplification (SWA) Azores, Atlantic Ocean 2025

THE OCEAN IS OUR CLASSROOM

We believe that we need to continuously develop new forms of empathy and situated knowledge in order to have an adequate understanding of a given the medium in our case, the medium of the ocean landscape.

On the boundary between the ocean and the air, there are no universal conditions of perfect adaptation. But together with the Risho Maru, we can explore the physical and conceptual accessibility of specific environments. In this case, the Risho Maru serves not only as a background, but also as an epistemological tool.

• For more information, visit the RISHO MARU website. We’ll be glad to hear from you with your project, which you’d like to undertake in the Atlantic Ocean environment.