Windhorse Sailing

SHANGRI-LA was built in 2000 to the specifications of her owner, South African Dirke Kotze. His plans for her included a trip to Antarctica requiring a strong steel hull to fend off chunks of ice floating in her path, so Dirke made the keel and bow from 15mm thick steel. This meant that she would be heavy, which would require a tall mast, 68 feet, to carry enough sail to give her speed. That mast would have to withstand the unobstructed winds of the Southern Ocean, so he doubled the size of the cable rigging. Captain Kotze successfully sailed her to Antarctica. Twice.

Captain Kotze said he named her Shangri-La because he expected that wherever he was on her, it would be an ideal place; a sentiment any offshore sailor can understand.

The term Shangri-La was borrowed from James Hilton's 1930's novel Lost Horizons. In the novel, an array of characters find themselves stranded in a Himilayan winter oasis of tolerance and peace. Each of the characters is interminably changed for the better due to their experience.

As the new owner, I have no plans to change the sailboat's name because I hope Francis, Steve and I find it a place of tolerance and peace as our plot unfolds. I have, however, created a logo to represent Shangri-La. It is the Wind Horse, a Tibetan symbol predating Buddhism. The wind horse is synonimous with the prayer flag. The Tibetan term "lung-ta" refers to both.

For centuries, Tibetans have placed prayer flags in mountain passes. With the speed of the wind and the power of a horse, prayers are carried to heaven. The belief is that as these prayers are carried in the wind, auspicious circumstances are created, and obstacles of all kinds are diverted. This is a belief that any offshore sailor can appreciate.

Our energy, determination, and teamwork will drive us, but it is Shangri-La that will carry us.