Although she looks as new, Ocean Sherpa was originally built in 1941 in Wolgast, Germany, as a KFK Kotter under number 401. These Kotters were small naval vessels built for speed, but looking like fishing boats to mislead the enemy.

These ships were built on steel beams with a wooden hull, which made them less vulnerable to magnetic mines.  When WWII ended the ship was brought to Spaarndam in the Netherlands, where in 1957 the original wooden hull was replaced by a steel one. From then on she sailed the North Sea as a fishing boat and built a reputation for being a very fast, seaworthy vessel.

Later on she sailed under the name Grietje Maria (IJMUIDEN 64) until the fishing fleet was reduced. After that the Grietje Maria was used for sport fishing for several years until she was sold in 1998 with the intention of turning her into a charter vessel.

This never materialized and in 2010 André Hanzens bought the ship to rebuild her as a topsail schooner.

The hull was completely stripped and refurbished into a luxury sailing ship with the charm and elegance of a yacht.

Tallship Avatar was put into service in March 2014 and has been updated ever since. She sailed with numerous guests in the Baltic Sea until November 2023, when she was bought by the Blaak family to explore new horizons as topsail schooner Ocean Sherpa – your sailing basecamp.