Nordhavn 41 already has a bigger sister

We’re old enough to remember the introduction of the Nordhavn 40. In the heart of our hearts, we’re fans of smaller passagemakers and the N40 turned our world on its ears—even before it set the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by a production powerboat in 2001-2002.

In the two decades since then, the market for ocean-going motorboats has trended toward larger boats, leading Pacific Asian Enterprises to build ever larger Nordhavns, up to and including the majestic 120. (See next post below.)

Thus, it was heart-warming to see PAE announce a new design and launch the range with the all-new Nordhavn 41.

The new 41 features an open-concept saloon, galley and steering station on one level, twin-engine configuration and utilization of computational fluid dynamics technology to create an easily driven hull shape that resembles nothing like the Nordhavns of old.

Read more here: https://nordhavn.com/models/n41/

The new 41 is on its way to become a Nordhavn best-seller. Its immediate success has already spawned a big sister, the new Nordhavn 51 which has begun its lamination stage at Telgeren & Partners yacht yard in Turkey, PAE‘s newest partner factory where the 41 is built.

“I believe the 51 will be as well received as the 41—if not more so, because the 41 has proven concept,” says Jim Leishman, vice-president of Pacific Asian Enterprises.

With 26 hulls already reserved, the Nordhavn 51 is on track to match the popularity of her little sister, the N41.

We had the good fortune to crew aboard the original Nordhavn 40 on the California-Hawaii leg of its record-setting circumnavigation back in 2001. We look forward to an opportunity to head out to sea aboard the new Nordhavn 41 before long.

Nordhavn 120 maiden voyage begins

Aurora, the first Nordhavn 120 built, has begun her maiden voyage from Xiamen, China, to Vancouver, Canada.

She departed the Coast Marine factory in Xiamen on July 16 for a 276-nautical-mile hop south to Honk Kong to shake down systems and to pick up 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel. From there, the plan is to run 6,000 nautical miles non-stop to Vancouver, her home port, arriving in about 25 days in the latter part of August. Weather permitting.

Weather has already been a factor when Typhoon Solik tore across Taiwan to Xiamen, delaying the departure for Hong Kong. Now, Tropical Storm Cimaron is bearing down on Aurora at the Gold Coast Marina in Hong Kong.

If Mother Nature doesn't permit a non-stop run across the Pacific, here is Aurora's alternate routing:

• Run from Hong Kong up to Tokyo – 1,500 nautical miles • Tokyo to Dutch Harbor – 2,675 nautical miles • Dutch Harbor to Vancouver – 1,619 nautical miles.

You'll find a voyage overview, route, blog, photos, videos and other information at the Nordhavn 120 Delivery section of Nordhavn's website.

New design: Nordhavn 56

What a perfect passagemaker!

All Nordhavns are designed to cross oceans but this all-new design places an even greater emphasis on ocean-crossing capability while maximizing interior accommodations that are well suited for offshore conditions as well as dockside living. At 56 feet and with a displacement of 126,000 pounds, this new trawler yacht is ready to tackle the toughest and longest ocean passages.

Standard propulsion will include the venerable 4.5 liter John Deere engines in a twin configuration and a fuel capacity of 2,335 gallons. This package combined with an efficient hull design will allow for a very comfortable transoceanic range and will retain the ability to maintain near normal cruising speed and positive direction control even if one of the two engines fail.

Add paravanes and we're off!

Click here for drawings and more information.

Final passage aboard Oso Blanco

Passagemakers Eric and Ann Bloomquist with son Bear.

One of the most pleasant jobs at Circumnavigator magazine is keeping an eye on the blogs of Nordhavns out there are voyaging the world. There are many excellent blogs maintained by Nordhavn owners but one of our favorites is Cruising with Oso Blanco written by Eric and Ann Bloomquist about cruising with young son Bear.

Eric and Annie have a way with words, and a sense of humor, that has us looking forward to each new post about life aboard Oso Blanco. We first encountered the Bloomquists when Bear was a toddler. Then the first Oso Blanco was a Nordhavn 40. As Bear grew, so did the Nordhavn, with the second being a 47. Bear now is 10 and the third Nordhavn is a 64.

After a full decade of voyaging, including thousands of miles meandering around the Pacific, the Bloomquists are moving back to life on land in the U.S.A. Last night, on their last overnight passage, Annie posted this blog entry:

Final Overnight

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 04:07 AM PDT

Sitting in the darkened pilot house on our last overnight passage aboard Oso Blanco, moving south along the coast of Australia. We left the Great Barrier Reef a few days ago and have had perfect weather: winds at 5-10 knots, not a cloud in the sky, unbelievably calm seas.

Dozens of humpbacks whales have poked their heads up to say good-bye and entertain us during the day. Newborns splashing and playing around lumbering moms and spunky males throwing themselves out of the water and crashing back into the sea. It never gets old. We even had a dolphin escort for a while; as they rode the bow wave, I swear they made eye contact. Are they just as curious about us as we are about them?

Tonight the Milky Way is so vivid in the dark sky it looks as if the stars are trailing smoke. The rising moon startled me as it suddenly appeared over the horizon where a minute ago it was complete darkness. The orange glow looked like a threatening fireball but quickly emerged into a beautiful, yellow, almost full moon. Somehow you don’t feel quite as alone out here with it watching over you. The hum of the engine combines with the gentle sound of the ebb and flow of the water to offer a soothing atmosphere, making music all its own.

I know Bear and Eric are safe and sound, asleep together in the big bed of our stateroom. Bear pulled me outside to see the Southern Cross before bed and I hugged him as we were in awe of the night sky. “Look Mom! A shooting star! Make a wish!”

My wish is that we never forget nights like this . . .

Bluewater anchors sunflower raft-up

Milt Baker, senior contributing editor of Circumnavigator, who is cruising the Canadian Maritimes this summer with his wife, Judy, aboard their Nordhavn 47 Bluewater, sends along this photo and message:

Thought you might like to see how we've been wasting time here on the beautiful Bras d'Or Lakes of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This was a Cruising Club of America sunflower raft three days ago with 45 yachts ranging from about 90 down to 33 feet. Bluewater was one of the four cardinal anchor boats and at one point had 10 yachts, worth about 500,000 pounds, riding on our single anchor until we linked up with the other parts of the raft. The good news is the wind was light and the seamanship excellent.

We were sunflower raft virgins—our very first time. Great fun, too. Tomorrow, we begin the trek back to Halifax, heading into a smokey sou'wester by day and stopping in a snug anchorage each night along the way. We'll probably reach Halifax Friday, spend a week downtown on Cable Wharf, and be back in Southwest Harbor, Maine, around Aug. 23.

Great cruising here . . . we love it! Good chance we'll return next year for longer.

—Milt & Judy

Cruising that's too good to be true

Ken and Roberta Williams aboard the Nordhavn 68 Sans Souci have discovered what Roberta calls "Disneyland for Boaters." Their perfect cruising grounds are to be found in southwestern Turkey:

View 2012-07-23 Sans Souci Blog in a larger map

Read more at Ken's blog: http://www.kensblog.com/aspx/m/Home/beid/437127

Final post from Grey Pearl

Grey Pearl, a Nordhavn 62, enters the Strait of Gibraltar after crossing the Atlantic. Photo by Ken Williams.

It is with such a heavy heart that I write this last and final blog of the good ship Grey Pearl.

Early in December, while we were spending the winter at our home in Virginia away from our boat, we received one of life’s dreaded phone calls. Our beloved ‘Grey Pearl’ N6208 was on fire in her slip at Yacht Haven Marina in Phuket, Thailand. The fire started in the early evening of Dec. 6th, 2011, and was detected shortly thereafter. The fire quickly became uncontrollable and threatened the marina and other boats. The marina staff and some brave yachtsmen scrambled to remove her from the slip, tow her up a nearby river and run her aground where she continued to burn for almost another day. Needless to say we are devastated by this horrible tragedy.

In order to tend to this matter and our responsibilities, Braun & I immediately flew from our home in Virginia to Thailand. Of course, the hardest and saddest moment was to see her…it is impossible to describe the heartbreak. To see the pilothouse wheel resting on the charred Lugger main engine…we were overcome. The raging fire had consumed her down to the water line. To put her to rest, we had a “viewing” on a Thursday…and her “burial” with flowers and a final good by on Friday.

Although heartbroken, we do understand how lucky we are…no one was injured! And the damage would have been more catastrophic if not for the brave souls that worked quickly to get the boat out of the slip and thereby save the surrounding yachts and dock.

We’ve had 11 ½ years of absolutely wonderful experiences on the Pearl…and happily, we’ve been able to share that on board passion with so many friends & family. Often we’d sit on our aft “Lido” deck and reminisce about where she’s taken us…Gibraltar, Jounieh, Lebanon, Jementos, Bahamas, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Elba, Italy, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Aleutian Islands, Panama Canal, Haifa, Israel, Rome, Petropavlovsk, Russia, Bar Harbor, Me., Singapore, Athens…to name just a few.

I personally have never been more challenged, fulfilled and happier doing anything in my life than the time I’ve spent on my ‘Grey Pearl’. And…more importantly, she was a passion Braun & I enjoyed together. She will live on fondly in our hearts & memories . . . forever.

We are still “processing” this calamity so it’s way too soon to say what our future plans will be…but there will be an Act II. The fun is not going to stop.

We’re OK…and, we have the love of family & friends we can count on to get through this painful time…

A special thanks to our dear friends, Carol & Steven Argosy on our buddy boat N62 ‘Seabird’. They remain in Phuket and we deeply regret having to temporarily leave the “Bird and Pearl” cruising team.

Sadly . . . Grey Pearl, Out.

Tina & Braun Jones
Nordhavn 62 Grey Pearl

Trawler Time

Oso Blanco, the Nordhavn passagemaker Eric, Annie and Bear Bloomquist call home.

It's 4 am on our third day out from New Caledonia and we have covered over 630 nm in less than 70 hours. I just came back on watch after 8 hrs of wonderful sleep. I woke up slowly in a foggy haze – unsure of where I was and feeling only a gentle motion. The sound of the engine is a distant hum. Are we moving?

This is Trawler Time. The Pacific is just that, peaceful, but still alive. The boat is doing exactly what it is designed to do – working with the sea – not against it and carrying us toward our next destination, safely and smoothly. The eastern horizon has already taken on a pink orange glow foreshadowing another spectacular ocean sunrise. But the sea is not still today. As I came up to the galley for my morning coffee, I expected to see that mirror like, summer morning stillness we so often experience at our little lake in Wisconsin. This morning, the ocean is still providing 3' – 4' swells, but they are so long, so gentle, and graceful that the boat does not rock, roll, or twist about. Oso Blanco slowly rises and settles as each swell passes under. Each individual swell is visible as it gradually approaches us, one after another - lifting our 90 tons like a duck on the lake and softly settling. There is a gentleness to the ocean at times like this, but it's power is unmistakable.

Sometimes during foolish cocktail hours, we get into the unanswerable debate of which is better, a sailboat or a power boat. To me, there is no more wonderful feeling than a finely tuned sailboat on a broad reach, in perfect conditions. The feeling of power, charging through the water, with only the sound of the waves breaking under the bow. It is what sailing dreams are based on.

Most of our sailing friends have never experienced Trawler Time. Yes, the seas are gentle and the sunrise is imminent, but the wind is very light and wandering around the compass like it's had 3 shells of kava. To be under sail at this moment would be rolling from side to side as the sails flop back and forth searching for direction from the wind. When we used to race in these conditions, we said one had to drool over the side to see if we were moving forwards or backwards. But this is our time. Our Nordhavn is purring along at 1350 rpm doing 7.8 kts toward Australia. The systems are working perfectly together and our stabilizing system reduces any roll to a gentle motion. All our doors and ports are open and the soft breeze drifts throughout the boat. With the engine turning so effortlessly deep below, all one is aware of is the sound of the waves as they roll along the hull.

Sailboat vs powerboat is a foolish debate. Out here, we are all doing it our own ways. We take what the sea offers and hopefully we each enjoy our boat and each day. The fact that we get to drink a beer with interesting folks in far away places and discuss such issues shows how lucky we are. The boat is only a means to an end.

But, then there is Trawler Time . . .

—From the blog of Nordhavn 6409 Oso Blanco

Ode to the Southern Cross

There are nights at sea when all you want to do is see the sunrise. Nights when you just hold on waiting for the next wave or blast of wind to shake your world. You just want it to end.

Then there are nights like tonight. There is no wind. The Pacific lives up to its name. The Milky Way blazes and is repeated in the surface of the sea. The horizon disappears as sea and sky blend into one. Any slight movement in the water—whether the slicing of the water as the boat drives forward or just the ripples on the surface—set off a light show of pixy dust. Countless microscopic critters glow and sparkle with any movement in the sea setting off their bioluminescence.

Everything is alive and glowing, yet all is at peace on the sea.

These are the nights sailors dream of. This is why we bash into head seas and put up with hanging onto to anything within reach just to get a cup of coffee or make it to the head.

Tonight, the Southern Cross is right in front of us near the horizon. Yes, the autopilot and GPS are taking us straight south to New Zealand, but it is easy to imagine the early sailors following the heavens on nights like this.

There is nothing around us that the sea doesn't provide. No boats on the radar no distant lights. As far as we can tell, there is not another person within hundreds of miles. It is so dark that the slightest light from our boat can break the spell, so I dim down the instruments and turn off the running lights. Now, the world around us seems to explode with pinpoints of light in the heavens and deep into the sea.

Ahead are the distant guiding stars. Behind us, our wake glitters and sparkles showing us we have been following a magic path. Soon, the first glow of the rising sun will break the spell. Luckily, these are the nights we remember.

—From the blog of Nordhavn 6409 Oso Blanco

First Nordhavn 120 emerges from mold

It's still two years from the launch of the first Nordhavn 120 but excitement took its first uptick last week when the hull was released from its mold at South Coast Marine in Xiamen, China, one of PAE's two partner factories in Asia.

Garrett Lambert, a Circumnavigator contributing editor, is conducting interviews about the 120 at PAE for the next edition of the magazine. Here are three excerpts:

PAE president Dan Streech: “The Nordhavn 120 will compete on the world super-yacht market with second-to-none quality, style, and pedigree. This boat will never be sold as a ‘bargain’, not even as a ‘good boat for the money’ or as a ‘best value boat’, even though it is all of those things. Rather, this boat will be presented as uncompromising from start to finish. Put more succinctly, she’s way, way over the top.”

Naval architect Jeff Leishman, her designer: “She’s not your typical 120-foot yacht. With her 28-foot beam she’s much closer to a 150-footer in weight and volume. And carrying 18,000 gallons of fuel, she’s a serious ocean-going expedition boat, yet she possesses the luxury of harbor cruisers.”

Project manager Trever Smith: “The Nordhavn 120 is all ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) certified. . . she’s a big, heavy, comfortable displacement hull boat with no inherent noise. She will provide a totally different feeling from semi-displacement boats in the same way a Rolls Royce distinguishes itself from lesser cars. Technically, she’s a different project than any other Nordhavn since it’s the company’s first cored hull, which produces more strength with less fiberglass. We hired an external structural engineering company to produce the lamination schedule. Similarly, we had an outside firm style the interior. Very contemporary, and very, very high end. She’s a proper 120 with no corners cut.”

For more photos of the birth of the N120, click here to reach nordhavn.com.

Failure isn't an option for this 13-year-old Nordhavn

Steven and Carol Argosy of the Nordhavn 62 Seabird (photo) are one of three Nordhavn couples who have buddy-boated from Alaska to Hong Kong via Russia and Japan in what they have dubbed the Great Siberian Sushi Run (GSSR).

On a two-day passage from the southernmost islands of Japan to the Ta Shing yard in Taiwan where the three boats were built, Steven reflected on what it means to be voyaging the world in a Nordhavn. Here's an excerpt from his blog:

Nordhavns are built to cruise in the most unimaginable conditions safely, but it doesn’t mean that it is perfectly comfortable and that we look forward to it or enjoy it. Sometimes you just get caught in the stuff even though the weather was supposed to be clear. Those are the times I am glad to be in a Nordhavn.

On long passages, you can encounter simply miserable weather for days at a time. Head seas with 25-30 knot winds may not seem like much when you are doing a 3- or 4-hour passage, but over a period of four or five days, the 7- to 10-foot seas that go along with that can wreak havoc on a lesser boat—not to mention the crew. For instance, after a day or so of constant pounding, cabinetry can start to deteriorate, drawer fronts fall off, refrigerators loosen from their mounts and all hell can break loose. Other things, like deck hardware, fittings and even your anchor mounts start to fall apart and windows can fail. Big “picture windows” in the pilothouse are great at the dock, and show well at boat shows, but in the real world, waves can hit and smash the ¼-inch glass flooding the pilothouse, pretty much dooming the boat.

There are a few manufacturers that are making big claims about their boats, but none of them can match the 4-million ocean miles that Nordhavns have gone. One in particular has been very vocal in criticizing Nordhavn, touting a new boat that they are producing as a better passagemaker, but without a single mile under its hull. Go figure. Like Dan Streech, PAE’s president, says, “Talk is cheap.”

I can tell you from experience that this 13-year-old boat has been pounded for days on end in simply awful conditions without a single structural failure. So, there!

Seabird has been traveling in the company of Braun and Tina Jones aboard the Nordhavn 62 Grey Pearl and Ken and Roberta Williams aboard the Nordhavn 68 Sans Souci.

Ken, as he is such a prolific blogger and author, is often see as the GSSR ringleader but the fact is that Roberta was instrumental in making the adventure happen when she sold Carol on the GSSR concept after Braun floated the idea. The next day, Ken and Steven learned from their wives that they were taking their Nordhavns to Asia via the Aleutians.

The inspiration for the GSSR comes from the experience of John and Veronica Kennelly who crossed the North Pacific via the Aleutians in the Nordhavn 62 Walkabout with their three children in 2007.

No getting away from Nordhavn

There seems to be no getting away from Nordhavn no matter where you travel.

Rebecca Crosgrey took a holiday from her work as Assistant to the Editor of Circumnavigator magazine and toured the Canadian Maritimes by auto with her husband. They were strolling the pier in Halifax when, lo and behold, two Nordhavns came into sight.

Chip and Kay Marsh with the Nordhavn 40 Beso and Jim and Marge Fuller aboard Summer Skis, a Nordhavn 43, (above photo) were pulling into port for a few days while on a cruise of Nova Scotia. After greeting the two Nordhavns and helping with lines, the Crosgreys continued on their way—but saw no more Nordhavns.

Commissioning Eliana, Nordhavn 76 # 17

The photo shows how the helm station aboard Nordhavn 76 Eliana looks 10 days into the commissioning process at the PAE docks in Dana Point, California. We'll post another photo when the work has been completed.

Eliana's owner, Rick Heiniger, is providing updates on the commissioning and answering questions on his informative blog. It's a must-read for anyone planning to purchase and commission a new Nordhavn.

Eliana will be featured in an upcoming Circumnavigator on account of its outstanding interior designed by Scott Cole of Ardeo Design.

Four Nordhavns jump the Pacific

One of the nicest jobs at Circumnavigator magazine is keeping an eye on the blogs of Nordhavns out there are voyaging the world. There are many excellent blogs maintained by Nordhavn owners but one of our favorites is Cruising with Oso Blanco written by Eric and Ann Bloomquist about cruising with young son Bear.

Eric and Annie have a way with words, and a sense of humor, that has us looking forward to each new post about life aboard Oso Blanco. We first encountered the Bloomquists when Bear was a toddler. Then the first Oso Blanco was a Nordhavn 40. As Bear grew, so did the Nordhavn, with the second being a 47. Bear now is eight and the third Nordhavn is a 64. That's Bear shown with a friend in the Marquesas.

Click here for Annie's post about swimming with sharks in the Marquesas in French Polynesia after a non-stop passage of 15 days 20 hours covering 2,714 nautical miles from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. That's Oso Blanco anchored in paradise in the top photo. (Click on any image for a larger view.)

Two other PAE trawler yachts made the same passage—billed as Pacific Puddle Jump by Latitude 38—this spring:

• Mystery Ship, another Nordhavn 64
• Lone Wolf, a Nordhavn 62.

Another, Nordhavn 46 Emily Grace, made a longer passage to the Marquesas, steaming 2,905 miles from Galapagos in 21 days.

Coincidentally, the magazine we're currently working on—Circumnavigator 2011 that will be out in September—has been labeled the adventure edition. You could say Nordhavn is just another way to spell adventure.

Zulu leads the good life aboard Kanaloa

Zulu, the first Norfolk terrier to circumnavigate the world under power, has learned to write. His first newsletter, It's a Wonderful Life, is a charming account of how much Zulu enjoys the cruising life in the South Pacific aboard Kanaloa, the well-traveled Nordhavn 46 owned by his parents, Heidi and Wolfgang Hass.

Click here to download the newsletter as a PDF.

See Nordhavn in Miami

One of the best boats shows in the world takes place in Greater Miami from February 11 to 15. Actually, there are two shows—and Nordhavn will be on display at both events.

At the Miami International Boat Show, Nordhavn will show a Nordhavn 47 (photo) in Slip 318 at Sealine Marina. At the Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach, Ramp 16 on Indian Creek Waterway at Collins Avenue, you'll be able to see the new Nordhavn 75 Expedition Yachtfisher and the venerable Nordhavn 62.

In Miami, Nordhavn will unveil its all-new design for a contemporary-styled 78-foot luxury passagemaker. Dan Streech and Jim Leishman, co-founders of Pacific Asian Enterprises and creators of the Nordhavn make, will be on deck.

See you in Miami!

Stylish new 78-footer from Nordhavn

You’re in the market for a world-class, travel-anywhere motor yacht, you appreciate a boatbuilder with deep expertise in engineering and proven prowess on the oceans of the world, but you can’t quite get your head around the industrial-grade, expedition-look of Nordhavns?

Pacific Asian Enterprises has just the boat for you: the stylish Nordhavn 78, a new design that fuses ocean-crossing capability with European styling in a pretty passagemaker. Click on the above image for a larger view.

“This design will appeal to a whole faction of clientele who tend not to prefer the traditional expedition-type look of a Nordhavn,” says Jim Leishman, PAE’s co-founder. “The N78 will evoke a contemporary European feel without losing the dynamic of being a Nordhavn.”

Key to the design is the emphasis Jeff Leishman, PAE’s chief designer, has placed on outdoor living, starting with the flying bridge. The new 78 will feature a Jacuzzi, wet bar, barbecue and a large open deck area perfect for entertaining. Meanwhile, the foredeck—a typical lounging hotspot on most European boats—has been designated the ideal outdoor “chilling space.” The cockpit of the 78 has been opened up, too, to further enhance entertaining possibilities.

The Nordhavn 78 will come equipped with twin 425-horsepower engines, have ocean-crossing capabilities with a range of 3,000+ miles and superior fuel efficiency. The interior will feature an updated, modern design aesthetic that includes sumptuous owners’ accommodations and two superb guest rooms all with en suite heads, as well as crew quarters and off-watch quarters.

Although the lines of the new 78 will have a European flair, PAE feels the yacht will appeal to international and American markets alike. “The beauty of this design is that it’s a Nordhavn, so you’ve got comfort and confidence while under way, but the benefits will be realized when you’re not passagemaking,” notes Nordhavn Europe’s Philip Roach. “The added elements will really allow you to enjoy your time on board once you’ve arrived.”

The first 78-footer will be launched in 2011. For additional information, visit nordhavn.com and watch for a full-blown preview in the next Circumnavigator.

Circumnavigator goes interactive

A digital edition of the 2010 issue of Circumnavigator now is available. Click here to read it online or download to your desktop.

A digital edition is quite an improvement over a PDF version of the magazine.

One of the significant advantages of the digital version is that all links to websites are active. Just hover your cursor over a website address anywhere in the magazine and you'll see the URL appear. Just click on it and away you go.

The other neat thing is that the Contents pages are interactive.

When you have the digital edition open on your screen, try out the menus across the top—Contents, Pages, Archives et al—to experience the full power of the medium.

The digital edition will enable us to introduce video clips and sound in future magazines—a feature that will be included in the 2011 issue that will appear in the fall of 2010.

Earlier editions will soon be digitized and available here and at www.nordhavn.com.

There are no plans to end the print edition anytime soon.

A fourth Nordhavn for adventurer-filmmaker Sprague Theobald

No sooner had Sprague Theobald (right) completed his transit of the Northwest Passage with Bagan, his faithful Nordhavn 57, when he placed an order for hull #3 in the new Nordhavn 63 series.

He told us he loves the 57 but with further adventures in mind, he needs a larger boat so he can have a dedicated video editing studio aboard. PAE is designing the space into the new boat.

The 63 will be the fourth Nordhavn Sprague has owned. After the way the 57 came through when ice crunched all around her for days, there was no question in Sprague's mind about where to shop for his next passagemaker.

Bagan is for sale in Seattle while from back home in Newport, Rhode Island, Sprague is in discussions with several television networks about the documentary he shot while in the Arctic.

Visit Trawlers & Trawlering for a report on his great adventure. Check out the trailer for the upcoming film on Sprague's own site. Watch for the next Circumnavigator for a full feature on the transit by the first production powerboat.

That's a rendering of the new 63 in our banner above. We cannot tell you how much we look forward to sea-trialing this beauty from the board of Jeff Leishman at PAE.

Passion endures

Eight of the 13 Nordhavns at the Southwest Rendezvous raft up in front of Dana Point Yacht Club.

The economy may be down but the passion for all things Nordhavn continues to run high.

More than 200 owners and would-be owners showed up for last weekend's Southwest Nordhavn Rendezvous in Dana Point, California, where PAE is headquartered, for a program of featured presentations, seminars, boat tours, vendor displays, eats and drinks.

It was great to make new friends and renew acquaintances such as Jim and Susy Sink, first to circumnavigate in a Nordhavn, Eric and Christi Grab, the newest circumnavigators in a Nordhavn, Sprague Theobald, who transited the Northwest Passage with his Nordhavn last summer, and Ken Williams, who led three Nordhavns across the North Pacific from Alaska to Japan this year.

Go to nordhavn.com for more photos and a report on the event. See also the commentary on the rendezvous posted by Ken Williams on his blog.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs