circumnavigator

Ocean Rose,Nordhavn 47 #1,

off Southern California

SPECIAL EDITION: PASSAGEMAKING THE WORLD WITH NORDHAVN

COUPLES ENJOY TRAWLER LIFESTYLE

$4.95 / Display until Nov. 15, 2003

www.circumnavigatormag.com

Is the 47 the perfectpassagemaker?

The mighty 72 and astonishing new 43

PAE rewrites therecord books

Information and inspiration you can use

NEWESTNORDHAVN

NEXT GENERATION

AROUND THEWORLD IN 40 FEET

LESSONSLEARNED

NEWESTNORDHAVNIs the 47 the perfectpassagemaker?

NEXT GENERATIONThe mighty 72 and astonishing new 43

AROUND THEWORLD IN 40 FEETPAE rewrites therecord books

LESSONSLEARNEDInformation and inspiration you can use

COUPLES ENJOY TRAWLER LIFESTYLE

2003

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2003 CIRCUMNAVIGATOR · 3

WELCOME!

So many people cross the ocean in sailboats, and sailors are so inclined to write about it,that the world sees sailboats as passage-makers and motorboats as coastwise cruisers.Nothing could be less true. The fact is that a well-designed motor vessel makes a cinch of apassage, and offers no opportunity for heroic postures. I suspect that motor passage-makersarrive casually for lunch and move on to the next port, unnoticed—no baggywrinkle, notattered canvas, no ragged beards, no stormcloths.”

Norris HoytFormer Editor of Yachtingas quoted in Voyaging Under Power

Passagemaking under power is a passion whose time has come.Eilco Kasemier, David Scott Cowper, and Bruce Kessler have made their

pioneering circumnavigations. Jim and Susy Sink have shown that not-so-youngcouples can take a production powerboat around the world and enjoy theadventure greatly. Even those who cast off without much knowledge can quicklygain experience and circumnavigate, as demonstrated by Ghanim Al-Othman.

Now, we see Heidi and Wolfgang Hass starting their second voyage aroundthe world under power. In Thailand, five trawler yachts rendezvous in one har-bor, three of them in the midst of circumnavigations. Others are visiting Galapa-gos, cruising the Med, poking around the Caribbean and other corners of theworld. In 2004, when the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally takes place, more trawleryachts will cross the pond in 60 days than have done so in the past 60 years.

Indeed, a new era in boating is upon us, when just about anyone can under-take passages that until recently were considered heroic acts and the exclusivedomain of sailboats. Today, ordinary people can enjoy an extraordinary timewith their trawlers, as you will see inside Circumnavigator.

How appropriate that Pacific Asian Enterprises should be the company tosponsor this first-ever magazine devoted exclusively to voyaging under power.No one has done more than the folks who build Nordhavns to enable peoplefrom all walks of life—many of them couples—to make long passages underpower in safety, comfort and style.

Enjoy the magazine! Let us know how you like the features and photosassembled here. Tell us what else you would like to read, as we plan to publishmore special editions for and about trawlering.

—The Editors

Passagemaking for everyone

Circumnavigator™ is a special edition on passagemaking under power published for Pacific Asian Enterprises byTrawler World Productions, Custom Magazine Division, 3377 Bethel Road S.E. #107, Port Orchard, Washington 98366.Telephone: 866-865-2628, facsimile: 866-865-2729, e-mail: [email protected], Web site: www.circum-navigatormagazine.com.

Editor: Georgs Kolesnikovs; Designer: Chris Knowles; Managing Editor: Joe Hvilivitzky; Contributing Editors: MiltBaker, Garrett Lambert; Contributors: Blake August, Fred Caron, Jim Kirby; Photographer: David Shuler; EditorialAssistant: Rebecca Crosgrey; Advertising Director: Nanette Jacques; Curmudgeon: Martin Levesque.

© Trawler World Productions 2003. Printed in Canada. ISSN 1705-6810. Nordhavn® and Mason® are registeredtrademarks of Pacific Asian Enterprises.P

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4 · CIRCUMNAVIGATOR 2003

UP FRONT

2003

Dream boatAdventurous couples are flocking to the newNordhavn 47 in record numbers, certain it’sthe perfect passagemaker.

6

Passagemaking for everyoneYou too can voyage the world underpower—in safety, comfort and style—with the arrival of a new era in boating.

3

Flagship!The mighty 72 will be the best Nordhavn todate, the culmination of more than a quarterof a century in boatbuilding.

16Pure passagemaker

The astonishing Nordhavn 43 is a statement of how PAE can design and build a great yetsmall passagemaker.

24

PASSAGEMAKING THE WORLD

UnsinkableJim and Susy Sink were the first to circumnavi-gate the world in an off-the-shelf productionpowerboat.

40

The great escapeNordhavn owners are making exemplarypassages outside of U.S. waters as well ascruising closer to home.

28

Doing it his wayInexperience and rotten weather couldn’tscuttle one man’s dream of taking his ownboat around the planet.

42

Lessons learnedHere are the most important lessons learnedby owners of nine Nordhavns cruising farbeyond U.S. waters.

44

Round 3Love of life at sea starts this atypical cruisingcouple on a third voyage around the globe ina passagemaker under 50 ft LOA.

43

Out there, and loving itThe joy of passagemaking, as described byFred Caron, who is circumnavigating with wifeChris aboard Arcturus, a Nordhavn 46.

50

Circumnavigators under powerEilco Kasemier of Holland was the first tocircumnavigate the world in a trawler yacht, a feat accomplished only eight times.

52Beebe

Captain Robert Beebe designed the originalPassagemaker and fathered the modern-daytrawler yacht era.

54

4

Page 6


Faces of NordhavnHere are the four dozen men and women ofPacific Asian Enterprises responsible for thesuccess of Nordhavn.

102

Decision, decisionsThere now are nine different Nordhavn modelsto choose from. ranging in size from 35 to 72feet in length.

100Built on a firm foundation

An enduring association with two Taiwaneseboat makers underpins the new factoriesproducing Nordhavns.

107Passion and pride

A passion for passagemaking and pride inproduct drive everyone and everything atPacific Asian Enterprises.

108

ABOUT NORDHAVN

Best booksTen recommendations for must-reading foranyone interested in enjoying long-rangecruising under power.

98

Trawler transatA fleet of passagemakers will convoy acrossthe Atlantic to the Mediterranean in thesummer of 2004.

96

Fiberglass rulesSteel is considered the stronger material, butfiberglass has proven more than tough enoughand even superior in many applications.

110Trawler travels

Tom Hall and Liz McLoughlin of the Nordhavn40 Onward urge you to make the time to getaway and realize your fantasies.

114

OF SPECIAL INTEREST

www.circumnavigatormag.com

Ultimate sea trialIn sending a box-stock Nordhavn 40 around the world, Pacific AsianEnterprises rewrote the book on voyaging under power. Appropriately, our39-page special report on the circumnavigation is a book-length accountof the voyage and a primer on passagemaking in powerboats.

56

Page 114

AROUND THE WORLD


T he new Nordhavn 47 was a best-seller even beforethe first boat was launched. In the most successfulnew-model introduction ever by Pacific Asian Enter-

prises, 22 boats were ordered sight unseen.Who are these people who paid deposits on blind

faith, it seems, with some willing to wait close to twoyears before taking possession of their dream ships?Why did they select the Nordhavn 47?

What is striking is that for these people there was nochoice except Nordhavn. It was just a matter of find-ing which model suited their needs and taste, andtheir budgets.

Bob Wilkins, an importer of exotic flowers, wasfirst to sign up.

“Nordhavn has created a line of boats that hassuch strong DNA of experience in the real world,the real world being the long ocean passages takenby so many owners,” Wilkins says. “This experienceand how it has been translated into improving the breedis unmatched in any other production boat. This real-worldexperience extends to all members of the PAE team. The resultis the best of the best in its class.”

His partner, Janice Bolduc, adds: “If ever there was a boat that inspireslove at first sight, surely this is it.” Their boat is Ocean Rose, Hull #1,pictured in these pages.

Richard Somers, a retired airline pilot, purchased Hull #2. He had aNordhavn 46 on order, but when the 47 was introduced he switchedbecause the 47 “represents so much more value.” The range of standardequipment and the interior space of the 47 appealed to him mightily.

“Most importantly, this company (PAE) and the people behind theproduct sold me on Nordhavn. I’m convinced they will maintain the qual-ity of the brand, which not only means I’ll get a great boat, but I’m very

NEW FROM NORDHAVN

Cover and feature photography by David Shuler


Dream boatThe promise of passagemaking the world

in comfort, style and safety appeals toadventurous couples, and they are flockingto the new Nordhavn 47 in record numbers

By Georgs Kolesnikovs


likely to be able to recover a substan-tial part of my investment when I sellthe boat years from now.”

Robert Healey, another airline pilot,in line for Hull #10, says he boughtthe key people at PAE as much as theboat: “I like to call them the fourhorsemen, and I know I’ll always havetheir ongoing support. Dan Streech isa great organizer, Jim Leishman is astrong marketer, Jeff Leishman is anexperienced marine architect, and JoeMeglen is the glue that holds it alltogether.” He describes the level oftheir common passion as amazing.

Initially, Preston Claytor and hiswife, Kim, were interested in a 48-foot-er from another builder. But engine-room access was awkward, visibilityfrom the pilothouse was poor for allbut the helmsman, and, “finally, thesalesman didn’t take me seriously. I’m42 and Kim will be 40 next year. Iguess one needs lots of gray hairbefore some trawler salesmen will actcordial and treat you as a serious buy-er.” Needless to say, a PAE salesman

did take them seriously and theyordered Hull #14.

Now that the first buyers have had achance to see the first Nordhavn 47sthat have been launched, what is theiropinion of the boat?

“She is more than we expected,”says Janice Bolduc of Ocean Rose. “Asophisticated motor yacht withenough power to run its complex sys-tem. The engine room, which, by theway, one can actually stand and walkaround in, is all white and operating-room like. That’s why I nicknamedher OR. It’s the heart of Ocean Rose.

“The first thing you notice whileunder way is her quietness through-out. I mean, I could be standing inthe master stateroom right next to theengine room and there’s virtually nonoise, odor nor vibration. It remainsquiet as a church. The raised pilot-house offers excellent visibility andspace for visitors. In past Nordhavndemos, I recall some nasty passageswhere the nose was buried and itlooked like a submarine for awhile—

and this was only the Chesapeake.However, we were nice and toasty insocks and T-shirts. She held tight andsteady. It actually was exhilarating.

“Accommodations are spacious withhidden features like stowage underthe staterooms’ beds. There are manycompartments . . . I even specked oneout for the wine. The showers arelarge enough for two people to standin. She’s quiet, with wonderful perfor-mance and generous galley, saloonand staterooms . . . very roomythroughout. A real sea boat. To me,the best choice for bluewater cruisers.

“I think we’ll be the envy of thecruising fleet. We’re high and dry. Wehave a beautiful flying bridge with

The Nordhavn 47 boasts (from top) a to-die-for pilothouse with space for six adultsand a fixed helm chair, the comforts ofhome in the master stateroom, a spacioussaloon, an elegant galley with a full-sizerange, and a shower big enough for two,as demonstrated by Bob Wilkins and JaniceBolduc, owners of N47 #1, Ocean Rose.


controls and helm chair and a beauti-ful half-moon seating area which willhave a table, too. The space aft has avery functional, well laid-out deckwhich holds our dinghy and eventual-ly our kayaks. We will add a few morethings like a built-in grill with wet sinkand cold storage, and probably anoth-er in the cockpit for when we catchthe big ones. Just clean and throwthem on the grill.”

Robert Healey, who is 6-foot-3, says

he was not prepared for how big aboat the 47 is. From the size of thepilothouse to the size of the lazaretteto the storage space throughout theboat, Healey says he’s impressed.

“What amazed us most was thesheer size of the 47,” say Alex and DebHaase, in line for Hull #11, whichthey’ll call Guilt Trip. “The vessel cer-tainly seems bigger than the Nord-havn 50 and her displacement provesit out. She will never be as beautiful a

yacht as the 50 but will be aworking, rugged, ocean-goingvessel that we will be proud toown.”

The commercial look of the47, which PAE first used in the40, is mighty attractive tomany of the first owners.

When Preston Claytor andhis wife, Kim, saw Hull #1, hesays he found the pilothousemost appealing: “PAEdesigned a great space there,and the ability to have a full-sized helm chair (not avail-

able on the 46) coupled with the factthat the 47 has a wrap-around dashmake the pilothouse my favoritespace. Kim appreciated the quality ofthe boat, specifically items such asgranite in the galley. She also statedthat the master stateroom was a bigplus. We had to have the fore-aft bunkand wouldn’t consider the athwartships one. Finally, she liked the waythe desk turned out on #1. Originalplans called for a small settee forwardof the smaller desk. When PAE madethis change, she was convinced thatshe should be on their design payroll!

“We were both most amazed by thesize difference between the forwardstateroom on the 50 versus the 47—clearly the most striking differencebetween the 47 and 50. We went onOcean Rose and then went on a 50during our Dana Point visit. What adifference!”

No one disputes, however, that theN50 is a hands-down winner in termsof styling, speed, range, and superiorAB ratio. Additionally, PAE will cus-tomize the 50 but not the 47.

Ron Montague, in the wholesalelumber business in Colorado, says hiswife, Lillian, was sold on the galley,the size and layout of the owner’sstateroom, and the spacious pilot-house where they plan to spend a lotof time. The Montagues are in line forHull #14. He says he has always beenimpressed with the “down-to-earthnature of the people” at PAE, peoplewho obviously love boats and boating.Seeing Hull #1 and #2 only confirmedthey had made the right choice.

What features of the Nordhavn 47caught the eye of the first buyers?

There isn’t anyone who does notmention the size and spaciousness ofthe 47, with most citing the pilothouseand master stateroom. For RobertHealey, the biggest selling point wasthe stand-up engine room. Buyinginto the “cutting edge of design andtechnology” in power passagemakingalso appealed to him.

For Bob Wilkins, one of the attrac-tions was “world-class electrical andfuel systems. A close examination ofthese two systems (and many others)will surely convince a buyer that Nord-havns have the experience to cruise


“Big boat!”That’s the first reaction of every-

one walking down the dock towardthe new Nordhavn 47, with a varia-tion on the theme being: “Wow, thatis the biggest 47 I’ve ever seen!”

The newest Nordhavn is only 47feet 6 inches on deck, but Pacific

Asian Enterprises pulled no punchesin designing the boat, incorporatingtheir latest thinking on what makes aperfect passagemaker. With a newfactory, PAE is no longer confined byheight restrictions, as was the case forits 46 and 50. Thus, the 47 is a fullfoot taller than the 50, which enabledPAE to raise the decks, expand floorspace, increase tankage, and provide

the world. These boats are not designson paper waiting for production, theyare here today and have the experi-ence deep inside them to be safe pas-sagemakers.”

Alex and Deb Haase plan to cruisethe East Coast and the Great Loopbefore heading across the Atlantic tospend time in the Med. “We realizethat no boat can do it all well and wewill have considerable challengesdoing the Loop and some other shal-low waters,” Alex says. “However, inour mind, this is one of the few vesselsof its size that can do it all, and do theoceans well.”

Preston and Deb Claytor almosttook a step up to the Nordhavn 50,Preston says, “However, when we tookthe plans for the 50 and overlaid themon the 47, we saw precious few differ-ences.” The 47 provides, firstly, “just asmuch space in three less feet, whichequals lower costs all around. Second-ly, we want a boat capable of clearingthe bridges on the Loop. PAE wouldonly produce a 50 as a Loop boat witha wet exhaust. Thirdly, the 47 has the668T Lugger, with 174 horsepowermax, whereas the 50 has a 250 or 300-horsepower Lugger; we felt this wasoverkill on a full-displacement hull.Finally, we weren’t in a great hurry. Itseems that many people have to have aboat now. We sold our ocean-goingsailboat in November 2000, and havesurvived. Realistically, we won’t takedelivery of 47-17 until summer 2004and this date could easily slip further.That is OK with us as I have a full-timejob and plenty to do in the meantime.”

What made you decide on the 47 asopposed to the 46 or 50?

Bob Wilkins answers: “I had reallylooked at the 46 and would havebought one, it being my first choice intrawler boats. Forty-seven 01 came tome as a last-minute opportunity and Ijumped on it. For many couples the46 still is one of the best boats in themarket for worldwide travels or verysecure coastal and Great Loop-typetravel. I liked the look of the 47 betterthan the 50, and the 47 is also lessmoney than the 50. The 50 still hasthe advantage of a different look or ifyou want greater speed. The 50 cancruise at 9.5-10 knots where the 47

Perfect passagemaker?The new Nordhavn 47 has the makings of being theultimate passagemaking machine for a couple wishingto voyage the world in a production powerboat

By the Editors

Nothing but thebest of everything isthe theme that runsthrough the 47.Nordhavn qualitydoes have a price,but you do getwhat you pay for,and record numbersof customers arewilling and able todo so.

will make around 8.5. The 50 has a300-horsepower engine and the 47has a 174-horsepower engine.”

Many buyers order active-fin stabi-lizers, but Richard Somers took only

paravanes, for their reliability and sim-plicity, “not to mention a year of col-lege for my son.” A pair of active finscost $32,500 while a paravane systemcosts $12,500. Having a sailing back-


ground, he says he’s not intimidatedby handling lines, and likes the bonusof stabilization at anchor which activefins do not provide.

How do the first buyers of the Nord-havn 47 plan to use their dream ships?

Janice Bolduc, first mate of OceanRose, says, “We are readying the boatto start cruising in 2003. We have allthe electronics that we need to goaround the world. Our first stopshould be Catalina Island, then up tothe Pacific Northwest. Probably intoCanada and finally to Alaska in thesummer. Our future plan is to be partof the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally to theMed in 2004.”

Richard and Raiko Somersof Journey, Hull #2: In thesummer of 2003, head for

Glacier Bay in Southeast Alaska, thenMexico, Guatemala, El Salvador andPanama. After a stop at Captiva Islandin southwest Florida, where his fatherlives, up to Rhode Island for the startof the trans-Atlantic rally, and then sev-eral years in the Mediterranean beforedeciding where to cruise next. SaysRichard, “A boat for us represents aleisurely way to travel to places we’vealways wanted to visit, or have been tobut on a time schedule. Now we’ll beable to stay for prolonged periods oftime in places we like.”

Ron Montague of Hull #14: Theboat should be ready in time for the2004 rally to the Med, but plans are

changing, and Panama, Mexico andAlaska beckon.

Preston Claytor of Hull #17: “I wantto do the Great Loop. I would alsolike to take the boat offshore to theBahamas and Virgin Islands. It’s thethird trip which will have some folksthinking I’m nuts.” The third trip is asthe support vessel on a transit of theIntracoastal Waterway in his 29-footcabin steamer. Yes, steamer.

Robert and Cathy Healey of Triton,Hull #10: They plan to follow the sunfrom the Florida Keys to Maine.

Alex Haase of Guilt Trip, Hull #11:“I have spent 35 years flying over theoceans, both the Atlantic and Pacific,from the southern ice cap to Thule,Greenland, and from India to Japan,the long way around. Those long,dark nights over the oceans allow timefor considerable dreams. One of thosehas always been to cross an ocean onmy own bottom at 7 miles per hourrather than 600. Deb and I havealways enjoyed travel and the journeyis always as important as the destina-tion. Soooo, in three years . . .”

for an engine room with 6 feet 2inches of standing headroom. Else-where, headroom is 6 feet 6 inches ormore.

It’s as if everything on the boat—from the engine room to the pilot-house—was super-sized, as if theyfound a way to put 50-some feet ofboat into a 47-foot footprint, all with-out making the boat seem ill-propor-

tioned. As tall as it is, the 47, with anabove/below water ratio of 2.5, stillfalls within the range that RobertBeebe specified in the original Voyag-ing Under Power, as a requirementfor seaworthiness.

For Jim Leishman, the foundingpartner who headed development ofthe boat at PAE, 47 feet is a perfectsize. He spent the better part of a

Space abounds in the lazarettefor extra gear and in the walk-

in, stand-up engine room foradditional machinery. Sight

gauges on the day tank (upperright) enable fuel burn to be

accurately monitored on longocean passages.

The latest Nordhavn is super-sized, as if PAE found a wayto put 50-some feet of boat

into a 47-foot footprint.

C


summer in Southeast Alaska on aNordhavn 40 with his wife and twoteen-age sons, and acknowledgesmore room would have meantgreater comfort.

The new 47 has more room inspades: The spectacular pilothouse islarge enough to comfortably host sixpeople, probably the maximum onewould have aboard the 47 while cruis-ing, and it has its own wet locker.There is room for a comfortablehelm chair. The owner’s stateroomhas a walk-around bed and a spacioushead. The galley is full size, with anadditional 5 cubic feet of freezercapacity down below. The 47 has aseparate washer and dryer (Yes!),with external venting assuring fastdrying and less moisture inside theboat. There are two sleeping areas inthe saloon for rough-weather pas-sages. There is no shortage of spacein the engine room for all manner ofoptional machinery.

The 47 has the same no-nonsensestyling as the 40, but the profile hasbeen softened by the addition of theextra 7 feet. Whereas the 40 canappear chunky to some, the 47 has apowerful, purpose-built look. Thissame distinctive styling is alsoemployed on the new 72 and 43. Fora passagemaker, we love the look.

Commentary provided by ownersin the companion article covers manyof the outstanding features of thenew 47, and the data page providesdetailed information about the boat.Here, we’ll note highlights of oureight hours aboard Hull #1.

Under way, the low level of machin-ery noise is immediately noticeable,thanks in part to a honeycomb materi-al called Nidacore used in bulkheadsand deck beams. The dry-exhaust sys-tem empties 29 feet above water, so allone hears on deck—even on the boatdeck—is a pleasant burble. The 4:1reduction gear turns the 34-inch pro-peller slowly, efficiently and quietly.

The 47 is well thought-out from aboat user’s perspective, especiallyaccess to all the components thatneed routine service or maintenance.Excellent design has gone into thepilothouse electronics panel. If theinstrumentation changes and the

The 47 has the same no-nonsensestyling as the 40, but the profile hasbeen softened by the addition of theextra 7 feet. Whereas the 40 canappear chunky to some, the 47 has apowerful, purpose-built look. Thissame distinctive styling is alsoemployed on the new 72 and 43. Fora passagemaker, we love the look.


fully crafted as the Nordhavn. In thecosmetic department, up on theoptional flying bridge, one flub is thefailure to build non-skid into themold and having to resort to linearpolyurathane paint with nonskid.Inconsequential, but an unusual slip.

Seating space in the saloon is lessthan one would expect on a boat thissize, but a consequence of having giv-en so much space to the fabulous gal-

new stuff doesn’t fit the old holes, anew face panel can be made inexpen-sively by any carpenter and simplydropped into place.

In the engine room, fuel filters,tank access, engine components, andgenerator are all within easy reachwithout one having to be built like anorangutan. The walk-in, stand-upengine room is every trawler owner’sdream. It boasts an elegant yet simplefuel manifolding system which pro-vides a small day tank and the abilityto meter fuel so closely that it candetermine fuel consumption down tothe last tenth of a gallon. Virtuallyevery gallon of fuel is burnablebecause fuel is taken from the bot-tom of the two main tanks holding1,450 gallons in all. It’s a gravity-feedsystem that even a dolt in mechanicalmatters can operate like a pro. A nicetouch is the stainless steel rail aroundthe engine, great to lean on whileworking on the Lugger turbo-charged six.

The 47 comes with a comprehen-sive 130-page manual that coversevery onboard system in detail. PAEhas a full-time engineer dedicated tocompiling and verifying the manuals,each one custom-written for everyboat delivered, not just one genericmanual per model. Arguably, PAEmanuals are the best in the industry.

The fore-and-aft bed, as opposed toathwartships, in the midships masterstateroom and the large, well-designed master head sized for real-world people shout comfort and con-venience. Another nice touch comesin the guest stateroom where thehead has been located forwardagainst the chain locker, so guestscan sleep farther aft than, say, in theNordhavn 40.

The standard four-burner stovelooks like it belongs in a restaurantkitchen. The granite counter topsgive the galley an upscale air, andonly brand-name appliances areinstalled.

The fit and finish throughout theboat are terrific. You cannot beat hav-ing truly experienced boatbuildersapply their skills and talent to a ves-sel. And say what you will about teak,it still looks right in a boat as beauti-

ley and the spectacular pilothouse.After the first five 47s were built in

Taiwan, construction shifted to a newfactory in Xiamen in mainland Chi-na. A lot of parts will be shipped toChina from Taiwan, says Joe Meglen,one of the founding partners in PAE.“Hull #6 of the 47 will be the firstboat built in China. Anything lessthan at least equal quality is not anoption. If we have to throw 10 timesthe labor at it, we’ll do it, because #6will be better than #5.”

Nothing but the best of everythingis the theme that runs through the47, but Nordhavn quality has a price.You do get what you pay for, and,obviously, a record number of cus-tomers are willing and able to pay forthe 47.

“The 47 definitely has a magic to itin terms of the customer’s reaction,”says Jim Leishman, as witnessed bythe rate at which buyers are respond-ing to interior volume, appealingdesign and decent pricing.

But is it the perfect passagemaker?The Beebe bible tells us that a

proper passagemaker must have cer-tain qualities and characteristics.They are detailed in Voyaging UnderPower and summarized in laterpages of this magazine. Not surpris-ingly, the Nordhavn 47 does not strayfrom the principles and parameterslaid down by Beebe, since the peopleat PAE are unabashed adherents toBeebe. They’ll tweak the lines a bit,add two bulges below the waterline,and load up their boats with the bestof everything that customersdemand, but the people at PAEremain true believers.

They are dedicated to the proposi-tion that a man and wife can crossoceans, and voyage anywhere theywish, under power, in comfort, andwith dispatch. That’s what the Nord-havn 47 is admirably suited to do.Time will tell how perfectly it canperform in such service.

So far, the closest anyone has cometo creating the perfect passagemakerin under 50 feet is PAE, with its ven-erable 46. The old girl has a lead offour score boats and three circum-navigations, but the new boy showsgreat promise.

An isolated fuel tank feeds the 40-hp Yan-mar wing engine with V-drive transmissionand Martec folding propeller (top). TheHynautic steering ram, autopilot pumpsand watermaker prefilters are clustered inthe lazarette. House batteries are alsolocated in the lazarette. The main engineprimary fuel filter is a duplex Racor 900,with another Racor used in fuel transfer.

C


Length overall ..... 51 ftLength on deck ..... 47 ft 6 in

Length waterline ..... 43 ft 4 inBeam overall ..... 16 ft 1 in

Beam waterline ..... 15 ft 6 inDraft at max weight ..... 5 ft 1 in

Air draft mast up ..... 29 ftAir draft mast down ..... 15 ft 3 in

Ballast ..... 8,000 lbDisplacement ..... 84,749 lb at full load, max

cruising weight Displacement ..... 37.83 long tons

Displacement/Length ..... 450Beam/Length ..... .35

Above/Below water ..... 2.5:1Prismatic coefficient ..... .61

Refrigerator Freezer .....Sub Zero with icemakerCountertops ..... Granite

Flooring ..... Ceramic tile or stoneCabinetry/paneling ..... Teak with satin varnish

Cooking ..... Thermadore stove and oven with LPG conversion for 4-burner stove and electric oven, and GE Space Saver XL1800 microwave oven

Trash ..... Broan trash compactor

Standard engine ..... Single Lugger LP668T.2 diesel

Power output ..... 173 hp at 2,400 rpmTransmission ..... ZFW 220 3.96 to 1.00

Propeller shaft ..... 2 1/4-in Aquamet 17, tapered

Propeller ..... 4 blades, 34-in diameterExhaust type ..... Dry exhaust in stainless

steelCooling system ..... Fernstrum Grid Cooler,

fresh waterEngine instruments ..... Oil pressure, water

temperature, voltage, revolutions, hour meter, with alarms

Engine controls ..... Morse levers and cablesEngine access ..... From owner's cabin and

lazarette

Material ..... Fiberglass, solid series of laminates in hull, cabin sides cored with Klegecell R75 foam, cabin top and deck cored with EGB Baltek(9-12 lb per square foot)

Deck and hull joint ..... Between the flange: 3M 5200Inside of joint: 2 layersM & W.R.Mechanical fastening: 1/4-in stainless thrubolts on6-in centers

Longitudinals ..... Hull: port and starboard, engine beds and floor stringersTopsides: longitudinal and vertical stringers

Number of staterooms ..... 2 standard, 3 optionalNumber of berths ..... 5 standard, 7 optional

Salon ..... Seating for 6

Capacity ..... 2 main tanks totaling 1,450 gal with one centerline aluminum 80-gal day tank to gravityfeed from main wing tanks

Access ..... Inspection plates positioned for interior access by average man

Gauges ..... Sight gauges provided for both tanks and vented into main vent system for each tank. Top of supply reservoir holds 2 gal and is fitted with a sight gauge with 1-gal range and 10th gal marks for fuel consumption

Transfer ..... Transfer manifold and Walbro fuel pump with timer switch and Racor 900 fuel filter which can transfer fuel from one tank to another and scrub fuel while transferring, and fill top part of supply reservoir for consumption

Fuel ..... 1,450 galFreshwater ..... 400 galGreywater ..... 110 gal

Blackwater ..... 120 gal

Galley

Accommodations

Machinery

Construction

Tankage

Price of base boat:$760,000Equipment highlights of base boat (not a complete inventory):Hynautic hydraulic steering system; 30-inch stain-less steel destroyer-type steering wheel; Emer-gency tiller: to attach to top of rudder post andstow in lazarette; Raritan Atlantis Heads #A5F12fresh water flush only; Two (2) Worthington 20-lbLPG bottles in port side transom locker; 4 x 255+AH (8D) Lifeline batteries for house appliances(1,020 amp hours) and one additional 8D forengine starting; All wiring used throughout boat istinned wire and color coded; Conduits for futureelectrical installations, PVC from mast step topilothouse, PVC from engine room to pilothouse;Heart Freedom 30 3,000-watt inverter/batterycharger; GE Spacesaver compact washer anddryer; Teak and spruce floors; Cabinetry/panelingin teak with satin varnish; Teak dinette table; Teakvalance over windows; Stainless steel double bowroller to accommodate a 110 Bruce anchor onstarboard roller and the port roller to be designedfor a second light anchor or for mooring lines;Maxwell 12-volt VWC 3500 windlass mounted ona molded FRP base; Pilothouse and saloon win-dows to be 12-mm tempered glass by DiamondSeaglaze; Pilothouse and saloon doors by DiamondSeaglaze, Dutch-style.

Some options:• Flybridge, including Todd helm, fixed fiberglassseating, cushions, engine room controls, bowthruster and windlass remote, table — $29,746

• Naiad active stabilizers with 6-square-foot fins— $32,500

• PAE passive paravane stabilizing system —$12,500

Nordhavn 47

Designer: Jeff Leishman

PerformanceMaximum speed (S/L 1.4) ........... 9.2 knotsCoastal-cruising speed (S/L 1.29) ... 8.5 knotsLong-range speed (S/L 1.12) ..... 7.34 knotsRange at long-range speed .......... 3,500 nm Estimate of range based on test tank data with no reserve

General dimensions

Fuel

ContactPacific Asian Enterprises, P.O. Box 874, Dana Point, California 92629 / Telephone 949-496-4848 / Facsimile 949-240-2398 /E-mail: [email protected] / Site: www.nordhavn.com

SPECIFICATIONS

As at January 2003



I s it a fool’s errand to travel a thousand milesto Southern California to “see” a boat thathasn’t yet been built? Most definitely not.

The all-new Nordhavn 72 springs vividly to lifein conversations with her designer and the man-agement team at Pacific Asian Enterprises. Theexcitement in Dana Point is infectious.

“The 72 is our finest work to date,” Dan Streechasserts. “We’ll do many more boats in the future,but this is the current culmination of everythingwe’ve learned in the past quarter of a century. Sys-tems, elegance, noise control, fit and finish, safe-ty–-you name it, we’ve built it all into the 72.”Streech is president of PAE, the firm that builds

and sells the Nordhavn line, and acting projectleader on the N72 during the run-up to produc-tion.

“You have to start with a good-looking boat. Ifit doesn’t look good, it’s hopeless. Simply beingtechnically correct isn’t enough,” says Jeff Leish-man, PAE’s naval architect, noting that yachtdesign is 70 percent art and 30 percent science.He starts with an existing hull form he knows andthat feels good, and then begins tank testing,tweaking the design to conclusion against the testresults.

To appreciate the marvels of the N72, you haveto understand the nature of the people who will

Flagship!

NEW FROM NORDHAVN


The new 72 will be the best Nordhavn to date,the culmination of everything the people at PAE

have learned in the past quarter of a century.Systems, elegance, noise control, fit and finish,

safety— PAE plans it all for its flagship

By Garrett Lambert

build it. PAE was established by passionateboaters who started as sailors and moved to pow-er. After producing close to 300 Masons--general-ly considered among the world’s most respectedlong-range sailboats--PAE has continued to main-tain a single over-arching requirement for itsproducts: Every PAE boat is capable of long-range cruising and a successful ocean passage. Ofthe present fleet, at least four Nordhavns havecompleted circumnavigations (three N46s andone N40) and the company says it has lost trackof the number of ocean crossings.

Asked about price and cost consciousness,Streech’s reply provides another clue to the com-

pany’s business philosophy: “We do not price formarket segment or competition because price-value is relatively easy for us. We are a low over-head company. Our ratio of costs to gross salesmakes it easy for us to pack a bunch of value intothe boat. We never have to cut corners,” he says.

“Most of the basic costs are fixed, so we just putthe best of everything on it. All our internal dis-cussions are about how to make it better, neverhow to shave a percent off a component. In fact,we’re almost always 10 percent in front of thebuyer’s perception of the boat, because improve-ments are made as the boats are built, but hispricing has not changed.b >


Since interior fittings on the Nordhavn 72 will be pro-duced to the buyer’s choice, a brief virtual walk-through of the major spaces offers a sense of what

is possible. We board via the integrated swim platform and pass

through a gate to the partly sheltered aft deck wherethere’s plenty of room for a couple of lounging chairs andtables. From here a staircase leads us up to the boat deck,which will comfortably accommodate a 20-foot tender. Ahydraulic crane driven by its own motor and pump istucked along the port rail, and will drop the tender besidethe stern to enable easy boarding from the swim plat-form. With the tender off the deck, this huge space offersmany possibilities for entertaining. A staircase to the flyingbridge brings us to another large lounging area with a U-shaped settee, wet bar, refrigerator, and of course, helmchairs and a navigation station. Steps lead down fromeither side to the wrap-around Portuguese bridge fromwhich port and starboard doors open to the wheelhouse.

However, we’ll return to the boat deck and enter thewheelhouse via the interior staircase on the port side,then continue down to a commodious guest suite. (We’renow under the forward deck and directly in front of themaster suite which is separated by a solid bulkhead.)

Returning to the wheelhouse, we note the division of

the space. Forward, a couple of helm chairs offer comfortat the vast nav station, as does a large, raised settee justbehind them, while the 15 windows provide excellentsight lines. Behind the settee on the port side is a fullyenclosed captain’s cabin with ample storage, while a headis to starboard. A staircase between the cabin and thehead takes us aft and down to the saloon, from which wecontinue descending to the midship master stateroom.This suite occupies the full beam of the boat, and “gener-ous” would be an inadequate description of the roomand storage it offers.

From the saloon, we also have the option of a separateset of steps to descend to the spacious engine room, infront of which is a twin-bed cabin with head opposite.Because the engine room insulation is so extensive, theseaccommodations are suitable either for crew or extraguests. The saloon is the main living area of the boat, andoffers three distinct spaces. Forward and to port is agourmet galley that would look at home in a luxury resi-dence. A granite counter with four stools is a great placefor breakfast or a quick lunch, but for elegant meals, agracious dining suite is located on the aft port side. Oppo-site the dining area to starboard is a long, L-shaped setteewhich with casual chairs and low tables invites lounging.A wide sea door takes us to the aft deck to disembark.

Take a guided tourBetween the flying bridge and engine room, there’s space, utility and luxury


Ever wonder what determines thesize of new boat? The N72 provides afascinating answer. PAE had longwanted to add a bigger boat to its line,and, for a time, sketches of an 84-foot-er adorned the office walls. However,until this year none of the three facto-ries that build the current models hadthe physical capacity to go larger thanthe N62. The decision to build twonew factories in 2002 eliminated thatrestriction, and when Leishman sawhe had a free hand to design a boat ofany size, he sketched out an 88. Heand the business and marketing man-agers who form the core of the devel-opment team then entered a periodof vigorous discussion. Since PAEworks hard to sustain close relation-ships with its family of owners, it hasan excellent grasp of what’s on theirminds concerning improvements tothe boats they now own, as well astheir aspirations for future purchases.At the same time, there was a naturaldesire to develop more clientele.

During the early discussions, it wassuggested the N62 had reached matu-rity, and the new boat should replaceit. Leishman pumped out a sketch fora 65. However, as the discussionsmoved along, the N62–-characterizedby Streech as “an almost veneratedboat with a karma bigger than itself”–-enjoyed an unexpected resurgence.The market had spoken, and it wasdecided the N62 should remain inproduction. Moreover, Jim Leishman,vice-president and main marketingman (and elder brother of Jeff)observed that the trend was increas-ingly toward larger boats, and thatN62 owners who wanted to move uphad nowhere to go but elsewhere. JoeMeglen, secretary-treasurer of thecompany and a founding partner, wasadamantly in favor of the 72, insistingit would be a mistake to do a smallerboat.

As discussions ebbed and flowed,the size of the new boat shrank andexpanded like an accordion until Jeffhad produced and accumulated morethan a hundred concept drawings.“The creative soup that leads to a boatis complicated until a new modelemerges that is different enough fromthe others to make it appeal to buy-

ers,” explains Streech. However, aseveryone narrowed his focus on whatwould constitute the optimal boat, theN72 finally presented herself. The 72is a response to the market, notes Jim,and “although people will pay a pre-mium price for a premium product,they will happily discover that the N72will be more complete and have morefeatures and value than her competi-tors.” A new boat of this size repre-sents a million-dollar investment inthe molds, he adds, so “you have to besure what the market wants beforeyou proceed.”

Although only 10 feet longer thanthe boat she was to have replaced, theaccompanying illustration dramatical-

ly demonstrates how the N72 actuallyhas about twice the interior volume.The N72 is also ample evidence of justhow far PAE has moved from sailboatsand into the world of power. Unlikethe N62’s wineglass shape, her beamis carried far back and down close tothe waterline to produce a more sea-kindly hull, less prone to pitching,and with more initial stability. “Solidas a rock,” says Jeff.

And if the boat is remarkably big-ger, Jim contends it’s still the tinydetails that ultimately matter to itssafety, performance and comfort. PAE

principals spend a lot of time enjoyingtheir own products. Consequently,they are constantly tweaking thedesign parameters, especially littlethings arising out of suggestions fromNordhavn owners, and their ownexperiences. One small example onthe 72 is the absence of a spray strake.PAE’s trip around the world in theN40 convinced them that the noise ofthe water deflected by the strakemade the forward cabin uncomfort-able while under way.

Designing a boat raises numerousissues sure to evoke strong reactionsamong boaters, especially trawler own-ers. One such issue was whether theN72 should have a bulbous bow. PAE

believes that a bulb offers benefits,and installs one on the N62, N57 andN50 because it provides an undeni-able reduction in resistance and,therefore, also in horsepower require-ments and fuel consumption. Addi-tionally, the bulb reduces pitch by asmuch as 22 percent. However, in cer-tain head-sea conditions, the bulb willcome out of the water and then causean irritating pounding when plungingback in. While this action is harmlessstructurally, it can be unnerving andbites into the fuel savings gained withthe bulb. >

Although only 10 feet longer than the Nordhavn 62, the illustration dramaticallydemonstrates how the Nordhavn 72 actually has about twice the interior volume.The N62 continues in production.


For the N72, PAE concluded thathull design could realize the bulb'sprimary stability benefits without thebulb. By giving the N72 a full stern,Jeff achieved not only more inherentresistance to pitch, but gained signifi-cant space inside. Among the divi-dends was an engine room with spaceto spare. Streech believes that,“Whereas N72 owners would noticethe presence of a bulb, they certainlywon't notice its absence.” Nonethe-less, he and his partners decided tooffer the N72 in two bow configura-tions, as the bulb does offer undeni-able benefits. “Depending on the buy-er's choice, we will set up the mold ineither a bulbed or bulbless configura-

tion. Either way, the resulting hull is aone-piece seamless unit.”

Each N72 buyer can now ask him-self how he will be typically using hisboat and select the appropriate bowfor his intended use. Marty Wilson,owner of Karma, Hull #15 in the N62series, completed the “downhill”2,800-nautical-mile passage to theMarquesas consuming less than 1,500gallons of fuel. “Marty did not experi-ence any bulb pounding on that pas-sage and relished every drop of fuelsaved by the bulb,” Streech says. “Any-one who has made the gruelling‘uphill’ trip from Dana Point to Seat-tle will probably not have kind wordsabout the bulb.”

So, what’s the new boat actuallylike?

While the N72 can readily circum-navigate, it deviates from the tradi-tional Nordhavn mold in several ways.Nordhavn fans will be struck by itsnoticeably more mainstream appear-ance. However, the reverse slope win-dows are still there, and for the samegood reasons: safety and energy con-servation. The first N72s will be builtwith the wheelhouse midships, a lay-out that PAE believes will appeal toabout 80 percent of the customerbase. In fact, until the new 47, allNordhavns, even the 35, looked more“shippy” than “yachty,” because Nord-havns are truly small ships.


That said, the company will remaintrue to the other 20 percent of its pos-sible clients, most of them traditional-ist Nordhavn enthusiasts whom PAEvalues highly. Therefore, after Hull#5, PAE will introduce a second mod-el of the N72, one with an additionaldeck and an aft wheelhouse, a lookevocative of the N62, but with all theadvantages of the new 72.

PAE also accepts that buyers in themulti-million-dollar category areunlikely to be confined to one set ofanswers. Thus, a suggested interiorlayout will be only a starting point,and other than what comes out of themolds, everything will be amenable tocustomization. Nevertheless, clients

can expect to be engaged by PAE per-sonnel in a lively debate over choicesthat affect performance, reliability,and safety, for the company preacheswhat it practices.

Power will normally come from asingle 535-hp Detroit 60 main enginebacked up by a wing engine with afolding prop and an independent fuelsource and supply system. However,PAE is nothing if not responsive toclients, so when the purchaser of Hull#2 asked for twin main engines Jeffprovided for them and did so elegant-ly. (“Really sweet” is how he describesit.) Streech explains: “The hull moldwill have two large removable panels.When a twin-engine hull is being

molded, the panels are removed sothat molds can be inserted port andstarboard to form the skegs, whileanother plug modifies the aft sectionof the keel. Thus, the twin-engine hullwill have molded in skegs in a one-piece seamless unit with the hull. Theskegs make the twin engine boat a‘proper’ offshore boat in that the pro-pellers are protected and the rudderwill have a lower bearing attachmentpoint.”

The engine will be electronicallycontrolled. Once again, another issueguaranteed to spark lively debatewherever trawler owners gather. Mostowners like to keep things simple, andalmost all express a general prefer-ence (wistfulness?) for naturally aspi-rated engines. Unfortunately, no mat-ter how reliable those engines mightbe, anything putting out much over100 hp cannot meet even currentclean-air requirements, let alone thenew regulations in the works. Thus,engine manufacturers are necessarilymoving to solutions that add com-plexity.

And this is actually good news forthe N72. “An electronic engine is anatural for this kind of boat since anengine needs to be able to reach itsstated RPM, to which props arepitched accordingly,” explainsStreech. “However, at anything lessthan full stated RPM, the engine isunder-loaded. The simple reality isthat engines in Nordhavn boats aretypically run at about 40 percent ofmaximum RPM.”

Tank testing establishes the powerrequired to move a boat through thewater at hull speed-–far less than mostpeople might think. While more isrequired under difficult sea condi-tions, sustained full power would onlybe called upon in an emergency. Nor-mally, the engine is backed down tomeet the prop’s demands for the con-ditions, and that means the engine isalways in an under-loaded condition.Because mechanical-injection pumpsare calibrated to be correct at full load-ing, they are notoriously inefficient atthe power level boaters actually use.

“In the real world,” says Streech,“electronic engine control deliversfuel efficiently and avoids soot and

With control systems located at allstrategic points, and with hydraulic sternand bow thrusters, an experienced owner

would not have the slightest difficultyoperating this boat single-handed.


vibration.” Nevertheless, althoughtheir automobile engines prove thereliability of electronic controls,boaters worry about failure. Fortu-nately, even if that were to happen,the engine would continue to run andpower the boat in fail-safe mode, justa lot less efficiently.

Streech suggests that if the belt-and-suspenders combo of main and wingengines isn’t enough assurance, own-ers can always carry an extra mainengine “E-brain,” a small flat boxmounted on the bulkhead that can beswapped out easily.

Most engine problems arise notbecause of mechanical or electronicbreakdown, but because of dirty orcontaminated diesel. Thus, every fueltank on the N72 is fiberglass and haseasy cleaning access and its own sightgauge and filters. Simple-to-use fueltransfer and control systems ensureready availability of clean diesel at alltimes. A flow meter on the engineprovides fuel consumption data toensure against errors on long pas-sages, and is backed up with a simplebut accurate gauge on the day tank.

Coolant temperature is maintainedby a closed-loop fresh-water keel cool-er. In addition to eliminating the dan-ger of debris being sucked into thesystem, this installation removes theneed for raw water pumps and heatexchangers, both maintenance-inten-sive and prone to failure.

With no sea water being pumpedinto the boat, there is little incentiveto install water-cooled exhausts, yet

another system with vulnerable com-ponents. However, PAE knows thatwet versus dry exhaust is just onemore of the many subjects on whichboaters have strong views, and so willinstall a wet system if the customerdemands it. However, the company isabsolutely committed to the benefitsof dry-stack exhausts, arguing thatalthough they are considerably moreexpensive, their reliability and conve-nience are simply too convincing tobe ignored. Streech states unequivo-cally, “We’re just so good at doingthem that more than 200 well-usedNordhavns have never had a dry-exhaust problem of any kind. And, ofcourse, they also put the exhaust upand away from the boat so that younever smell it or get residue deposits.”

The engine room is also home tothe hydraulic system that enables thisundeniably large vessel to be operat-ed easily. Mooring? Remote controlwinches manage the anchors andassist with the heavier line handlingjobs. Docking? Control centers posi-tioned around the boat enable thecaptain to use the bow and sternthrusters to slide the ship sideways tothe dock, and then pin her there gen-tly while he sets her mooring lines.Under way? Stabilizers control roll toease the ride.

Electrical demands on this yachtare expected to be huge, with lightingrequirements alone consuming inexcess of two kw, and appliances suchas the restaurant-quality galley stoveand the full-size clothes dryer needing240 volts. Because the direct currentloads of instrumentation and exteriorlighting are also heavy, PAE designedthe N72 as its first 24-volt DC boat.

Power is produced by two indepen-dent self-contained generation sys-tems. While under way, the centralhydraulic system drives two 250-amp24-volt generators at constant speed.These charge the battery bankswhich, in turn, supply all the directcurrent required and also feed two120-volt 4-kilowatt inverters stacked toproduce both 120 and 240 volts. Atanchor, a 33-kw Northern Lights gen-erator easily provides as much elec-tricity as anyone might want. And ifthe boat happens to be berthed with

a (relatively) measly 30-amp 120VACshore power feed, the vessel’s basicsystems will still function thanks to theswitching logic of the isolation trans-former and the power-sharing fea-tures of the Trace inverters.

The N72 is the first boat with a com-plete firefighting system that includesdampers which drop down on thevents. Ready access to all wiring andplumbing is built into the basicdesign, fuel filters are mounted inconvenient locations, and all majormechanical components are posi-tioned to facilitate service.

Because this is a big vessel, manymight suggest or prefer a professionalcrew, and suitable accommodationsare provided. However, with controlsystems located at all strategic pointsand with hydraulic bow and sternthrusters, an experienced ownerwould not have the slightest difficultyoperating this boat single-handed.

After PAE receives a boat for deliv-ery, it assigns a dozen technicians togo through every system, testing andtuning for days. When everything iscertified, a sea trial is undertakenbefore turning it over to the new own-er, usually a weekend trip to CatalinaIsland. Everything on the boat is putto use, from making water to doinglaundry. As often as possible the newowner is aboard so the cruise canoffer the benefit of familiarization.

The warranty is for one year, butPAE says it does whatever is necessary,whenever, wherever to make its cus-tomers happy. A 24/7 service is pro-vided for everything on the boat oth-er than the electronics the clientorders himself. “When a boat’s introuble someplace, we never askabout money,” says Streech. “We onlywant to get the boat fixed and movingagain, then we sort out the moneydetails later.”

So, assuming you have $3 millionand change to spend, when can youget your hands on a new N72?

The queue has formed, with Hull#1 and #2 sold, as this was written inJanuary 2003. The first N72 is plannedto hit the water in June 2004, but withtypical PAE caution, is promised forthree months later. Hull #3 will beavailable in early 2005.

“Although people will pay

a premium price for a

premium product, they

will happily discover that

the Nordhavn 72 will be

more complete and have

more features and value

than her competitors.”

C

Length overall ..... 73 ft 11 inLength on deck ..... 72 ft

Length waterline ..... 65 ftBeam overall ..... 21 ft

Beam waterline ..... 19 ft 2 inDraft at max weight ..... 6 ft 11 in

Air draft mast up ..... 34 ft 6 inAir draft mast down ..... n/a

Ballast ..... 14,000 lb approxDisplacement ..... 200,000 lb at half loadDisplacement ..... 89.3 long tons

Displacement/Length ..... 326Beam/Length ..... .29

Above/Below water ..... 2.1:1Prismatic coefficient ..... .58

Refrigerator .....Sub Zero side-by-side refrigerator/freezer with teak panels

Freezer .....Two GE 5-cu-ft freezers in lazeretteCountertops .....Granite

Flooring .....Ceramic tile or stoneCabinetry .....All teak

Cooking .....Thermadore LPG stove with electric oven. GE Advantium convection/microwave oven with exhaust blower

Trash .....GE Monogram 12-in SS compactor

Standard engine ..... Single Detroit 60 dieselPower output ..... 535 hpTransmission ..... Twin Disc 3.43:1

Propeller shaft ..... 4-in Aquamet 22Propeller ..... 4 blade, 50 x 31 in

Exhaust type ..... Dry exhaust in stainless steel

Cooling system ..... Charged air & gear circuit keel cooler and jacket watercircuit, R.W. Fernstrum

Charging system ..... 2 x 24-volt, 250-amp hydraulically driven Electrodyne alternators; 33kW Northern Lights Generator; 280 amps @ 24 volt from two Trace 4024 inverter/chargers; one Charles 80 amp @ 24 volt suitable for 50/60 Hz operation

Engine controls ..... Electronic DDEC at six (6) stations

Engine access ..... From lower level, salon and lazarette

Material ..... FiberglassDeck and hull joint ..... Precision fit H/D joint, thru-

bolted and laminated where accessible. Capped with 2 x 7/16 in polished stainless steel rub rail

Hull ..... Single series GRP laminate with 10 full length longitudinal hat-section stringers plus engine stringers and transverse floors and 5 watertight compartments

Topsides ..... Single series GRP laminateDeck ..... GRP laminate, balsa cored

horizontal surfaces, Klege-cell foam cored vertical surfaces

Number of staterooms ..... 4 standardNumber of berths ..... 8 standard

Capacity ..... 4 main tanks totaling 4,300 gal with one centerline aluminum day tank at 80 gal

Access ..... Completely accessible via man-hole-sized inspection plates and removable baffles

System ..... Aluminum supply reservoir feeds by gravity from all 4 tanks. Top part, approx 2 gal, fitted with sight gauge with one-gal range and 10th gal marks for fuel consumption checks. Bottom part approx 78 gal, drain valve at bottom for water and debris purging and with water sensor, light & audible alarm in wheelhouse if excessive water present. Reservoir fitted with five (5) draw spigots for main, 2 generators, wing engine and spare, mounted at lower level of reservoir but above water sensing probe.

Transfer ..... Transfer manifold and 24vdc Oberdorfergear pump 3.5-gpm fuel pump with timer switch and Racor 1000 fuel filter with 10 micron element which can transfer fuel from one tank to another and scrub fuel while transferring

Fuel ..... 4,300 galFreshwater ..... 800 galGreywater ..... 200 gal

Blackwater ..... 200 gal

Galley

Accommodations

Machinery

Construction

Tankage

Price of base boat:$3,365,000Vessel delivered U.S. West or East coast per standardspecifications. Freight, U.S. duty and commissioningincluded. As at January 2003.

Equipment highlights of base boat (not a complete inventory):Dry exhaust for main engine; Lugger 668D WingEngine w/ Hurth “V” drive marine gear and Gorithree-blade folding propeller; 33 KW NorthernLights generator in sound enclosure; AmericanBow Thruster hydraulic system: 38hp bow andstern thrusters with proportional controls, Trac370 digital stabilizing system w/ 16 sq. ft. fins;Cruisair tempered water air conditioning system;Fireboy fire protection system; Sealand vacuumtoilet system; Four custom STIDDS helm chairs;Dual Maxwell 4500 vertical hydraulic windlass w/dual plow type stainless anchors and 800 feet of1/2-in chain; Dual Maxwell 2200 vertical capstanwinches mounted in cockpit; Pacific Coast Marinedoors; Custom Marquip 2500lb hydraulic davitwith extendible boom; Flybridge with FRP top; 42-in flat screen TV with Bose sound system.

Some options:• Bulbous bow or no bulbous bow. In a Nordhavnfirst, the hull mold for the N72 has been designedand built with a removable bow section. There aretwo bow mold units, one with an eliptical shapedbulb, the other, a conventional non-bulbous stem.This allows for one-piece monolithic hull regardlessof which bow is chosen.

• Single or twin engines. The standard N72 has asingle engine, but twins are available. The hullmold is fitted with removable sections for inser-tion of skeg molds. The molded in skegs are partof the one-piece monolithic structure of the hulland provide protection for the propellers and lowerbearing attachment points for the twin rudders.

• Standard configuration or “Wide Body”. Theport side of the saloon can be moved outboard,eliminating the outside walking deck, and expand-ing the width of the saloon by 21 inches.

Nordhavn 72

Designer: Jeff Leishman

PerformanceMaximum speed, single engine ......... 11 knotsMaximum speed, optional twins ....... 12 knotsCruising speed (S/L 1.2) ................. 9.6 knotsRange (S/L 1.2) .............................. 2,600 nmCruising speed (S/L 1.1) ................. 8.0 knotsRange (S/L 1.1) .............................. 5,200 nmEstimate of range based on test tank data with no reserve

General dimensions

Fuel

Pacific Asian Enterprises, P.O. Box 874, Dana Point, California 92629 / Telephone 949-496-4848 / Facsimile 949-240-2398 /E-mail: [email protected] / Site: www.nordhavn.com

Contact


SPECIFICATIONS

By Jim LeishmanVice-PresidentPacific AsianEnterprises

NEW FROM NORDHAVN

Pure


Using lessons learned from ourrecord-setting circumnavigationwith the Nordhavn 40, Pacific

Asian Enterprises has designed a 43-footpassagemaker with many of the featuresand capability of the best-selling Nord-havn 47 but in a smaller, more affordablepackage.

Compared to the N40, we’ve expandedthe interior space, added three feet ofwater line length, and provided 300more gallons of fuel to give the N43greater range. To insure maximum com-fort at sea, the owners cabin is locatedamidships. The guest accommodations,too, are fairly far aft—more than 10 feetfarther aft than the N40 owners cabin—with a second guest head and stall show-er located all the way forward.

From a standpoint of motion, the mid-ships location of the owners cabin almoston the axis of pitch makes it ideallyplaced to provide comfort and rest in thetoughest of offshore conditions. Addi-tionally, it's isolated from chain noisewhile the boat is anchored. The ownershead has unique double-doors whichopen into the owners cabin. The head isquite large, and the transition betweenthe cabin and head should enhance bothareas.

A huge wheelhouse allows adequatespace for a large helm chair and a 6-foot4-inch settee and pilot berth. Beneaththe settee there are full-size chart draw-ers and added storage space. The dashand helm configuration have been care-fully designed to allow easy maneuveringand to accommodate a complete com-plement of electronics. A chart table isprovided along with cabinet space forreference material. For ventilation, aLewmar overhead hatch is included andthe lower panels of the DiamondSeaglaze front windows are opening.Wheelhouse windows have beenenlarged for maximum visibility and arehalf-inch tempered glass. Heavy duty,double dogged Dutch Doors furtherenhance the exceptional pilothouse.

The galley configuration will provideall that is necessary for the most ambi-tious of cruising plans. A Force 10 LPGstove and oven, microwave and trashcompactor are all standard. A Sub Zero

Purepassagemaker

The design for the new Nordhavn43 was not driven by financialstudies or marketing strategy.

Instead, it’s a statement of howPAE can build a great small

passagemaker, given all that weknow in 2003 about building

boats. It just happens to come outat 43 feet, rather than 42 or 44,

or some other number


AT A GLANCELOA ................................................ 43 ft LWL ............................................ 38 ft 4 inBEAM ......................................... 14 ft 10 in DRAFT .......................................... 5 ft 03 inDISPLACEMENT HALF LOAD ........ 53,540 lbCp. ........................................................ .59 D/L ........................................................ 425WATER CAPACITY ........................... 300 gal FUEL CAPACITY ............................ 1,200 gal BLACK WATER HOLDING TANKCAPACITY ......................................... 60 galGRAY WATER HOLDING TANK CAPACITY ......................................... 50 gal

combined refrigerator-freezer with icemaker provides almost eight feet ofrefrigerator space and two cubic feetof freezer. An additional five-cubic-foot, top-loading freezer is providedopposite the galley.

The spacious saloon includes portand starboard settees, which not onlyprovide comfortable lounging spacefor up to eight people but also can beused for sleeping in an overflow situa-tion or during periods of roughweather where the guest cabin mightbe too uncomfortable. The two setteesprovide optimum comfort for two andeasy viewing of the TV panel designedto accommodate the buyer’s choice offlat-screen TV. Entrance to the saloonis through a Dutch door and three ofthe five half-inch-thick saloon windowsare opening, for optimum ventilation.

The aft deck measures twelve byfour and a half feet, with port andstarboard boarding doors as well asan access door to the integral swimstep. The overhanging boat deckallows the area to be enclosed forcruising in inclement weather. Alarge lazarette is accessible through aweather-tight hatch and abundantstorage is provided.

Other on-deck features are typicalof the Nordhavn line, including araised anchoring platform with aMaxwell 3500 windlass and a heavy-duty double-bow roller. Integral deckstorage boxes are molded-in forwardof the Portuguese bridge. The boatdeck can accommodate up to a twelve-and-a-half-foot tender with additionalroom for kayaks or water toys—even a

motor scooter. A flying bridge optionwill be offered.

The new 43 should be a quiet boatas it is heavily insulated, with carefulattention to gasketing of doors andhatches and closing of all wiring andplumbing runs.

For propulsion, the venerable Lug-ger L668D has been selected, produc-ing 113 horsepower and differingfrom the N40 and N46 only in thetransmission selection. Fitted with aZFW 2200 transmission, and a reduc-tion gear of 3.97 to 1, the Luggerspins a two-inch Aquamet shaft and32-inch propeller. The big reductiongear allows use of a larger diameterand slower speed propeller—enhanc-ing efficiency and reducing noise lev-els under way. Dual alternators arestandard along with a large Walterkeel cooler and stainless steel dryexhaust system. Five and a half feet ofheadroom are provided within theengine room for easy servicing ofmachinery. The main access isthrough the owners cabin, however asmaller hatch is provided in thesaloon for access to the engine roomif the stateroom is occupied.

Maximum speed will be 8.5 knotswith normal cruising speed of about 8knots. At an ocean-crossing speed of 7knots, the computer projection is fora calm-water range of 3,360 nauticalmiles. The projection indicates a fuelburn of 2.5 gallons per hour at 7knots, 3.5 gallons per hour at 8 knots.

An exceptional fuel system deliversall 1,200 gallons of fuel from moldedfiberglass fuel tanks to a central sup-

ply reservoir, dramatically simplifyingoperation and increasing reliability.The reservoir allows precise fuel con-sumption checks of the engine andgenerator, plus it collects water anddebris within its sump. A pet cock isprovided to drain off water and debrisfrom the sump. The reservoir is fittedwith a water sensor and alarm locatedwithin the wheelhouse, alerting thecrew if water is present long before itreaches the water separators withinthe Racor filters.

Within three months of the prelimi-nary announcement about the N43,11 boats were ordered by enthusiasticcustomers. Hull #1 should launch inJanuary 2004 at South Coast Marinein Taiwan, a long-time PAE partnerThe base price of Hull #11 through#20 is $550,000.

A unique feature of the N43 is theslightly offset saloon. The starboardside of the vessel provides for a fullwalkway—eighteen inches wide—from the aft deck to the Portuguesebridge. This has been done with nocompromise to the interior. A handrail will allow crew to comfortably walkfrom the bow to the stern—even whilehanging onto a connecting linebetween a bow mooring and sternmooring. Port side access, on a six-inch-wide deck, will be about the sameas the 40.

The Nordhavn 43 will prove to be ahighly refined world cruiser, offeringexceptional range and comfort underway and for dockside living. Designedusing the knowledge gained over aquarter century and built to the high-est standard of quality, this addition tothe Nordhavn fleet may prove to bethe most popular yet.

The slightly offset salooncreates a walkway to star-board without diminishingany aspect of the interior.

C

When it comes to desirable features, user interface and screen definition, the Furuno 1953C is thecream of the crop. This rugged, waterproof unit offers professional features that meet the needs ofserious mariners.

This Radar/Chart Plotter has a sunlight viewable 10.4" color LCD display and is engineered arounda powerful X-Band transmitter that cuts through all types of weather. In fact, because this is a TRUEcolor Radar that shows 6 levels of target density, you can use this Radar to track storms. The ChartPlotter is a full function plotter with a variety of display modes to view. You can even overlay Radar targets onto a chart. Choose between two units that accept either Furuno and Navionics or C-MapNTmini chart cards. You can even add a GPS/WAAS sensor to get an accurate position fix.

The 1953C is part of the NavNet family. The entire NavNet line includes a variety of display sizesand output power. Select from displays in 7", 10" or 10.4" and power output from 2.2kW all the way tothe new 12kW. Use them as stand-alone systems or as part of an Ethernet network with multipledisplays.

Each unit comes standard with an infrared remote control. Other options available include videoinput and output, Network Sounders, Weatherfax/Navtex receiver and GPS/WAAS receiver. PutFuruno’s hi tech, reliable power to work for you today.

Hi tech and

High Power 1 0 . 4 " C O L O R L C D R A D A R

Using the optional #008-523-070 videointerface kit, you can show externalvideo on the 1953C in full screen or picture in picture.

There are more than 50 differentdisplay modes to choose fromwhen all of the components areconnected to NavNet.

www.Furuno.com

Everything else is a compromise!

Radar Power: 12 kW

Antenna: 4' or 6' open array

Range: 1/8 to 72 N.m.

Full featured chart plotter

Sunlight Viewable Color Lcd

video input/output option

chart with radar overlay

Radar Power: 12 kW

Antenna: 4' or 6' open array

Range: 1/8 to 72 N.m.

Full featured chart plotter

Sunlight Viewable Color Lcd

video input/output option

chart with radar overlay

DATA : 1953C NavnetDATA : 1953C Navnet

Harris Saunders Jr.Life SupportNordhavn 62 #3• Nautical miles cruised: Thousandsin six years-plus.• Cruising grounds: Alaska, InsidePassage, Mexico, Panama, the Keys,Caribbean to Tobago, Bahamas, U.S.East Coast, Great Lakes, Mississippi.• Cruising plans: Virgin Islands.

Dan EvinsTemenosNordhavn 62 #7• Nautical miles cruised: 8,000 overfive years.


TheGreatEscape

Our special

section on

passagemaking

begins with

passage notes

from dozens of

Nordhavns

voyaging out-

side U.S.

waters as well

as those cruis-

ing closer to

home. Then,

seasoned

passagemakers

share lessons

they have

learned around

the world

worldPassagemaking the

TheGreatEscape

Circumnavigators Heidi and Wolfgang Hass of the Nordhavn 46 Kanaloaenjoy a deserted beach in the Louisiade Islands of Papua New Guinea.

Pho

to: M

ilda

Dru

eke

• Cruising grounds: California toAlabama via Panama Canal, (CocoIsland en route), Gulf Coast of Flori-da, Florida Keys, Mexico.• Cruising plans: Bahamas.• Why Nordhavn: The enjoyment isbeing on board . . . under way, atanchor or tied to the dock.

David and Karen CrannellAdventureNordhavn 62 #22• Nautical miles cruised: About 5,000since January 2002.• Cruising grounds: Dana Point, Cali-fornia, to Campbell River, British


Nordhavn owners love getting away from it all in comfort andsafety—and value the friendship of fellow trawler travellersBy Joe Hvilivitzky with Rebecca Crosgrey

Columbia; Desolation Sound, Victo-ria, Seattle, Friday Harbor, Vancou-ver, San Francisco, and Ensenada,Mexico.• Cruising plans: Depart February2003 on a circumnavigation, first toMexico, then French Polynesia, NewZealand, Australia, the Mediter-ranean, Virgin Islands. In March2005, head for Panama, Mexico andSouthern California, Alaska, withChristmas in Florida.• Why Nordhavn: The capability togo anywhere we might dream to go.• Why cruising: First, make newfriends. Second, see places we have

dreamed of seeing. Third, being ourown captain.

David McDowellAuroraNordhavn 62 #16• Nautical miles cruised: 6,000 overtwo years. Metaroo, my new 62 #24,will be ready in spring.• Cruising grounds: British Colum-bia, Inside Passage, Alaska.• Cruising plans: Mexico, Costa Rica.• Why Nordhavn: Quality and safety.• Why cruising: Natural beauty ofremote coastlines and quietanchorages. >


C. C. FichtnerAnnabelle VINordhavn 57 #1• Nautical miles cruised: 6,000 in twoyears.• Cruising grounds: Maine to Exumas.• Cruising plans: Bahamas.• Why Nordhavn: Safety and stability.• Why cruising: Being away from thecrowd with family.

Wayne and Laurel HillLong RangerNordhavn 57 #4• Nautical miles cruised: 26,000 sinceMay 1998 (liveaboards sinceSeptember 1998).• Cruising grounds: Seattle to Alaska,West Coast, Mexico, Central America,Panama, East Coast from Florida toMaine, Bahamas, Nova Scotia.• Cruising plans: Leave Florida inJanuary for the eastern Caribbean.• Why Nordhavn: We like the beefyconstruction, stand-up engine roomand the beautiful esthetics of ourNordhavn.• Why cruising: We find traveling byboat more fun and interesting thanland travel, and we have our “home”with us. Of course, we have recon-firmed our belief that boaters arewonderful people. The places we’veseen and people we meet have madethis trip the adventure of our lives.

Carol and Marvin BakerTiger EyesNordhavn 57 #14• Nautical miles cruised: 7,000 sinceAugust 2000.• Cruising grounds: Miami to Maine,Florida Keys, Gulf Coast of Florida toSarasota.• Cruising plans: Bahamas.• Why Nordhavn: Tiger Eyes is strongwith a spacious engine room, raisedpilothouse, few below-the-waterthrough-hull fittings, economy offuel, fine workmanship and joinery,easy to live aboard.• Why cruising: Having adventurestogether; meeting new people; shar-ing the helm and boat maintenance;anchoring; being close by whales andporpoises.

Bill and Roni GradyThorNordhavn 57 #25• Nautical miles cruised: This onedelivered June 2002; prior 50-footmodel owned since July 1999.• Cruising grounds: Pacific North-west, San Juans, British Columbia.• Cruising plans: The Inside Passageas soon as time allows.• Why Nordhavn: Obviously we arepleased, since we purchased our sec-ond one. They are reliable and safe,with a redundancy of systems.• Why cruising: With our busy sched-ules we have limited time to travel.We can be confident that even withour tight schedules Thor will get us toand from any destination under anyconditions the Northwest has to offer.


Evelyn McGlone and ErikDalakerEvrikNordhavn 57 #15• Nautical miles cruised: 16,000 sinceFebruary 2001.• Cruising grounds: Mexico, BritishColumbia, Costa Rica, Panama Canal,Caribbean, visited the San BlasIslands on the north shore of Pana-ma, stopped at many places for div-ing, Florida, Nantucket, Martha’sVineyard, Cape Cod, Florida Keys forthe winter.• Cruising plans: Exuma Island in theBahamas, Maine, maybe Nova Scotia,explore more of the Caribbean.• Why Nordhavn: Mostly the qualityand comfort. We designed our boat abit differently. We have a full galley,fully equipped to prepare scrump-tious gourmet meals. We have twostaterooms which are nice and wide.We also appreciate the seaworthiness.We have been in 40-foot seas manytimes and I don’t think we couldhave conquered the heavy weather inother boats. It’s a great boat; every-body that sees it ooooohs and ahhh-hhs. The teak, the quality, it’s justlovely and seaworthy.• Why cruising: Totally the adven-ture, the new experiences every day,meeting different people from differ-ent walks of life. You never knowfrom day to day where you’re goingto sleep, who you are going to meet,what you are going to do.

Jim and Carlen EckfordZiaNordhavn 57 #20• Nautical miles cruised: 5,600 sinceJanuary 2002.• Cruising grounds: Mexico, ChannelIslands, Sacramento Delta, San Fran-cisco Bay, Monterey, etc.• Cruising plans: Mexico, San JuanIslands in Pacific Northwest, andthen the U.S. East Coast.• Why Nordhavn: The stoutness ofthe boat coupled with the great ser-vice by PAE. They are the best.• Why cruising: Navigation, andbeing able to enter all the great spotsfrom the water, as opposed to crowd-ed roads and campsites. The bestplace in most cities is the harbor.

Jim and Deb YeatesBurntSandNordhavn 57 #23• Nautical miles cruised: 1,500 duringfour months as owners.• Cruising grounds: Northern Mexicoto San Francisco area.• Cruising plans: Puerto Vallarta.• Why Nordhavn: Very well built andseaworthy.• Why cruising: The challenge oflearning, and seeing new places.

Pho

to: D

onna

For

rest


cruising around San Juan Islands.• Cruising plans: I’m going to takethe boat out of Puget Sound anddown the Washington Coast and upthe Columbia River.• Why Nordhavn: The boat is veryeasy to handle. I do some cruisingsinglehanded on short trips. I canhandle it myself, but frequently Ihave inexperienced crews where Ihave to do most of the driving. Thismodel is very user-friendly. Also, thismodel has a beautifully arrangedengine room where it is very easy toget at the essential things on the boatto maintain and keep them clean.• Why cruising: You learn somethingevery day. Particularly when you gooffshore and you have to watch yourPs and Qs about currents andanchorages, you always learn some-thing . . . which is frequently hum-bling. But I think it’s a real challenge,and I like to be out on the water and

Onward, a Nordhavn 40 owned by Tom Halland Liz McLoughlin, pauses for picture-taking

on the Inside Passage of British Columbia.Opposite: Ron and Nancy Goldberg aboard

Nordhavn 46 Duet, with Tristan and Maggie,at Beaufort, North Carolina.

“You learn some-

thing every day.

Particularly when

you go offshore

and you have to

watch your Ps and

Qs about currents

and anchorages,

you always learn

something . . .

which is frequently

humbling.”

Tom and Linda SelmanPrime TimeNordhavn 50 #7• Nautical miles cruised: 12,000 sinceJanuary 1999.• Cruising grounds: Puget Sound,Alaska, British Columbia.• Cruising plans: Alaska again in sum-mer 2003.• Why Nordhavn: Comfortable ride,even in difficult conditions; qualityconstruction; PAE’s no-nonsenseapproach to their customers’ needs.• Why cruising: New places, new peo-ple and the sense of self-sufficency.

Robert LundeenBlue DragonNordhavn 50 #10• Nautical miles cruised: Nearly 5,000over three years.• Cruising grounds: Alaska, aroundVancouver Island, northern BritishColumbia up to Bella Coola, a lot of

Pho

to: P

eter

Arn

eil


get away from the normal chores youhave to do at home. It’s really achange in lifestyle.

Kean and Jennifer WernerTranyaNordhavn 50 #11• Nautical miles cruised: 6,000 in twoand a half years.• Cruising grounds: Both sides ofCentral America, U.S. East Coast,Caribbean south to Trinidad.• Cruising plans: Unknown, but someplace warm.• Why Nordhavn: Comfort, safety,and our solar array.• Why cruising: Meeting other cruis-ers and searching for the best beer.

Gary A. and Judy M. CardSlo M-oceanNordhavn 50 #12• Nautical miles cruised: 400 in a yearand a half.• Cruising grounds: Nowhere yet.Intracoastal Waterway, Jacksonville toFort Lauderdale, to ship boat home tothe Pacific Northwest (God’s country).• Cruising plans: Maybe Alaska.• Why Nordhavn: No more sails, and

it’s air conditioned.• Why cruising: Anchoring out alone.

Cathy and Dick PedoneDana ANordhavn 50 #14• Nautical miles cruised: 7,500 overtwo years.• Cruising grounds: East Coast, GulfCoast.• Cruising plans: Prince EdwardIsland, Canada.• Why cruising: Freedom to travelwhen and where we want.

Scott and Rose HallquistMakaiNordhavn 50 #15• Nautical miles cruised: Took deliv-ery March 2001.• Cruising grounds: Sea of Cortez,Seattle, two summers in BritishColumbia, visiting our favorite gunk-holes and yacht club outstations.• Cruising plans: Alaska in 2003 andaround the Northwest for the nextfew years until our daughter goes tocollege; then south to Mexico; possi-bly through Panama Canal to theEast Coast and the Caribbean.

• Why Nordhavn: Great pilothouse(warm and dry), awesome electron-ics, smooth, stable ride, good liveabil-ity. If I built the boat anew, I wouldprobably not opt for a flybridge sincewe seldom use it.

Mike Martus and MariaKazanowskaLiberty CallNordhavn 50 #18• Nautical miles cruised: 1,500 since

“What I enjoy most

about my boat is

that no matter what

the sea condition, I

have no worry that

she will founder.

This vessel is one

tough cookie.”

The Nordhavn 46 Kanaloa exploresunusual islands near Phuket, Thailand.

Opposite: Blue Dragon, a Nordhavn 50,departs Friendly Cove in Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island

Pho

to: H

eidi

Has

s



August 2002.• Cruising grounds: Chesapeake Bay,Newport, R.I., and Fort Lauderdale,Fla.• Cruising plans: Florida Keys, Maine,and Nova Scotia.• Why Nordhavn: Seaworthy design,outstanding workmanship and better-than-average equipment and hard-ware, comfortable accommodations,easy to handle for two people, goodsupport from manufacturer.• Why cruising: Exploring newplaces, meeting other cruisers, beingindependent from shore support yetable to enjoy the comforts of homewhile anchored out.

Doing it in a Nordhavn is certainlymuch more enjoyable. Too old towrestle with sails on the foredeck inthe middle of the night.

Ron and Sandy BensonBoundary WatersNordhavn 50 #21• Nautical miles cruised: 0 (Only tookpossession three days before answer-ing the questionnaire.)• Cruising plans: Shakedown cruisearound Southern California, then toFlorida via Panama Canal, then toour home base in Chesapeake Bay.• Why Nordhavn: So far, the qualityof the vessel and the willingness of

• Why cruising: Destinations,gunkholing and other boaters.

J. H. Nickersham Jr.GannetNordhavn 46 #1• Nautical miles cruised: 3,000 sinceJuly 2001.• Cruising grounds: Charleston, S.C.,to Connecticut, to Cape Cod, toMaine, and back to Connecticut, nowon Intracoastal Waterway to Floridaand Bahamas.• Cruising plans: Nova Scotia andNewfoundland.• Why Nordhavn: Owned sailboatsfor 40-plus years, so I like beinginside when it’s wet and the tempera-ture is 40 F.

Richard and Betty HeathP. GannetNordhavn 46 #3• Nautical miles cruised: About15,000 since 1993.• Cruising grounds: Great Lakes,Florida, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia,Lake Superior via Atlantic coast,Hudson River, Lake Champlain,Richelieu Canal, and Trent-SevernWaterway.• Cruising plans: CircumnavigateNewfoundland, then head south toBahamas.• Why Nordhavn: Sheer comfort. Thepilothouse is magnificent; space isgrand; storage is super. She is adelight for the northern climes,which we tend to favor.• Why cruising: Since retiring in1984, we have pretty much spent ourtime cruising. We love the places youcan go that are not accessible byplane or car, the magnificent scenery,the fun experiences of the way otherslive. But most of all, the people wemeet along the way, the locals or oth-er cruising folk. We have made someof the best friends cruising.

Arthur J. FergusonMagellanNordhavn 46 #4• Nautical miles cruised: 9,000 overfour years.• Cruising grounds: East and westcoast of Florida, Florida Keys.• Cruising plans: Cuba? >

Jim and Lynda SchroederContinuousNordhavn 50 #20• Nautical miles cruised: 3,500 sinceJune 2002.• Cruising grounds: Pacific North-west, Puget Sound, Gulf Islands.• Cruising plans: California, Mexico,Central America.• Why Nordhavn: Sturdy boat; lots ofroom (We’re ex-sailboaters.) Greatplatform for grandchildren. We hadtwo of them for two weeks in theSeattle area, and they loved it; thebest time we have ever spent withthem. Next year they are planning amonth.• Why cruising: Always like to seewhat is over the horizon. We livedaboard our sailboat for two years andsailed from Maine to Grenada twice.

the Nordhavn people to make thingsright.• Why cruising: We enjoy the soli-tude, beauty (and bounty) of nature,and the independence that cruisingprovides.

Bill and Barbara HakosTivolyNordhavn 50 #5• Nautical miles cruised: 8,500 in thepast four years.• Cruising grounds: Both coasts ofFlorida, Intracoastal Waterway toChesapeake Bay and back (threetrips); and Chesapeake Bay.• Cruising plans: Chesapeake andback to Florida.• Why Nordhavn: Safety, economy ofoperation, comfort, and liveaboardconvenience.

Pho

to: A

ndy

Lund


• Why Nordhavn: Comfortable andseaworthy. Exceptionally well built.• Why cruising: Getting away and vis-iting new places.

Bill and Ellen BaneChicoryNordhavn 46 #6• Nautical miles cruised: 2,200 in sev-en months of ownership.• Cruising grounds: Chesapeake Bay;Hilton Head, South Carolina;Solomons, Maryland.• Cruising plans: Caribbean in 2003-04, then either the Mediterranean oraround the world• Why Nordhavn: Solid, reliable, welldesigned, well built, elegant function-ality that you continually discover asyou learn more.• Why cruising: Each day has a saltysmell, but admittedly the warmerones are better.

Douglas and Berna LevySalty-CNordhavn 46 #14• Nautical miles cruised: 6,000-7,000since March 2000.• Cruising grounds: Four one-waypassages from Florida to New Jersey,plus a few trips east from there.• Cruising plans: Florida to the Aba-cos Islands.• Why Nordhavn: We have beenactively sailing 45 years prior toacquiring our Nordhavn. Because ofphysical injury, I was unable to com-fortably manage sailing. The Nord-havn is a delight. Roomy, secure seaboat. We’re very happy with her.• Why cruising: It is a way of life. Ourboating friends are special peoplequite different than our land friends.All are self-sufficient types who enjoythe sea.

Wayne and Patricia DavisEnvoyNordhavn 46 #19• Nautical miles cruised: 4,800 since2000; and 20,000-plus in our sailboat.• Cruising grounds: Florida to NorthCarolina, to Chesapeake, IntracoastalWaterway and offshore, Bahamas.• Cruising plans: Bahamas this win-

ter; Caribbean in winter 2003-04.• Why Nordhavn: Compared to our50-foot sailboat, the livability isremarkable. The pilothouse keeps uswarm (or cool) and dry even in theworst weather. With the paravane rigand Naiad hydraulic stabilizers, Envoyhas proven capable of handling off-shore passagemaking. • Why cruising: For Wayne, it’s aboutthe voyage, the excitement of a newdestination and the navigational chal-lenges. For Patricia, it is the destina-tion and enjoying the local cultureand cuisine. We both enjoy getting toknow the locals, and for a period oftime becoming part of a local com-munity. Our most pleasant surprise isthe pleasure we derive from meetingfascinating people who are alsoenjoying a life aboard.

Dean and Maxine ProperCygnusNordhavn 46 #28• Nautical miles cruised: 14,000 inthree years.

• Cruising grounds: Alaska to Beau-fort, North Carolina, Florida toBahamas.• Cruising plans: Bahamas.• Why Nordhavn: Best sea boat onthe market.• Why cruising: The people cruisingand the people in the places we visit.

Trevor and Janet JonesLady ShonaNordhavn 46 #29• Nautical miles cruised: 4,370 since1992.

“The boat is able

to handle any

conditions we are

likely to encounter.

It is one tough

boat; very solid,

seaworthy and has

performed flaw-

lessly with only

minor peripheral

problems in two

years of fairly hard

cruising.”

Pho

to: G

eorg

s Ko

lesn

ikov

s



• Cruising grounds: Twice to thePhilippines, and in Hong Kongwaters where Lady Shona is kept.• Cruising plans: Thailand in 2004-05via Philippines and Singapore.• Why Nordhavn: We enjoy every-thing about it, cannot really be spe-cific.• Why cruising: Same as above.

Robert and Linda StedmanL’AbriNordhavn 46 #31• Nautical miles cruised: About15,000 since 1998.• Cruising grounds: Up and downthe East Coast.• Why Nordhavn: Her comfort inrough seas and her ease of handling.• Why cruising: The beauty of the sea.

Linda and Ted SussanFirst LightNordhavn 46 #38• Nautical miles cruised: 15,000 since1994.

• Cruising grounds: New Jersey; eastand west coasts of Florida, AbacoIslands, Bahamas.• Cruising plans: March Harbor, Aba-co, where First Light will spend thewinter. We hope to have the opportu-nity to visit her, work schedule per-mitting.• Why Nordhavn: What I (Ted) enjoymost about my boat is that no matterwhat the sea condition, I have noworry that she will founder. This ves-sel is one tough cookie. Security andsafety top my list. However, I have toadd that wherever we go, loads ofpeople come over and admire her.

Martin and Brita GoldsmithGold EagleNordhavn 46 #40• Nautical miles cruised: About20,000 over seven years.• Cruising grounds: Multiple tripsfrom California to Sea of Cortez.• Why Nordhavn: We have enjoyedthe comfort and safety of the Nordie,

as well as the quality.• Why cruising: The most enjoyablepart of cruising for us is to get toplaces otherwise inaccessible.

Frederick T. DoaneAmphitriteNordhavn 46 #42• Nautical miles cruised: 17,000;owned six and a half years.• Cruising grounds: Alaska, BritishColumbia, San Juan Islands, Mexico,Panama, Florida, North Carolina,Chesapeake, Hudson River, LakeChamplain, six round trips Wilming-ton, North Carolina, to Burlington,Vermont.• Cruising plans: Vermont andBermuda.• Why Nordhavn: Good boat inrugged weather; good research boatfor limnology and fisheries studies;low fuel burn allows freedom fromfixed schedules, fuel stops and mari-nas, etc.• Why cruising: Boat is used mostlyfor academic research and livingaboard. Minimal cruising is all we do.

Richard and Joanne PisanoDutchessNordhavn 46 #44• Nautical miles cruised: 4,800 oversix years.• Cruising grounds: Annapolis, Md.,to Maine, Long Island Sound to Nan-tucket and Martha’s Vineyard.• Cruising plans: Probably to Maine,and possibly to Bahamas via Florida.• Why Nordhavn: Seaworthiness,comfort and reliability.• Why cruising: Every day on thewater is a great day.

Bill and Joy SurbeyPatienceNordhavn 46 #45• Nautical miles cruised: Close to30,000 since October 1995.• Cruising grounds: Mexico to Alaskaand everywhere in between.• Cruising plans: Go as far as we canup the Columbia River, hopefully tothe Snake River.• Why Nordhavn: She is so solidlybuilt, so safe, she just wraps her armsaround us when we’re aboard.• Why cruising: Meeting people, see-

Autum Wind, a Nordhavn 62 owned by Bill and Arline Smith, cruises Tracy Arm inSoutheast Alaska. Opposite: Ron and Sandy Benson, with crew Ann and Tom Caywood,

on the eve of their departure for Panama and Florida from Dana Point, California.

Pho

to: J

im L

eish

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ing our beautiful island home, Earth.Finding special places to anchor; todine; to wander in the forest; to storeas instant snapshots in the mind, thatwe can bring out back home.

Nancy and Ron GoldbergDuetNordhavn 46 #50• Nautical miles cruised: 2,500-plussince 2000.• Cruising grounds: Chesapeake, theKeys, Intracoastal Waterway.• Cruising plans: Bahamas, Chesa-peake, the Caribbean, Panama Canaland the West Coast, Europe in 2004.• Why Nordhavn: We feel very com-fortable that our boat will take careof us in almost any conditions.There’s a significant feeling of securi-ty offshore in her, and she is veryseakindly. The more we do with her,the happier we are with her offshoremanners. We wanted a boat with aproven offshore track record thatcould take us anywhere we wanted togo. The build quality is very good tooutstanding in most places, and theboats hold their resale value.• Why cruising: Our favorite thingabout cruising is the people we meetand hence the friends we gain. Thestatement, “It’s the journey, not thedestination” really applies to cruising.We also like the self-sufficiency,(although some days we’d give ourright arm for someone else to do thework) and get great personal satisfac-tion from achieving something new,like our first overnight passage.

Mac and Carole BaadeVenture ForthNordhavn 46 #52• Nautical miles cruised: 4,500 since1998.• Cruising grounds: West Coast ofU.S. and Mexico.• Cruising plans: Will remain in Mex-ico for the foreseeable future; possi-ble Panama crossing to East Coast.• Why Nordhavn: A seaworthy andreliable and comfortable vessel withlong-range capabilities.• Why cruising: Adventure and cama-raderie of a cruising lifestyle.

Nikolaus ZensMoby DickNordhavn 46 #55• Nautical miles cruised: 250 sinceDecember 2001.• Cruising grounds: Mediterranean(Cote d’Azur, Corsica, Sardinia).• Cruising plans: Balearic Islands.• Why Nordhavn: Security, comfort,cost-efficiency.• Why cruising: Experience of nature,independence and autonomy.

Gordon Millar and ColetteMullinsTiger BalmNordhavn 46 #60• Nautical miles cruised: About 1,800over four years.• Cruising grounds: Local cruisingaround Hong Kong.• Cruising plans: Philippines in April,May 2003, subject to political situa-tion.

back to the Pacific Northwest in2003, but not sure. We operate prettysuccessfully on the No-Plan Plan.• Why Nordhavn: Our boat has beenwonderful and we are very satisfiedwith our decision to make her ourhome. We were not boaters beforethis decision to become full-time live-aboards and cruise. We bought theright boat and the two of us havemanaged her very well, covering thedistance with just us as crew.• Why cruising: We are passionateabout our lifestyle and love every-thing about what we are doing.

Andrew and Linda FraserKaisoobaNordhavn 46 #66• Nautical miles cruised: 1,000;owned boat two and a half years.• Cruising grounds: Ensenada, Mexi-co, to San Francisco and pointsbetween; anchor out two to three

times a month.• Cruising plans: Canada and Alaska,south through Panama Canal, up theEast Coast, down the IntracoastalWaterway and on to South Pacific.• Why Nordhavn: It’s a bullet-proofdesign built to go to sea. We find it tobe very comfortable and livable andthere’s nothing that we do without.• Why cruising: Discovering new andexotic destinations, meeting otherpeople that are out cruising and

The Nordhavn 40 Free Flight, ownedby Al and Dona Holmes, pauses forsightseeing on Glacier Bay, Alaska.

• Why Nordhavn: The sheer qualityof the boat.

David and Jerri ReidReidivivaNordhavn 46 #61• Nautical miles cruised: About20,000 since May 1999.• Cruising grounds: Canada, Mexico,Panama Canal, Key West, Florida,East Coast to New England, Bahamas.• Cruising plans: Transport the boat


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swapping stories, and enjoying thewildlife that we see along the way.

Danny and Kristine FletcherFailteNordhavn 46 #69• Nautical miles cruised: 4,000-plus intwo years of ownership.• Cruising grounds: Brownsville toClear Lake, Texas, via the IntracoastalWaterway and the Gulf of Mexico.

• Cruising plans: Matagorda StatePark.• Why Nordhavn: Quality and safety.• Why cruising: It’s not working. It’srelaxing.

Russ and Donna SherwinFour SeasonsNordhavn 46 #70• Nautical miles cruised: 10,000 sinceOctober 2000.• Cruising grounds: San Francisco toSea of Cortez, Mazatlan, La Paz, San-ta Rosalia, Loreto.• Cruising plans: Back to Mexico.• Why Nordhavn: The boat is able tohandle any conditions we are likely toencounter. It is one tough boat; verysolid, seaworthy and has performedflawlessly with only minor peripheralproblems in two years of fairly hardcruising.• Why cruising: The adventure, meet-ing all kinds of people, from million-aires to beach bums (usually can’t tellthe difference), and the wide-eyedwonder of doing all this when wewere scared to death just three yearsago. We chose Nordhavn to “take theboat out of the equation” in terms ofthings to worry about. Cruising hasgiven us bragging rights among ourfriends and other yachties, and to ourown surprise we are now consideredthe “experts” in our small circle. Whowoulda thought?

David and Sharon SmithTai Mo ShanNordhavn 46 #75• Nautical miles cruised: 2,000 in thelast year.

• Cruising grounds: Hong Kong toPhilippines.• Cruising plans: Philippines andPalau.• Why Nordhavn: Out of the fourboats I have owned and lived on, thisis by far the best quality of build,design and seaworthiness.• Why cruising: The wild, gray yon-der!

Al and Dona HolmesFree FlightNordhavn 40 #7• Nautical miles cruised: About12,000 over four years.• Cruising grounds: Circumnavigatedthe major islands and some of theminor ones in southeast Alaska overtwo summers, circumnavigated Van-couver Island.• Cruising plans: Alaska, California,Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama Canaland up the Eastern Seaboard.• Why Nordhavn: The secure feeling.We have taken her in some prettyrough seas and have always felt com-fortable. There were a couple oftimes when we were in an area and astorm kind of crept up on us, and youcan’t scurry real fast on seven knots.We were in probably 12- to 15-footseas and we were just fine. She’s verycomfortable, she’s roomy enough forus, and our cat loves her too.• Why cruising: Going to out-of-theway places and enjoying the scenery,not having to go to marinas and notbeing around tons of other boaters.

Jerry MartinDiscoveryNordhavn 40 #8• Nautical miles cruised: 4,000-plussince November 1999.• Cruising grounds: Great Lakes andCanada.• Cruising plans: The Great Loopand the East Coast.• Why Nordhavn: It’s rugged, it’s bul-let-proof, it’s a super boat. I’m also inthe Coast Guard auxiliary, and I usethe boat for search and rescue inLake Michigan. It’s a good boat forthat. When everyone comes in, wecan go out. Even the Coast Guardlikes it.• Why cruising: It’s the only time that

“We also like the

self-sufficiency,

(although some

days we’d give our

right arm for

someone else to

do the work!)”

The Nordhavn 50 Liberty Call, owned by Mike Martus and MariaKazanowska, departs Galesville, Maryland. Above: Donna and Russ

Sherwin aboard their Nordhavn 46 Four Seasons.

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the family gets together for anextended time.

Bruce Welch and Lonnie MarkDouble DragonNordhavn 40 #11• Nautical miles cruised: 15,000 overtwo and a half years.• Cruising grounds: California toAlaska, Panama Canal, Rhode Island.• Why Nordhavn: Solid construction.• Why cruising: Having your homewith you.

Larry and Jane BrownAtlasNordhavn 40 #12• Nautical miles cruised: 300 sinceJuly 2002.• Cruising grounds: Chesapeake Bay.• Cruising plans: Bermuda, HudsonRiver and New York canal system,North Carolina bays and rivers.• Why Nordhavn: The boat’s strengthand reliability; product support fromNordhavn.• Why cruising: Freedom, seeing newareas, meeting other cruising folks.

Viktor and Diane GrabnerLoreleyNordhavn 40 #16• Nautical miles cruised: 8,200 overtwo years.• Cruising grounds: Dana Point, Cali-fornia, to Port Townsend, Washing-ton; Puget Sound; Alaska.• Cruising plans: San Juans/Gulfs(winter); Vancouver Island (spring.)• Why Nordhavn: Excellent quality,good reliability, wonderful handlingin all seas and weather.• Why cruising: Independence; see-ing many new things; nautical andnavigational challenge.

James B. FrantzAlbedosNordhavn 40 #17• Nautical miles cruised: 4,200 overtwo years.• Cruising grounds: Pacific North-west.• Cruising plans: Unknown.• Why Nordhavn: Nice boat overall.• Why cruising: Exploring.

Klaus and Elizabeth LoehrChinookNordhavn 40 #20• Nautical miles cruised: 8,600 sinceMarch 2001.• Cruising grounds: Dana Point, Cali-fornia, to Port Angeles, Washington,British Columbia, Alaska.• Cruising plans: Detailed explo-rations of the west coast of VancouverIsland and British Columbia.• Why Nordhavn: Our Nordhavn 40meets or exceeds all the claims andspecifications issued by PAE. It is asafe, sturdy and comfortable vesselwith excellent economy and range.We avidly use the boat and cruise thedistance, with 5,000 nm the first yearand 3,600 the second, living aboardfor over six months a year.• Why cruising: The scenery, the sealife, meeting new friends and seeingold ones. The freedom of choosingpassages and destinations, and theself-reliant responsibility of makingeach day, each passage, and each sea-son safe and pleasurable.

Allan and Nancy SalzmanAnnabelleNordhavn 40 #22• Nautical miles cruised: 12,000 overtwo seasons.• Cruising grounds: Cape Cod, LongIsland.• Cruising plans: Maine.• Why Nordhavn: Quiet, comfortable,easy to maintain.• Why cruising: Family being togeth-er; separation from the “real world.”

“Great platform

for grandchildren.

We had two of

them for two

weeks . . . and

they loved it; the

best time we have

ever spent with

them.”

Herb and Theresa BashBlue FairwayNordhavn 40 #26• Nautical miles cruised: Owned theboat almost two years; haven’t addedup the mileage.• Cruising grounds: Seabrook, Texas,to Fort Myers, Florida, across theCaloosahatchee to Stuart, up theIntracoastal Waterway to HiltonHead, South Carolina, and back toStuart.• Cruising plans: Bahamas in Januaryfor some fishing.• Why Nordhavn: Its seaworthiness,and my number one concern: safety.• Why cruising: I just love being onthe water, being able to see differentplaces and travel. Being able to takemy accommodations with me is nice.


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Ann and Eric BloomquistKivaNordhavn 40 #29• Nautical miles cruised: 3,000 in oneyear.• Cruising grounds: Southern Cali-

fornia and the Sea of Cortez.• Cruising plans: Mexican west coastto Ixtapa.• Why Nordhavn: Comfort, depend-ability, safety.• Why cruising: It’s usually warmerthan Minnesota. Adventure, freedom,family time. New places and peopleand on and on and on . . .

Larry and Barbara SuttonSea StarNordhavn 40 #31• Nautical miles cruised: 1,000 in firstfour months of ownership.• Cruising grounds: Beaufort, N. C.to Newport, R.I.• Cruising plans: South on Intra-coastal Waterway to Florida Keys, DryTortugas, Bahamas.• Why Nordhavn: Integrity and beau-ty of design; comfort in all the vari-ous living spaces; knowing that theNordhavn family has adopted us andthat they will quickly respond and

support us in all situations.• Why cruising: Viewing the worldfrom the water, meeting other cruis-ers, entertaining our friends and fam-ily board the boat; sunny days; andthe exquisite beauty of nature.

Harold E. SegravesCocamoNordhavn 40 #32• Nautical miles cruised: Ownedsince March 2002.• Cruising grounds: California toEnsenada, Mexico, and back.• Cruising plans: Pacific Northwest,British Columbia, Alaska.• Why Nordhavn: Everything. It is avery well-built boat and a lot ofthought was put into its design. Ican’t think of any improvements Iwould recommend.• Why cruising: The freedom, andplaces you get to experience.

John and Sue SpencerUno MasNordhavn 40 #34• Nautical miles cruised: 2,000 sinceMarch 2002.• Cruising grounds: Southern Califor-nia and north to the Pacific North-west, then to Puget Sound and the

San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands.• Cruising plans: Alaska in summer2003, northern British Columbia andwest coast of Vancouver Island in2004, Mexico in winter 2004.• Why Nordhavn: Her rugged seawor-thiness, which was tested on our firstcruise up the Pacific Northwest in 16-foot seas with a breaking wave whichrolled us over about 40 degrees anddown the face at about a 15-degreeangle, dumping three inches of water. . . into the engine room. No prob-lem.• Why cruising: The beauty of thePacific Northwest; great, friendly peo-ple we have met; and the peaceful-ness of anchorages (but only afterSeptember.)

Cal and Nancy MasseyHale KaiNordhavn 40 #35• Nautical miles cruised: 2,000 overfirst eight months.• Cruising grounds: Delivery fromDana Point, Calif., to Pacific North-west, San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands,Desolation Sound, Inside Passage tonorth end of Vancouver Island andreturn.• Cruising plans: Same area for nexttwo years.• Why Nordhavn: Solid, well-builtboat, efficient, low maintenance,great company supporting ownersafter delivery. Wonderful people tohave on your boating team.• Why cruising: Freedom, peace.

Passagemakingon the WebFor more on voyaging the worldwith Nordhavn, or cruising closer tohome, visit www.nordhavn.comand circumnavigatormag.com. Ifyou’re a Nordhavn owner whowould like to be included in theWeb edition of the roundup, pleasee-mail your information to [email protected] orwrite to CIRCUMNAVIGATOR, 3377Bethel Road S.E. #107, PortOrchard, Washington 98366,Attention Nordhavn Roundup.

The Nordhavn 46 Kanaloa rests at anchor off Papua,New Guinea. Opposite: A sunset in San Blas Islands.photographed from the Nordhavn 46 Miss Texas.

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R ecords are made to be broken,but pioneering passagemakersJim and Susy Sink hold two that

won’t. Theirs was the first productionpowerboat to complete a circumnavi-gation of the world, and the firstyacht, sail or power, to transit theRhine-Main-Danube Canal betweenthe Baltic and the Black Sea.

A third record set by the Sinks stooduntil it was recently smashed by theNordhavn 40 Around the World trip:the smallest production motorboat tocircumnavigate on its own tanks.

Jim and Susy’s odyssey in theirNordhavn 46 Salvation II took fiveyears, covered more than 50,000 nau-tical miles, and was completed in1995. For their accomplishments theywere named Trawler World Passage-makers of the Year in 1996.

When they left Dana Point, Califor-nia, to begin their circumnavigation

UnsinkableJim and Susy Sink were the first to circumnavigate the planet in anoff-the-shelf production powerboat

By Milt Baker

in 1990, Jim was 60 and Susy 57, andthey had been married over 30 years.When they returned, Dana Point wastheir 528th port of call. They hadcruised the waters of 52 countries and33 U.S. states, and they were still hap-pily married. “We had such pleasure,and such wonderful memories,” Jimsaid.

Although they began their trip justover a dozen years ago, by today’sstandards the equipment aboard theirboat was rudimentary. They begantheir trip with no GPS, no electroniccharting, no satellite communications,no dedicated generator, no air condi-tioning, no television, no CD player--all taken for granted aboard small pas-sagemaking motor yachts today. Yet byany measure the Sinks’ circumnaviga-tion was a huge success. And a delightfor them personally.

Was it their sturdy Nordhavn 46 or

was it the way they tackled their trip?“Both!” Jim Sink would be quick to tellyou with his characteristic enthusiasm.

“It’s the only boat I know that’s soadaptable to all three modes, oceancrossing, coastal cruising, and inlandcruising,” Jim said, noting their ambi-tious voyage plans included large dos-es of all three. But it’s also clear thatJim and Susy followed their own coun-sel: “Plan carefully, act carefully, andproceed vigorously.”

The best way to gain seagoing expe-rience is little by little, advised Jim.Start with day cruises to get the funda-mentals down, then try a night cruiseor two—preferably on a clear nightwith a full moon. Once you have thatdown, move to an overnight cruise.“This is the buoy-to-buoy concept,” hesaid. “You don’t often see the nextbuoy until you reach the one justahead of you. And when you getthere, you say, ahhhh . . . there’s thenext one.” And it all comes into focus.

Jim and Susy were committed totaking the time to build the skills theyknew they would need. Thanks toJim’s experience as a Navy pilot, their

A Nordhavn 46sistership escorts Salvation II intoDana Point to endits pioneeringcircumnavigation.Opposite: Jim andSusy Sink today.



Salvation II’s Circumnavigation

• Start: June 28, 1990, at Dana Point,California

• Finish: October. 3, 1995, at Dana Point, California

• Direction: West to East via the Panama and Suez canals

• Countries visited: 51 (+ 33 U.S. states and District of Columbia)

• Nautical miles traveled: 50,446 • Engine hours run: 7,761 • Fuel burned: 18,476 gallons • Average speed: 6.5 knots • Average fuel burn: 2.38 gallons

per hour• Average mileage: 2.73 nautical miles

per gallon

first year with Salvation II reads like aNavy training syllabus: Launching,commissioning, sea trials in Califor-nia, delivery to Oregon, crew trainingin San Juan Islands, maiden voyage viathe Inland Passage to Alaska, Pacificcoast south to Panama, cruiseCaribbean, Yucatan coast, Gulf of

Mexico to homeport in Houston. The worst weather they ever

encountered came early on one ofCalifornia’s offshore bars known forkicking up riotous seas. “We had nev-er been into Eureka,” Susy said. “Wecalled the Coast Guard and askedthem about the conditions of the bar,and they asked if we would like tohave an escort. But they couldn’tcome out right away, so for an hour orso we did a racetrack course aroundthe entrance buoy. And the weathergot worse and worse and worse. That,for me, was kind of scary.”

“That was our indoctrination . . .our shakedown cruise, and we wereholding on to the wheelhouse table tokeep from getting thrown around,”said Jim. “It was a pretty serious indoc-trination, especially for Susy.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t affect us now,”she said. “But I thought at the time,‘My God, why am I doing this? Is thisfun?’ ”

But plentiful good weather morethan offset the occasional bad, Jimpointed out, and one of the advan-tages of a powerboat is that it can go

where there is no wind. “We had anunbelievably benign crossing of theNorth Atlantic,” Jim recalled. “It wasthe latter part of May, and the Azoreshigh was doing its thing. The middleof the North Atlantic between Bermu-da and the Azores was like a millpond. We stopped and went swim-ming in the middle of the ocean.”

In late spring and summer, a highpressure system known as the Azoreshigh typically brings calm, settledweather to the waters between Bermu-da and the Azores. Trawler yacht skip-pers like Jim often plan passages rightthrough the high pressure to takeadvantage of the good weather. Onelesson Jim and Susy learned early wasto talk to cruisers who had recentlybeen where they were headed. It wasa lesson that paid dividends aroundthe world—it always brought themuseful information. Jim reported thathe often exchanged charts and cruis-ing guides with other skippers, whilecomparing notes with them on whereto go and what to avoid.

“There’s no question our favoriteplace was Turkey because it has alarge community of most all live-aboards,” said Jim. “About half ofthem were Americans, and all of themwithout exception were English-speak-ers, and we got not only a great boat-ing community but we all loved theTurkish people.”

What are the Sinks up to now? They still own Salvation II and use

her as their summer home. She’sbased in Friday Harbor, Washington,and Jim and Susy still love summercruising in the Pacific Northwest.

“We don’t know what we’re going todo in the future,” said Jim. “We arethinking a lot about this because boat-ing is so interwoven into our lifestyle.”

Does that mean the Sinks would notrule out another circumnavigation?

“That,” Jim said with a chuckle, “willbe the first question I ask my nextwife.”

To which Susy responded with asmile: “It’s going to have to be thenext wife. One circumnavigation isenough for me!”

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If Ghanim Al-Othman were search-ing for a movie title to best describehis circumnavigation, Against All

Odds would likely fill the bill. He overcame relative inexperience,

mechanical breakdown, injury andperilous weather to become the firstArab to circumnavigate the world in aprivately-owned powerboat under 100feet. In doing so the Kuwaiti demon-strated that determination can some-times make up for superior planningand slick seamanship.

In his beloved Othmani, a Nordhavn46, Ghamin realized a dream he’dharbored since age 14—a dreaminspired by his namesake grandfather,who had been a noted ship captain.

Ghanim and his crew, friendMohammed Haider and mechanicJawad Maaroof, set off January 25,1998, on a cold, rainy night. Althoughthe first six weeks were uneventful,they were met with the first of manychallenges when, off Thailand, therewas a fire in the engine room. Next,they ran out of water while at sea.

Misfortune continued in April whenan unexpected low tide left Othmanigrounded and with some hull damage.After repairs in Singapore, they madeit to Palau where Ghanim sliced a legon a coral reef, causing severe bleed-ing, swelling, and eventually infection.

Doing it his wayInexperience can’tscuttle pluckyKuwaiti skipper’s trip

By Joe Hvilivitzky

Othmani’sCircumnavigation

• Start: January 25, 1998, at Kuwait City, Kuwait

• Finish: September 29, 1999, at Kuwait City, Kuwait

• Direction: West to East via Panama and Suez canals

• Countries visited: 40• Number of ports: More than 50• Nautical miles traveled: About

34,700

But the worst was yet to come. NearKosrae, in Micronesia, they encoun-tered high winds and what Ghanimrecalls as the most frightening experi-ence of the trip. “I saw the sea go flatlike a football field and then all of asudden I saw this huge wave come andhit our boat,” he says. “It was 50 feet, arogue wave. I was lucky to hit only one,usually they go two or three together.”

At another point, the autopilotconked out, the victim of over-heat-ing. With advice radioed from PacificAsian Enterprises, Ghanim made thenecessary repairs and then put in fornew parts. Undaunted, the trio tooksome time off in Honolulu beforecontinuing on, arriving August 28 atDana Point, California, to mark theend of a tumultuous first half of thecircumnavigation.

In hindsight, Ghanim acknowledgesnot having given sufficient attention tothe weather in planning the trip. Earlyon in the Pacific leg, however, JimLeishman of PAE put him in touchwith Omni Marine, a weather routing

service in Seattle. “I have a good boat,but anyone who goes around theworld should search for a good weath-er forecaster,” advises Ghanim.

Resuming the voyage after a three-month hiatus, Ghanim encounteredmore bad weather as winter stormsdogged Othmani much of the waysouth to the Panama Canal. He madestops in Cuba and Miami and restedagain, from February until May, wait-ing for the Atlantic to calm down.Now with only one crew member,Jawad, he refueled in Bermuda andset off for the Azores. Twelve days lat-er, on May 21, they were in Horta, butnot before a final bout of high windand rain. But from there on in it wasleisurely going until a triumphantreturn home on September 29.

Ghanim shot video of his voyage,providing a perfect segue to his latestpassion—making video documen-taries. Among them is a one-hour tes-tament to his incredible journey,appropriately titled Othmani Aroundthe World, which was shown onKuwaiti television. Although Othmaniis listed for sale with a Fort Laud-erdale brokerage, Ghanim, now 36,uses her to travel to destinations tovideotape subjects for his shows.

His dream realized, Ghanim shunsany suggestion his trip was some formof self-promotion. “It’s too dangerousfor that,” he says. “Rather, I am aproud Kuwaiti and I felt I wanted it asa tribute to our forefathers who sailedthe grand seas in search of livelihood.I want the trip to be a torch for allKuwaiti youth and the new genera-tion. A message: seek adventure andride the seas.”

Ghanim Al-Othman waves fromOthmani at Dana Point, half way

in his circumnavigation.


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Heidi and Wolfgang Hass, cap-tain and mate of the Nordhavn46 Kanaloa, are not your typical

cruising couple. -- They’ve voyaged the world full

time for the past 20 years. -- Together they’ve completed two

west-about circumnavigations, the firstunder sail and the second under pow-er. And they are just beginning cir-cumnavigation number three.

-- Aboard their Nordhavn, Heidi iscaptain, navigator and cook, whileWolfgang is chief engineer, deckhandand first officer. He also bakes thebread and makes the sauerkraut.

-- Heidi and Wolfgang try to avoidbig cities and yachting ports, prefer-ring instead to venture off the beatenpath to tropical third world stops.Among their favorite destinations:New Caledonia, Borneo, Vanuatu,Papua-New Guinea, Indonesia, and

Round 3Love of life at sea starts this atypical cruisingcouple on a third trip around the globe

By Milt Baker

No schedule. We may stay for six oreight weeks. The locals have to getused to us. When you only stay a weekyou don’t meet anyone, you don’t seeanything. You have to settle down andthey have to get accustomed to you.”

The Hasses always try to leave some-thing useful behind in the villages theyvisit. In one village in Papua, NewGuinea, it was 85 pairs of used eyeglass-es they had asked their Berlin yachtclub to collect, and the spectaclesproved a great hit with nearsighted andfarsighted villagers alike. In another,they helped residents repair a watercatchment system which was leakingmore water than it was saving. “Theyappreciate our help so much,” Wolf-gang said. “And they use everything,even plastic bottles we throw away.”

What is striking about the Hasses ishow comfortable they are in the thirdworld and on the ocean, and how lit-tle they rely on conveniences oftentaken for granted. Kanaloa has no airconditioning, no generator, no bowthruster, no satellite phone, and noinsurance. “We don’t need thesethings,” explained Heidi. “They makeour lives too complicated.”

As Heidi and Wolfgang begin athird circumnavigation, they’ve takenaboard a new crew member to sharetheir love of ocean travel—a Norfolkterrier puppy named Zulu.

Kanaloa’sCircumnavigation

• Start: October 6, 1996, at Dana Point, California

• Finish: November. 13, 2002, at Dana Point, California

• Direction: East to West via Cape of Good Hope and Panama Canal

• Countries visited: 33• Nautical miles traveled: 35,061• Engine hours run: 5,4333• Fuel burned: 12,000 gallons

approx.• Average speed: 7-7.5 knots• Average fuel burn: 2.3 gallons per

hour• Average mileage: 3.0 nautical miles

per gallon

the Seychelles, where they spendmonths at a time.

Unlike many couples who beginpassagemaking late in life, the Hasseswere bitten early by the cruising bug.It was 1982 when they departed Ham-burg, Germany, in a 38-foot steel sail-ing yacht. Wolfgang was 43 and Heidi32. And they never looked back. Theirfirst circumnavigation was a leisurelyone of almost 15 years. When it wasdone, the Hasses gave in to Wolf-gang’s urge to buy a Nordhavn. “Youknow,” he said, “sailors feel theyshould never run the engine. Now Iam glad that I am not in conflict any-more—this is the perfect boat for us.”

Kanaloa flies the German flag, butthe Hasses are citizens of the world—far more at home crossing oceans thanshoehorned into an urban marina.

“I am the only (navigator) who wentfrom the Borneo to South Africa with-out any wind whatsoever and the cur-rents with me,” said Heidi, taking obvi-ous pride in her ability as a navigator.

Why are the Hasses still voyagingthe world?

“It’s so beautiful out there on theocean,” enthused Heidi. “It smells sogood, it’s so clean, there’s always some-thing going on, every day is different.And you meet so many people.

“The ocean is never frightening tous, and I wish people would look at itfrom a different perspective,” Heidisaid, Wolfgang nodding agreement.“We have never been afraid of theocean, and I think it’s just beautiful . .. and these Nordhavns are so safe.The boats can handle much, muchmore than a person can.”

Visiting tropical islands and villagesoff the beaten path, Heidi said, “Wejust arrive and stay as long as we want.

Well-traveled Heidi andWolfgang Hass aboard theirNordhavn 46 Kanaloa.

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What are the most important lessons learned bypassagemakers who have cruised extensively

beyond U.S. waters? We asked the owners of nine Nordhavns--three 62s,

one 57 and five 46s--including two 46s that havecircumnavigated the world. Together, these boats andtheir crews represent more than 200,000 nautical milesof voyaging in Nordhavns. Their lessons learned areeye opening.

What do you enjoy most about cruising?

John Maloney of the Nordhavn 62 Rover spoke for manyowners:

“I like the challenge: of preparation, laying out the prop-er course, making sure that everything is ready—fuel sys-tems, charts, etc. Managing the risk.

“I like the adventure: visiting remote areas and meeting

Talk to Nordhavnowners voyaging theworld and you are sureto come away with twostrong impressions:the breadth of theircruising experienceand the depth of theiraffection and respectfor their boats


LessonsLEARNED

Rover and Karma, two Nordhavn62s buddy-boating through

Southeast Asia, share a quietanchorage at Langkawi, in

Malaysia.


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What about the challenges of running a boat with somany complex systems?

“I’m an ex-computer programmer.On a scale of 1 to 10 of mechanicalability, I’d rate myself (generously) azero,” said Ken Williams. “We run theboat ourselves, so there is no one butmy wife and I to rely on. I’ve beenlearning the mechanical systems onthe boat the hard way—one break-down at a time.”

“It’s a real challenge running a ves-sel of this type,” said Fred Caron, skip-

the local people. Getting the feel ofthe areas visited and learning theircustoms. The camaraderie of othersailors at anchorages.

“The anticipation: What will youfind at the end of the passage?

“And, finally, the joy of accomplish-ment, when arriving successfully atyour destination.”

“Cruising is a lifestyle, not a vaca-tion,” said John’s wife, Gail. “Dailyroutines can have the same ups anddowns, boredom and stress as onland, but the overall big picture isastonishing in places seen, people meton land and water, and the satisfaction(and surprise) of accomplishing sucha great deal just by continuing to leavethe dock.”

To Janet McClintock and John Imleof the Nordhavn 57 Bagan, “The mostenjoyable part of South Pacific cruis-ing is that we can spend half the yearenjoying the pleasures of the trop-ics—warm, gentle people, picture-postcard beaches and fantastic diving.The other half of the year, when weretreat from the cyclone belt, we finda berth in the middle of a down-undertown like Auckland or Sydney andsavor sophisticated city living.”

“Seeing new places while having ourhome with us, meeting new people,the challenge of navigating in newareas, and being able to experiencefirst-hand the beauty of this planet,”said Dave and Sally Chambers of SallyG, a Nordhavn 46.

“The heart of cruising for us is arriv-ing at very out-of-the-way places, get-ting acquainted with the locals, seeingthe sights and how others live,” saidFred Caron of Arcturus, another Nord-havn 46.

per and owner of Arcturus, a Nord-havn 46. “We make fresh water as weneed and we generate our own elec-tricity; we have several radio stations,a sewer system, two propulsion sys-tems, which require fuel, filters and,from time to time, fresh oil. In tankswe can carry over 7,000 pounds offuel and 2,400 pounds of water. Wealso have a myriad of pipes, hoses, fit-tings, ports, hatches, vents, miles ofwire, countless fuses and an electron-ics array in the pilothouse that wouldhave stunned the skipper of a super-tanker just 20 years ago. Consideringthe constant dampness, exposure tosalt water, the movement of the sea

and changes in temperature, it’sunderstandable that things can break,come undone or just get out of adjust-ment. I have found that staying up-to-date in each of these important areasto be enjoyable and at times challeng-ing. We have many entertaining sto-ries to tell about on-the-job training.”

“I am not a mechanical person, and

By Milt Baker

I was alarmed when I was given a list ofspare parts to have on board,” saidJohn Maloney. “It seemed like I wastaking along the innards of anotherwhole boat. When advised to get one ofSears’ large tool packages, I thought Iwould never use them. Well, we havebecome well acquainted. But no matterhow many spares you take, there will besomething you will need but don’thave. You need to have good supportbackup at home, from the boatbuilder,the electronics installer, and contacts atyour major electronic and mechanicalcomponent companies. How do youlearn? You learn. Read the manualsand don’t be afraid to send an e-mail

John Imle tends to e-mail aboard Nordhavn 57 Bagan. Above: Fred Caronaboard Arcturus, and Margie and Richard Kidd with Miss Texas.


and show your ignorance.” “It’s important to perform your own

preventive maintenance to acquaintyourself with your boat’s systems,”according to John Imle. “And workwith and watch mechanics doing themore sophisticated work. It is alsoimportant to establish relationshipswith the suppliers of major mechani-cal equipment, such as engines andstabilizers. Thanks to today’s satellitephone and e-mail communication sys-tems, it is possible to get top-qualitydiagnostic assistance usually withinhours, sometimes even faster thanthat.”

“We have had no serious mechani-cal problems,” said Bill Smith of theNordhavn 62 Autumn Wind. “I amfamiliar with the systems, but I’ve got-ten hands-on knowledge one system ata time—tracing problems and learn-ing the system as I go.”

How do you keep in touch with family and friends?

“E-mail. We have Inmarsat Conboard and can use it anywhere, any-

time. A great system! We use e-mail onshore when we’re there,” said Richardand Margie Kidd.

“We have a Mini-M system that pro-vides slow Internet access. When we’reclose enough to shore, I use my cell-phone and get the blindingly fast rateof 9.6k (about 5 times slower than amodem). I’m just in the process ofinstalling the Fleet 77 system for Inter-net access. This is an always-on systemwhich is expensive but should solve allmy weather information needs,” KenWilliams said. “I hope!”

“E-mail is our primary means ofcommunication with occasional satel-lite phone call to family,” said JohnMaloney. Although he began with asingle-sideband based system, “I nowhave an Iridium phone,” he said, “andwith proper servers and software, Ican send multiple e-mails in less thana minute. Iridium phone calls are thecheapest of any satphone, and (Iridi-um service) is available worldwide.”

John Imle and Janet McClintockagree. “Cruising the remote SouthPacific, we communicate primarily bye-mail and secondly by voice. We find

Iridium satellite phone the best forboth. For anyone considering Iridium,we recommend investing in a dockingstation and a fixed external antenna.”

Wolfgang and Heidi Hass take a dif-ferent approach. They call home onlywhen they happen to be near aphone, and they decline to use a satel-lite telephone or satellite e-mail, pre-ferring instead to be out of touch forlong periods of time.

How do you watch theweather? What was the worstweather you encountered?

“I like going into the weather officesand getting good hard briefs beforeleaving, then following up with weath-er fax,” said Jim Sink, who circumnav-igated with his wife Susy aboard theirNordhavn 46. “We never had anyweather damage or storm damage,though we once took some greenwater over the wheelhouse roof and itcracked the reflector lens in oursearchlight.” The highest seas he andSusy experienced on their five-yearcircumnavigation were about 30 feet.


Spectacular Glacier Bay as seen fromNordhavn 46 Salvation II during its

maiden voyage to Southeast Alaska.

Pho

to: J

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ink


“We watch weather using weatherrouters for long passages, weatherfax,Nobeltec weather downloads, cruisernets on VHF and HF radio, andnational weather forecasts on HF andham maritime nets,” said John Imleand Janet McClintock. “The worstwe’ve seen in 21,000 miles of Pacificcruising is 40-knot winds and 15-20foot seas—on two occasions. In nei-ther case were we in a storm. Thesewere just what is called ‘enhancedtradewinds.’ ”

“On the first occasion—from BoraBora to Cook Islands—we had follow-ing seas,” they said. “Rough conditionswere complicated by having to respondto a Mayday, requiring us to circle a dis-abled sailboat all night. Not life threat-ening, but very uncomfortable.”

“On the second occasion—leavingVanuatu for New Caledonia—we hadwaited days for weather to lie downand we got impatient,” they said. “Ourfirst mistake!

“True, conditions were improving,”

they continued, “but by the time wecleared the harbor, we were encoun-tering 20-foot head seas. No fun. Butneither of us wanted to be the first tocall it quits. Pride: the second mistake.Finally, after two hours of bashing—and the expectation of another 48hours of the same ahead of us—weagreed to turn around and return toport. What a lovely luxury, to have theoption of turning back!”

“You should not be afraid to turnaround,” Heidi Hass agreed emphati-cally. “We did that twice, and eachtime we turned around and came

Jim and Susy SinkSalvation IINordhavn 46 #10• Miles cruised: 50,000+• Where cruised: East-about circum-navigation, Dana Point to Dana Pointvia Panama, the U.S. EasternSeaboard, Great Loop, NorthAtlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea, KielCanal, Rhine-Main-Danube Canal,Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea,Corinth Canal, Suez Canal, Red Sea,Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, andNorth Pacific.• What’s next: Still deciding.

Fred and Chris CaronArcturusNordhavn 46 #16• Miles cruised: 15,000• Where cruised: Alaska to Mexico,South Pacific to New Zealand.• What’s next: New Zealand‚ SouthIsland Stewart Island, Tasman Sea toTasmania, Australia.

Dave and Sally ChambersSally GNordhavn 46 #36• Miles cruised: 25,000+• Where cruised: Alaska to Panama,Bahamas, U.S East Coast; CanadianMaritimes and Newfoundland; East-ern and Western Caribbean, WesternMediterranean to of England; Ire-land and Scotland.• What’s next: the Caledonian Canal,Orkney & Shetland Is., Norway, Swe-den, Finland and Denmark.

Heidi and Wolfgang HassKanaloaNordhavn 46 #48• Miles cruised: 35,000 (plus a 15-year circumnavigation under sail)• Where cruised: West-about circum-navigation, Dana Point to DanaPoint, via Mexico, the South Pacific,Indian Ocean, Cape of Good Hope,South Atlantic and North Atlantic,Caribbean Sea, Panama.• What’s next: Back to the SouthPacific to begin a third circumnaviga-tion.

Richard and Margie KiddMiss TexasNordhavn 46 #57• Miles cruised: 24,000• Where cruised: Alaska to Panama,Caribbean, North Atlantic toMediterranean, France, England, toNewport, Rhode Island.• What’s next: Accepted an offer onthe boat and are building a newhome beside a lake in Texas.

John Imle and Janet McClintockBaganNordhavn 57 #10• Miles cruised: 21,500• Where cruised: Alaska to Mexico,South Pacific to New Zealand andAustralia.• What’s next: Probably eastern Aus-tralia, Great Barrier Reef; possibly tothe Louisiade Archipelago in Papua-New Guinea and back to New Cale-donia, Vanuatu and Fiji.

Ken and Roberta WilliamsSans SouciNordhavn 62 #9• Miles cruised: 3,000• Where cruised: Pacific Northwest,Mediterranean.• What’s next: This summer, cruisingaround Corsica and the western coastof Italy. Summer 2004, have a captainand crew deliver the boat to Athens,then cruise the Greek Islands.

John and Gail MaloneyRoverNordhavn 62 #18• Miles cruised: 15,000 (plus another20,000 in their Nordhavn 46 hull#47)• Where cruised: Alaska to Mexico,Western Caribbean, EasternSeaboard to Nova Scotia (in ourNordhavn 46). Dana Point to SouthPacific, New Zealand, Australia,Malaysia, Thailand and the AndamanSea (in our Nordhavn 62).• What’s next: Indian Ocean, Sri Lan-ka, India, Oman, Red Sea, Eritrea,Sudan, Egypt, and Turkey.

Bill and Arline SmithAutumn WindNordhavn 62 #19• Miles cruised: 20,000 (plus 45,000in another boat)• Where cruised: Alaska to Mexico toSouth Pacific, (boat shipped to EastCoast) Chesapeake• What’s next: U.S. Eastern Seaboard,Caribbean, possibly Europe.

Passagemakers



Surprisingly, three of the ninecouples cited Suwarrow, a remoteatoll 1,000 miles from Tahiti, as theepitome of their cruising experi-

ence. Here’s what Janet McClintock andJohn Imle had to say:

“Everyone dreams of a Robinson Cru-soe island; we visited one in the SouthPacific that meets the description:Suwarrow in the northern CookIslands. Accessible only by private boat, Suwarrowis a picture postcard of palm trees, white beaches and bountiful sea life. It’san uninhabited island except for two seasonal caretakers. Instead of stampingyour passport, they greet you with a cool, sweet green coconut. They gra-ciously invite transient yachties to share the delights of this out-of-the-wayparadise.

“We spent our days snorkeling the pristine waters, trying to convince a fleetof reef sharks to keep their distance. The sea is so full, fishermen find it hardto leave. Some days the caretakers organize the yachties for cleanup projectsof parts of the atoll, where we visit remote rookeries and chase coconut crabswhile we collect beach litter. Most evenings everyone meets under the tallpalms for fresh-caught mahi-mahi cooked native style on palm leaves over anopen fire. Everybody brings a contribution to the feast, and we cap off theevening with an impromptu musicale under the stars. Does life get better thanthis?”

Together with circumnavigators Heidi and Wolfgang Hass of the Nordhavn46 Kanaloa, John and Gail Maloney confirmed the Robinson Crusoe feel ofSuwarrow, the warm camaraderie with caretakers and other yachties, and theterrific fishing.

“Two areas seemed to offer more than any others,” said Richard Kidd of theNordhavn 46 Miss Texas. “One was the San Blas Islands off the coast of Pana-ma and the other was Turkey. The scenes in the San Blas—pure white moundsof sand rising out of clear blue water with maybe two or three palm trees anda hut or two onshore, combined with the native Indians who got into theirdugout canoes and came out to our boat with their handmade molas (clothpictures) for sale . . . truly great. On the southern coast of Turkey, we foundfriendly people, fantastic Roman ruins, beautiful textiles, interesting cities andgreat marinas. We would go back in a heartbeat.”

“Borneo is beautiful . . . one of the nicest areas in the whole of Asia,” HeidiHass recounted. “So interesting because it has everything you can imagine . . .incredible wildlife, all those huge caves—some of the biggest in the world. Wetook Kanaloa about eight miles up the river to see the orangutans, then wetook the dinghy even farther up. The orangutans were all over in the trees.They were wonderful.”

“For us the best part of boating is fixing dinner at anchor,” Ken and Rober-ta Williams of Sans Souci, a Nordhavn 62, wrote. “There is no experience thatbeats dropping anchor in a quiet cove or an island in the Mediterranean,swimming all afternoon and then having dinner (with a great bottle of wine)on the back deck of the boat.”

The Cook Islands, especially Suwarrow, make an unforgettableimpression on passagemakers in the South Pacific

back to port, it was perfect. Otherboats went on, and they had terribletrips . . . they had to heave to, some ofthem had damage, and we overtookthem and arrived before them. Wehave no problem with turningaround—it has nothing to do withbad seamanship.”

“We get weather four times a day viaour Inmarsat-C system for free,and that’s our main source forweather,” said Richard andMargie Kidd. “We had only a cou-ple of times in the last four yearsof truly bad weather. If the weath-er was forecast to be bad, we juststayed where we were. We’ve seenwater come over the bow onlyonce. We just kept going becausewe never felt unsafe in the Nord-havn.”

Was there ever an occasionwhen you needed a wingengine?

“Last summer, when we were crossingthe Gulf de Lyon in France, a crossingof about 200 miles, our main enginedied about 50 miles from shore,” KenWilliams said. “Luckily, the Nordhavnshave a backup engine. Unfortunately,the backup engine doesn’t move theboat too fast—about 3 miles per hour. . . It was not a fun night, but wemade it to Toulon just fine, found adiesel mechanic and were on our way,on the main engine, in just a coupleof hours.”

“There were three instances, allquite different, that justified havingthat wing engine,” said Jim Sink.Without warning Salvation II’s trans-mission refused to move the boat onthe first occasion, a component of itsexhaust system failed, rendering themain engine unusable on the second,and Salvation II’s main propeller wasdisabled when it became badly tan-gled in a heavy fish net on the third.

“I am a serious believer in the wingengine, and the point is that you needa backup total power train,” Sink said,“I would not go for belting to themain shaft. I like to have a totally sep-arate power train.”

“Just one occasion,” reported BillSmith. “We threw a belt off the engine

Dream Destinations


and had to shut down, so we justturned on the wing engine while wemade repairs. We use our wing engineto run the boat’s hydraulics, so it’s ingood repair and always runs.”

“We’ve never had to use the wingengine because of main engine fail-ure,” John Imle and Janet McClintockwrote. “However, we did have toswitch to the wing engine briefly oncebecause of operator-error fuel starva-tion to the main engine. Our wingengine was challenged to maintaincourse in any but the best of condi-tions. We later upgraded our auxiliary(wing) drive train with a three-bladefeathering Max Prop and added abearing to the shaft. It now runssmoothly, and the three-bladed propwill be more efficient than the stan-dard two-blade folding prop. We nowfeel better about our ability to main-tain a course and some forward

momentum. Speed through the waternow is 5.5 to 6 knots in still water at2,200 rpm. Before the prop change itwas below 5 knots.”

Is there piece of gear you’ve found absolutelyindispensable and wouldrecommend to others?

“Paravanes,” said Heidi Hass, “are thebest of the best for reducing rolling atanchor.” Heidi also noted that run-ning offshore the noise and bubblesfrom the paravanes attract fish, so thefishing is nearly always good whenKanaloa is under way.

“In Europe, you must have a pas-sarelle,” said Ken Williams. “In theU.S., no one has ever heard of one,but in Europe, you can’t go intoalmost any port without one.” Med-mooring, with an anchor off the bowand the boat’s stern to the dock, is thestandard method for putting a yachtinto a Mediterranean marina. A pas-

sarelle—essentially a long gangplankoften supported by the boat’s rig-ging—makes getting ashore possiblewhile a boat is Med-moored.

“We put on a step-down transformerin anticipation of our trip to Europe,and you can’t get along without one,”Jim Sink said. “Everything on the boatis 60 cycles, but we could use thetransformer for the battery chargerand heaters. The only thing we couldnot use it for was motors, so we ranthe refrigerator on DC instead of ACpower. And I don’t think we missedanything.”

“Next to computer charts,” JohnImle said, “radar is our most importantnavigational tool for collision avoid-ance and distance off. Two items ofloose gear we would not do without,for both visual navigation and collisionavoidance, are image-stabilizing binoc-ulars and night-vision binoculars.”

“Our best engine room piece ofgear?” asks John Imle. “An infra redtemperature gun. With this little jewel(about $250), I can measure the tem-perature of any part on the engine(and shaft log, bearings, pumps, etc.)with a point-and-trigger pull. I’vemarked up all the vital parts with thenormal temperature range at variousengine speeds. Now I can check every-thing against the norms.”

“The single piece of equipmentwould be the GPS, especially whenintegrated with electronic charting,”wrote John Maloney. “I have a Furunoblack box radar with ARPA (advancedradar plotting aid). It was fantasticcruising at night through Indonesianwaters and Singapore Strait, whenthere were at least 20 targets on thescope, all going in different directionsand at different speeds.” ARPA radarprovides range, bearing, predictedclosest point of approach, and time ofclosest point of approach for each tar-get. Gail Maloney agrees: “The

Furuno black box radar with ARPAgets my vote.”

What do you like most about your Nordhavn”

“Both our Nordhavns (a 46 and nowa 62) have been superb passagemak-ers, with good stability and sea-keep-ing characteristics,” said John Mal-oney. “The best thing about Nord-havn boats is the support from thecompany.”

What else does John like about his62?

“The maneuverability in close quar-ters with powerful bow and sternthrusters; the cabin layout under theforedeck with overhead hatches forlight and ventilation, plenty of stor-age. The back upper deck for mealsand gathering, a delightful placewhile under way in good weather; par-

avanes to dampen the roll from swellsat anchor; air conditioning to cool theboat at night in the hot, humid weath-er of the South Pacific.”

“We enjoy the safe and secure feel-ing we have as we cruise the deep bluewaters of the world in Autumn Wind,”reported Bill Smith. “We love talkingto people interested in this boat—wedraw a crowd wherever we go!”

Something John Imle and JanetMcClintock especially like is that theirNordhavn 57 can be easily operatedby a couple, noting that they takecrew along only for long ocean pas-sages. They also report that “Nord-havn’s robust design and reliable sys-tems give us the confidence to crossoceans and cruise remote locations.”

“The boat is very safe in high seas,and it has never given us any insecurefeeling,” said Heidi Hass. “TheseNordhavns handle so well, we havenever even needed a bow-thruster.”

“Nordhavn works in all conditions,”said Richard and Margie Kidd.

“Both our Nordhavns (a 46 and now a 62) have been superbpassagemakers with good stability and sea-keeping

characteristics. The best thing about Nordhavn boats is the support from the company.”

C


The temperature is 78 degrees; the vast SouthPacific is flat with only a slight ripple to distinguishit from glass. Gazing backwards, our wake stretch-

es for miles into early morning grays like the white trail ofa jetliner 40,000 feet above. We are a solitary mark uponthe sea. The sky has begun to turn; dawn is coming. Irelieved Chris an hour ago, and now she sleeps.

We are 173 miles northeast of Tahiti and all is well. Asthe automatic pilot steers us, I pour my second cup. Ihave made the morning rounds and Arcturus seemssecure, no apparent leaks, and our trusty main engineturns smoothly at 1,300 rpm. Each valve in the engineroom is set to its proper position. Nothing seems out ofplace, no strange noises or unusual smells.

My mind drifts back to 1995. Chris and I each ownedsmall businesses and worked hard most days, going inearly and staying late, often working weekends. I was a

mature Type A personality working within my chosenfield; a comfortable and secure life. We liked our jobsand earned a good income in the process. Life was betterthan good, not perfect mind you, but really good, and itwent on like that for years. Oh, there were days when therut seemed to get deeper, days when we felt rooted in aninsignificant, unchanging and mundane world, but thosedays passed, the sun always rose.

Now, from the pilothouse, it appears this will be anoth-er beautiful day. In the time it took to write these words,the sky has brightened along the seam where water meetssky. A faint blue line has appeared, and now it is broaden-ing and beginning to turn pink.

How did this all begin? I recall browsing through aboating magazine and skimming a small ad touting thevirtues of a long-range trawler. Weeks later it came backto mind, and I searched for hours trying to find that ad.One of life’s elusive possibilities was taking hold and slow-ly evolving into an idea. At first I thought the ideaseemed more evolutionary than revolutionary but, as it

We have explored places few have visited; we have anchored inthe homes of sea lions, whales anddolphins; and we have watched thesun set and rise countless times.

By Fred CaronIllustration by Marta Lynne Scythes

Out there,and loving it


turned out, it was revolutionary—in fact it was the mostrevolutionary idea my mind had ever embraced. Even-tually our hearts and souls would embrace it too.

Our lives began to change. We attended West MarineTrawler Fest and the big boat shows, called for informa-tion about boats, talked with builders, read magazinesand books. In time our lives would change forever. Wewere too young to retire but we weren’t too young for asabbatical. We could make time for the sea and thenreturn to work if need be. As days turned to weeks andweeks to months, the material things we had worked sohard to acquire over so many years took on new signifi-cance. Those things were now holding us back, obstruct-ing us from our future, hindering us from achieving ournew goals. Almost everything would have to go; that wasa high hurdle, but not an insurmountable one.

In December 1999—15,000 nautical miles ago—wemoved aboard Arcturus. Since then our “ATV of the sea”has transported us to more cities, towns, villages and out-of-the-way places than we could have possibly imagined.

We have explored places few have visited; we haveanchored in the homes of sea lions, whales and dolphins;and we have watched the sun set and rise countless times.

In the east this morning, the sky is beginning toburn—oranges and pinks, reds, purples with slivers ofsilver and gold. If these sky-bursting beams of brilliancewere sound, this display would flatten the earth. But thisis silent light, the silent light of a new day.

You are witnessing the movement of time aboard an all-but-insignificant vessel manned by two rather ordinarypeople and a dog, in a seemingly limitless ocean. There isnot a blip on the radar screen, not even a squall. Still.Nothing at all. We are peacefully alone because this is theway we want to be—the motor vessel Arcturus, Chris,Dusty and me. A dog that goes to sea, you say? Ah, yes,but Dusty’s stories are for another day.

Fred Caron and his wife, Chris, have reached New Zealandwith Arcturus, their Nordhavn 46, with which they plan tocircumnavigate the planet in a leisurely fashion.


C

Eilco Kasemier was the first tocircumnavigate in a trawler yacht.

Two days after Bylgia II (foreground)completed her voyage in Plymouth,

England, David Scott Cowperdeparted with Mabel E. Holland(rafted outside) on what would

be the first singlehandedcircumnavigation under power.


Name Country Name of vessel Make or type LOA Dates Notes

Albert Gowen U.S. Speejacks Custom 98' 1921-1922 First yacht without sails to circumnavigate East to West

Don & Ann Gumpertz U.S. Westward Custom 86' 1970-1976 First yacht without sails to circumnavigate West to East

Eilco Kasemier Holland Bylgia II Custom 39' 1/2" 1983-1984 First trawler yacht to circumnavigate, and still the smallest

David Scott Cowper England Mabel E. Holland Converted lifeboat 42' 1984-1985 First singlehanded circumnavigation under power

David Scott Cowper England Mabel E. Holland Converted lifeboat 42' 1986-1990 Singlehanded circumnavigation via the Northwest Passage

Bruce & Joan Kessler U.S. Zopilote Delta 70 70' 1990-1993 First U.S. trawler yacht to circumnavigate

Jim & Susy Sink U.S. Salvation II Nordhavn 46 45' 9" 1990-1995 First production trawler yacht to circumnavigate

Ghanim Al-Othman Kuwait Othmani Nordhavn 46 45" 9" 1998-1999 First Arab trawler yacht to circumnavigate

Jim Leishman et al U.S. Nordhavn Nordhavn 40 39' 9" 2001-2002 Smallest production trawler yacht to circumnavigate

Heidi & Wolfgang Hass Germany Kanaloa Nordhavn 46 45' 9" 1996-2002 First German trawler yacht to circumnavigate

Other noteworthy circumnavigations under power:• Ben Carlin in Half-Safe, an amphibious Jeep• Bryan Peterson of the U.S. in Sunrider, a modified Zodiac 24• Jock Wishart in Cable & Wireless Adventurer, a custom 115-foot trimaran

T he first person to circumnavi-gate the world in a trawler yachtwas Eilco Kasemier of Holland,

a retired hotel owner who took BylgiaII around in 1983-84.

There were no production passage-makers on the market then, soKasemier, after he completed a cir-cumnavigation under sail, turned toDutch naval architect Dick Koopmansfor a custom design in aluminum.

The resulting 39-footer wasdesigned to be self-righting, butthat feature was never tested dur-ing the east-to-west circumnaviga-tion out of Plymouth, England.Bylgia II was powered by a four-cylinder Perkins 236 and carried942 gallons of diesel fuel.Although custom, Bylgia II was afairly normal trawler yacht, albeit

The list of private motor yachts that have voyaged around the world is still short, but likely to growrapidly over the next few years as more and more trawler couples graduate from coastal cruising.

First one aroundin the North Sea tradition of carryingaccommodations below deck.

Kasemier was in a hurry, as he want-ed to circumnavigate in 200 days orless, so he often ran into snotty weath-er and head seas. He averaged closeto 7 knots and his tour took 198 days,23 hours and 30 minutes. Fuel burnwas about 1.5 gallons per hour. Hislongest passage was a 20-day run fromAcapulco to Honolulu.

Long ocean passages Kasemier tack-led singlehanded while carrying onecrew the rest of the voyage, that crewchanging from leg to leg.

Kasemier’s circumnavigation standsas the quickest by a recreationalpowerboat operated by its owner, andthe smallest such yacht to go around.The Nordhavn 40 that circumnavigat-ed in 2001-02was 8.5 incheslonger yet standsas the smallestp r o d u c t i o npowerboat to goaround.

Circumnavigators Under Power

HONOR ROLL

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Most miles voyaged without completing a circumnavigation:• Michael Poliza in Starship, a Northern Marine 75, who covered 75,000miles in 1,009 days at sea during a voyage from Anacortes, Washington, toHamburg in his native Germany

A F T E R TA K I N G O U R N O R D H AV N 40

A R O U N D T H E W O R L D I N R E C O R D T I M E , T H E R E ’ S O N LY

O N E T H I N G W E W O U L D D O D I F F E R E N T LY. SL O W D O W N.

574035 46 50NEW! 47 62

Recently, one of our stock Nordhavn 40s completed a 25,000-mile circumnavigation in record time for a production boat of this size. Itwas the ultimate sea trial, as those of us whodesign, develop and sell Nordhavns took her to seato prove that we not only have the most seaworthy,dependable boats, but in the long run, they’realso the fastest production boats in the world.

Because our design and construction allowsNordhavns to run comfortably and safely in allkinds of conditions, we kept going when otherswould have had to run for shelter. So like a smart,long-term investment, the rugged, reliableNordhavn will always outperform the flashy, too-good-to-be-true claims of “faster” boats.

After completing the circumnavigation in lessthan 25 weeks, our only regret is that we didn’tslow down enough to enjoy the fascinating portsof call we passed through.

After experiencing typhoon conditions in thePacific and ferocious storms in the Mediterranean,we know this little ship can handle virtually anything. With over 4,000 hours on her engineand continuous, round-the-clock use of her systems, we can confidently claim she is one ofthe most dependable yachts ever built. Here aresome of the reasons why.

MODIFIEDFULL DISPLACEMENT HULL

In order to get around the world safely andcomfortably in record time, you need to slow downto displacement speed. We averaged from 6 to 8

knots throughout the voyage — around 6 knots for the longest, non-stop leg of 2,400 miles from

California to Hawaii. The 40’s hull features aModified Full Displacement (MFD®) design that incorporates a long keel with 4,000 lbs of leadballast; and a sturdy skeg, fully protecting theprop, shaft and rudder. Planing hulls can gofaster for short periods of time, but in the longrun, our MFD hull will keep going, day andnight, even in severe conditions.

STABILIZED FOR COMFORTAND SAFETY

Using both active fin stabilizers by Naiad,and towed “flopper stoppers,” our Nordhavn 40 provided a stable, comfortable platform in allkinds of seas. Obviously, there were times it wasnecessary to hold on to an interior handrail, butour ship was never rolling dangerously, even in20-foot seas during the Pacific typhoon.

SINGLE ENGINE EFFICIENCYAND DEPENDABILITY

Running at our slowest cruising speed duringour longest transoceanic legs, we covered over1,000 miles per week, averaging almost 2.5miles-per-gallon of fuel for the entire circumnavigation. The incredibly dependableLugger engine never skipped a beat, and wenever had to rely on our back-up “get-home”Yanmar. Running between 1,400 and 1,800 rpm,she was quiet, smooth and fuel-efficient.

A SEPARATE PILOTHOUSEFOR SERIOUS NAVIGATION

Today’s electronics are a marvel in performance and dependability, but they need aproper place to function as designed. The

Nordhavn 40’s pilothouse provides an ideal layout for the installation and easy use ofmultiple radars, chartplotters, depth sounders,communications equipment, an autopilot, alaptop computer, and traditional paper charts.Located to minimize motion while at sea andequipped with an off-watch berth, this space separates the serious, oceangoing vessel fromthe coastal cruiser.

PEOPLE WITH A PASSIONFOR THE SEA

Behind the intelligent design and robust construction of all Nordhavns is a staff of seagoing professionals who are fanatical aboutthe boats we develop and sell. No detail is toosmall to worry about, no piece of gear is casuallyconsidered, and no problem goes unanswered.We continually challenge ourselves to make thefinest, most trustworthy boats that people withmodest skills and physical abilities can take anywhere in the world. We challenge you to finda better boat and a more exciting way to liveyour dream.

To learn more about our entire line ofNordhavns, including our 35 Coastal Pilot,our classic 46, our all new 47, our 50, 57, 62, and our new flagship Nordhavn 72, visit our website at www.nordhavn.comor call 949-496-4848.

NEW! 72

®


Before he died in 1988, RobertBeebe designed 111 individualvessels, none more famed than

his 67th design which he built for him-self and named Passagemaker.

The voyages Beebe made with Passage-maker proved his theory that the oceansof the world could be explored in aproper powerboat with greater comfortand dispatch than in a sailboat. Thebook Beebe wrote—Voyaging UnderPower—launched the modern-daytrawler yacht era and still serves as itsbible today.

Beebe first wrote about the concept ofpassagemaking under power in 1946 inan article in Rudder, a leading boatingmagazine of the time. It was then thathe coined the word “passagemaker” asthe term for ocean-crossing vessels.

Passagemaker was built in Singaporeand launched in 1963. The 50,000 seamiles that Beebe put under her keelover the next five years was unheard ofin a day when sailboats were the onlyrecreational vessels venturing out ofsight of land.

At the urging of a fledgling publishernamed Steve Doherty, Beebe wrote Voy-aging Under Power. Published in 1975,the book went on to become a DolphinBook Club main selection and a best-seller. It motivated a Dutchman namedEilco Kasemier to build a 39-foot powervoyager and 10 years later become thefirst to circumnavigate the world in whatwe today call a trawler yacht.

VUP, as Beebe called it, inspired thebirth of Nordhavn. The book had suchan impact on Jim Leishman that he con-vinced his partners in Pacific AsianEnterprises to defer a new Mason sail-boat design and develop a powerboatcapable of cruising the oceans of theworld in safety, comfort and style. Heand his brother, Jeff, leaned heavily onBeebe’s principles in the design of theNordhavn 46, first splashed in 1989.

What is it that Beebe pronouncedmore than a quarter century ago thathas had such lasting impact? Hebelieved a boat capable of voyagingunder power should have these features:

• A reliable and consistent means ofreducing rolling, because crew comfortis a must.

He designed the original Passagemakerand fathered the modern-day trawleryacht era

By Blake August

Beebe


• Ability to operate under auto-pilot, one of the great advantages ofan engine-running-all-the-time vessel.

• Still-water range of 2,400 nauticalmiles.

• Capability of single-handed oper-ation, necessary for a proper passage-maker that will be operated, for the

most part, by a husband-wife crew.• An ideal LOA of around 50 feet.• A secure place for the single

watch-stander to go outside the pilot-house to observe surroundings.

• A balance of good in-port livingspace and the necessary seaworthi-ness for ocean voyaging.

• Lifeline stanchions 40 incheshigh in exposed areas.

Beebe’s light shone brightest whenhe delved into the technicalities ofocean-going motorboats. Among hisconclusions:

• A satisfactory ocean-crossingvessel cannot have a displacement/length ratio (D/L) less than 270 inthe 50-foot overall size. The shorterthe vessel, the larger the D/L shouldbe.

• Speed-length is the most impor-tant ratio. Hull speed is only of acad-emic interest, as S/L ratios between1.1 and 1.2 encompass the practicalspeeds for power voyaging.

• The ratio of the vessel abovewater to that below water should bein the range of 2.1 to 2.6 for safepassagemaking.

• A prismatic coefficient (PC)between .50 and .60 makes the most

sense for passagemakers.After VUP went through two edi-

tions, Jim Leishman of PAE was invit-ed to update the book. The result wasthe third edition, published in 1994by International Marine, and avail-able widely.

After Beebe sold her, the originalPassagemaker went through severalowners, actively cruised the EastCoast and Caribbean, and underwentseveral upgrades to equipment.Unfortunately, circumstances haveconspired to keep the old girl on thehard since early 2001. A non-profitfoundation to purchase and preservePassagemaker has been discussed byadmirers. For information, writeFriends of Passagemaker, 3377 BethelRoad S.E. #107, Port Orchard, Wash-ington 98366, or e-mail [email protected].

The Capt. Robert P. Beebe Collection consists of plans andmanuscript material from the personal collection of RobertBeebe. The vessel plans were a 1999 donation presented toMystic Seaport by his widow, Linford Donovan Beebe. Hisdaughter, Lucy Beebe Tobias, consequently donated herfather’s manuscripts and photographic collection.

Steve Doherty, publisher of Voyaging Under Power in1974, and a Beebe friend and crew, believed that the planshad enduring value and should be preserved. It wasthrough his efforts that the plans arrived for preservation atMystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut.

Martin Tobias, the grandson of Captain Beebe, estab-lished The Martin and Alex Tobias Family Foundation, andgenerously awarded the Ships Plans Division $50,000, pro-viding an internship to catalog the extensive collection.

Born in 1909, Beebe graduated from the Naval Academyat Annapolis with a degree in aeronautical engineering. Heserved in the U.S. Navy as a navy pilot, flight training offi-cer, and navigation officer on board the aircraft carrier USSSaratoga during World War II. An amateur naval architect

who designed, built and wrote, throughout his naval career,he dedicated himself to the profession full time upon hisretirement from the Navy in 1961.

Beebe's earlier drawings were for traditional craft, partic-ularly sharpies, canoes and kayaks. He became a pioneer inthe design of powerboats capable of cruising long dis-tances on open and coastal waters; many of his design con-cepts are still in use by naval architects today. Beebe pub-lished extensively in Rudder, Yachting, and other maritimepublications while still in active naval service. He later wroteVoyaging Under Power, published in 1975.

Capt. Beebe—Bob to his friends—died in 1988. Throughthe efforts of his family and friends, his legacy in the fieldof marine design and development will now be preservedand remain available for research.

The Capt. Robert P. Beebe Collection is housed in theShips Plans Division of the G. W. Blunt White Library atMystic Seaport. For information, contact Ships Plans at 860-572-5360 or direct your e-mail inquiry to [email protected].

Beebe Collection housed at Mystic Seaport

Robert Beebe changed the face of boatingwhen he introduced his ideas for long-range cruising under power in 1975 withthe first edition of Voyaging Under Power.With Passagemaker, he proved those ideasover 50,000 sea miles.

Passagemaker Tea

Robert Beebe also gave the worldPassagemaker tea, which is teasweetened with Tang and laced withrum. It’s a wonderful concoction forlubricating the machinery of conver-sation aboard vessels at rest.

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In sending a Nordhavn 40around the world, Pacific AsianEnterprises rewrote the bookon voyaging under power

Ultimatesea trial

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Wicked wind from the westCalifornia to Hawaii: Careful fuel management trumps unexpected westerlies 60Playing tag with a typhoonHawaii to Singapore: Air conditioning a must for voyaging in the tropics64Flying fish the sum of all fearsSingapore to Oman: Pirates, terrorists and demons of the deep70Suez pilots go by the bookOman to Port Said: Battling head winds and baksheesh 77Mediterranean is mean in MarchPort Said to Athens: The inland sea turns nasty—and white as snow80The thief is no heroAthens to Barbados: Low point of circumnavigation in Cape Verde82Stopover in San Blas IslandsBarbados to Acapulco: Sleigh ride in the Caribbean leads to Panama transit86Pacific isn’t so pacificAcapulco to Oceanside: Encounters with a hurricane and a circumnavigating RIB91By the numbersDana Point: The historic voyage summarized and sponsors recognized 94


Global challenge

The crew of Nordhavn battleda typhoon in Micronesia and

storms in the Mediterranean.They crossed the pirate-plaguedwaters of the South China Seaand the uncertain waters of theMiddle East. They transited two

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canals, three oceans and sevenseas. Despite the challenges,Nordhavn completed the record-setting voyage around the worldwithout a single, significant fail-ure. After eight months and24,000 nautical miles at sea, the

Nordhavn 40 became the small-est production powerboat tocircumnavigate.

Here’s a first-hand account ofthe voyage, and a primer onpassagemaking in comfort andsafety—and with dispatch.

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PAE employee and project managerfor the Nordhavn 46, 47 and 50, my18-year-old son, Eric, who is on thecommissioning staff at PAE, and jour-nalist Georgs Kolesnikovs, founder ofthe West Marine Trawler Fest series.

The first three or four days of thepassage to Hawaii are always tough.Once clear of the offshore islands, thefull force of the Pacific is felt. North-

west winds of 20 to 25 knotsand a sea of eight to 10 feet arecommon and exactly what weencountered. Also commonare fatigue and queasy stom-achs that come with adjustingto the motion of the ship. WithNovember overcast and cool,we were happy to have theHurricane Diesel Heateraboard, and used the engine


Leg one of our voyage aroundthe world would be an instructive one.It would illustrate the importance ofweather forecasting and fuel conser-vation on the 2,345-mile passage toHawaii—generally regarded as thelongest in a world circumnavigationwhen using the most popular sailingroutes.

But at noon on November 3, thatwas still in the future as we departedwith a fresh breeze from the north-west and hazy skies overhead. Therehad been a wonderful send-off partyand a dozen or so yachts (mostlyNordhavns) were seeing us off. Oneby one they turned back, and after 45minutes the last escort sounded his airhorn and waved us farewell.

We were under way. Aboard withme were Dave Harlow, a long-time

CALIFORNIA to HAWAI I

Wicked windfrom the west

Careful planning ensured we weren’tcaught short of fuel when unexpectedwesterlies slowed our progress

LOGBOOKFrom: Dana Point, CaliforniaTo: Honolulu, HawaiiDistance: 2,345 nmSpeed: 6.04 knotsFuel burn: 2.22 gphCaptain: Jim LeishmanCrew: Dave Harlow, Eric Leishman,

Georgs Kolesnikovs

waste heat to keep theinterior warm and dry.

I had assured Eric thatby Day 5 we’d begin to see the windshift around to the north, then north-east, and our 55-degree temperatureswould soar into the high 70s—bathingsuit weather! It did, but only for about24 hours. On our sixth day we beganto notice a developing low to thenorth. This early season storm wouldbring the winter’s first significantmoisture to the California coast andtotally disrupt the northeast tradewinds. Instead of the favorable 15 to20 knots of wind on our stern andone-half knot of west-setting current,we would have a southwesterly of 25knots and an east-flowing surface cur-rent which dropped our speed by aknot and a half. A subsequent lowwould further hamper our progress.On the entire voyage to Hawaii wehad only three days of trade wind con-ditions.

We had done extensive testing ofour vessel to determine the exact fuelconsumption at various RPMs and thespeed achieved, and with this infor-mation we developed our strategy forthe crossing. We estimated that atweight—burdened with full fuel,

By Jim Leishman

The Nordhavn 40 called Nordhavn is an off-the-shelf production boat built byPacific Asian Enterprises.

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An idea brews

At the end of a long and mentallydraining day at the Seattle boat

show, Jim Leishman, one of the ownersof PAE, and Ray Danet, a longtime salesrepresentative, retired to Crab House, apopular bar-restaurant on Lake Union. Itwas January 2001. During the firstround of cold, unfiltered wheat beer,talk turned to the Nordhavn 40 thecompany was building to serve as ademonstrator. In the summer, the boatwas to be run to Alaska where it wouldbe cruised by PAE sales staff, projectmanagers, designers and office person-nel. Giving the people who build andsell Nordhavns experience cruising theboats had always paid dividends for PAEand led to improvement of the boatsand their systems. By the second round,there was much agreement that thecost of the summer’s cruise wasinsignificant relative to the knowledgethat PAE would gain. At which point,Jim asked, “Why not take our little 40around the world, for the adventure ofdoing it and for the experience which,as boatbuilders and designers, we needto have?” Ray thought it was the bestidea he had ever heard at PAE andimmediately volunteered to crew on theSouth Pacific leg. On napkins, the routeand mileage estimates were sketchedout, and the third round of wheat beerwas forgotten . . . almost.

— Georgs Kolesnikovs, Trawler World


Eric Leishman is shown abovewith one of the many fish he

landed, while Dave Harlowshows his talent as a

sommelier and fisherman too. Eric froze much of his catchand took it home to Mom.

Around-the-world voyagedirector Jim Leishmancools his heels en route to Hawaii.


extensive equipment, spare parts andprovisions—we had a range of over3,000 miles, and if necessary couldrun slower to extend that. I furtheranticipated that once we cleared theCalifornia coast by a few hundredmiles we would enjoy the favorablecurrents that typically flow to the west,pushed along by northeasterly winds.During our sea trials of a fully loadedvessel, we found we could run at 1,400rpm, averaging 6.3 knots and consum-ing about 1.9 gallons of fuel per hour.This is a boat weighing over 50,000 lbwith a bow thruster, wing engine and12 sq ft of stabilizing fins. Using theperformance of the vessel at its high-est possible weight will give a reserve

in itself because the weightreduction in fuel alone willinsure better performance atthe end of the voyage, adding tothe true range of the vessel. Tak-ing the great circle route toHonolulu, we should have beenable to arrive with reserve fuelof 233 gallons or an excess of 25percent.

As it turned out with Nordhavn, wehad sea state conditions which I wouldconsider normal for the voyage. How-ever, the wind that generated themwas not the planned easterly but asouthwesterly wind which hamperedour progress almost the whole trip.

The relatively rough conditionsencountered offshore will slow downany vessel between six and 10 percentfrom its calm water performance.However, the wind that creates therougher sea, if consistent, will gener-ate a surface current. In the case ofthe California-to-Hawaii passage, thatsurface current is typically west-settingabout a half-knot, being generated by15-knot easterly winds and this nor-

A box stock 40

The idea was to use a totallystock vessel, with no added

tankage or deck fuel. We werealready building N40 #21 for com-pany use when we made the deci-sion to proceed. The basic boat isdesigned for offshore use, sopreparation decisions only had todo with added convenience andsafety equipment. In fact, gear thatwas added to the boat to enhancethe shakedown cruise to Alaska,such as a Hurricane hot-water cab-in heater, might not have beenadded if the vessel was to be usedsolely for the circumnavigation.Some equipment that would bedesirable, primarily air condition-ing, was not added, which provedto be a big mistake. The only struc-tural additions were four acrylicstorm plates for the saloon win-dows. The standard boat includesthe welded aluminum lugs toaccommodate the plates.

— Jim Leishman

There is little time for recreation after Nordhavnreaches Honolulu and crew members receive leis,the traditional Hawaiian welcome wreaths.

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mally would have offset orcanceled the anticipatedrough-water speed reduction.We got slowed down, losingspeed to the bumpy water,plus we got hit with a surfacecurrent going the wrong way,a result of sustained southwesterlywinds.

The net result is that we burned theanticipated amount of fuel per day(48 gallons), however, our speed wasreduced by over 1.5 knots. As weapproached the Hawaiian Islands witha good weather forecast and greatconfidence in our fuel consumptionand the amount remaining, weincreased speed and made up most ofour lost time. We arrived only about15 hours later than planned, but withmuch of our reserve fuel consumed—clearly illustrating the need for anadequate reserve.

Despite the westerly winds, we didenjoy some lovely tropical weather,great food (including lots of freshdorado) and the camaraderie andrelaxation that a long ocean passagecan generate. Our 40-foot Nordhavnproved a wonderful passagemaker,and the success of the first andlongest voyage of the circumnaviga-tion confirmed the vessel’s ability tosafely and comfortably complete thechallenging legs that lay ahead.

E-MAIL

Perhaps the best way to reply will be to quote a passagefrom my journal:

Day 10: Dana Point to Honolulu13 November 20010315 Pacific Standard TimeLatitude 25.32.502 NorthLongitude 139.46.361 WestHeading 245 MSpeed 5.9 knots at 1,395 RPMDistance run 1,302 nmDistance to go 1,029 nm

Now, this is passagemaking in the NE Trades!When you awake to start your night watch, you can hardly

discern you’re on a boat, let alone on a boat in the middle ofthe Pacific, so gentle is the motion. There is 6 to 8 knots outof the ENE which puts the breeze on our port quarter. Thereís no moon yet, so it’s too dark to tell for sure, but there

must be a lazy swell from the north. We’re moving rightalong at almost 6 knots.

Have I mentioned stars? Stick your head out the Dutchdoors and you almost gasp at the panoply, if that’s the wordI'm looking for. Remember, English is not my mother tongue.

Now that we’re 1,300 nm from North America, familiarconstellations no longer look the same. The Big Dipper is bal-ancing on the tip of its handle. Orion looks unusuallyupright. The Milky Way you can almost reach up and touch.

Have I mentioned food? Prime rib last night with humon-gous baked potatoes lathered with sour cream, all washeddown with a lovely Mondavi merlot. A roasted chicken theother night. Filet mignon. Made-from-scratch sauce for per-fectly cooked pasta. More sashimi than we can eat. A moun-tain of oniony home fries with bacon and eggs in the morning.

Yes, it’s quite a struggle getting to Hawaii on a trawler. — Georgs Kolesnikovs, Trawler World

On a long ocean passage, the days fly by withdolphins playing in the bow wave, journal

writing, book reading, and plain relaxing. Oneis busier in a port-of-call than at sea.

Are you enjoying the passage to Hawaii?

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C

The first leg to Hawaii hadbeen plagued with unfavorable windsand currents, and the next leg wouldprove even more difficult. This time,heat, humidity and storms would testNordhavn and her crew.

With a good forecast and 2,000miles to go, Nordhavn, full of fuel andsupplies, departed Ko Olina Marinaon November 23, bound for the atollof Majuro within the Marshall Islandschain. Original plans had been for meto continue on as skipper, but for vari-ous reasons that wasn’t possible.Instead, Dave Harlow of PAE wouldtake over as captain, aided by crewmembers Ray Danet, also of PAE, andTom Selman, a good friend of thecompany and owner of PrimeTime, a Nordhavn 50. I wouldmeet Nordhavn and relieve ourcrew in Singapore, and in themeantime I lived the voyage eachday thereafter, providing weatherinformation and assistance on thelong Pacific Leg.

Within three days of Hawaii, aweak low came through, creatingmore southwesterly winds and aneast-setting current. As Nordhavnworked her way through lowerand lower latitudes, the tempera-


HAWAI I to S INGAPORE

Playing tag with a typhoon

Rough seas, sweltering heat and atropical storm named Faxai add to the adventure

ture and humidity soared. During theheavy weather—and in particular theheavy rain--it was necessary to close upthe boat, making things quite uncom-fortable. This boat was built for a sum-mer’s cruise to Alaska and when wedecided to take her around the world,the space and expense of air-condi-tioning seemed excessive. We felt thatat sea, with constant trade winds, wecould get by without it. Big mistake.

Nordhavn made landfall at Majuroon December 5 after 15 days at sea.Conditions improved with strongnortheasterlies filling in, however, thesea conditions were rough and therewere constant rain squalls. Our nextguest journalist, John Wooldridge, was

By Jim Leishman

LOGBOOKFrom: Honolulu, HawaiiTo: Singapore, SingaporeDistance: 6,222 nmSpeed: 6.65 knotsFuel burn: 2.59 gphCaptain: Dave HarlowCrew: Ray Danet, Tom Selman

(Honolulu to Yap), John Wooldridge (Majuro to Kosrae), Brad Smith (Yap to Singapore)


waiting in Majuro to board Nordhavnfor the voyage to Pohnpei. He wouldhave plenty to write about.

After routine fueling and servicingat the commercial docks and a littlesightseeing and provisioning, CaptainDave put to sea for the island of Pohn-pei, about 800 miles to the west. Thenortheasterlies were stronger thanever and conditions were rough uponclearing Majuro. With winds at 30knots and 10- to 12-foot seas, the crewsettled in for a tough five-day passage.

Back in Dana Point, my job was toprovide daily weather reports and

assist our crew. Aside from the strongbut somewhat typical trade winds, alllooked normal, with no tropical dis-turbances or advisories that wouldindicate a problem. I gave the crew agreen light via our Iridium phone andStratosnet e-mail.

To my amazement, within a fewhours after departure, the JointTyphoon Agency of the Navy and AirForce issued a tropical depressionalert, the center of which was expect-ed to track a path upward and acrosstoward Pohnpei—right where ourboys were headed. This was more

A swim below a waterfall refreshed thecrew in Pohnpei (far left); an anchorage inan atoll off Majuro (top); Dave Harlowwith a native stick chart in Majuro; TomSelman prepares to bake bread aboardNordhavn; colorful flora and fauna aboundon the islands of Micronesia.

PRIMER

Weatherconsiderations

After my business partners in PAEresponded favorably to the idea of

a company-run circumnavigation, Ibegan to look at the route and thefeasibility of making the trip in a singleseason. To my astonishment, it lookedtotally doable. I consulted Jimmy Cor-nell’s World Cruising Routes and spokewith our friend and weather forecast-er, Walt Hack of New Jersey, andfound it ideal to depart California forHawaii in November and then, as fastas we could move west, the seasonswould open up with favorable condi-tions.

November is a good month to crossto Hawaii as the threat of tropicalstorms has passed, yet it’s too early forthe mid-winter storms which appear inDecember and January. The WesternPacific and Philippines are plagued withtyphoons in September, October andNovember, but by mid December thethreat passes and the South China Seabegins to feel the cooling effects of thenortheast monsoon.

By mid-December conditions are idealfor transiting south from the Philippinesto Singapore, and then by January themonsoon’s northeast flow of wind andcurrent provide favorable conditions forcrossing the Indian Ocean. Movingnorthwest up the Red Sea in February istolerable and, though it would be betterto enter the Eastern Mediterranean sixor eight weeks later, early March isacceptable. Transiting the Mediter-ranean and entering the Atlantic by theend of March requires some caution,but once the vessel turns south andreaches the Cape Verde Islands in Aprilthe spring crossing of the Atlantic toAntigua is fine. The Caribbean can becrossed and the Panama Canal transitedand our boat heading north in the Pacif-ic before the beginning of the summer’shurricane season.

At the end, I concluded that with alot of hard running and a little luck weshould be able to circumnavigate theworld in less than a year, a record forthis type motor vessel. And we wentfor it! — Jim Leishman


E-MAILDancing with the dolphins

We had a school of dolphins with us yesterday. I stayedon the bow for some time just to watch them. After a

while, you begin to see a pattern in their play. I’ll try toexplain it. As a full-displacement boat pushes through thewater, it creates an underwater bow wave. So, this is whatthey do: Off our starboard bow ocean waves form and thedolphins catch that wave and surf towards the bow of our

boat. When they get there they surf our bow wave and thencatch another ocean wave. At the end of this sequence theyeither come back through the wave and are airborne, orthree or four would jump out of the water in unison. Theywould only do this if they caught an extremely good wave. Ican almost picture them giving each other a high five.

— Ray Danet

weather than I was comfortable topredict, so I called our friend and pro-fessional weather forecaster, WaltHack in New Jersey, and he went towork trying to sort out this late seasontropical depression.

We decided that we needed time towatch it develop so I recom-mended to Captain Dave that hedivert slightly to the atoll ofAlinglapalap, where there was asafe anchorage within a largelagoon. The tiny island is about170 miles west of Majuro andonly about 15 miles north oftheir track line to Pohnpei. Daveagreed and within 12 hours ofhis arrival the tropical depres-sion had built strength anddirection, heading off on its pre-dicted northwest track. Walt feltit was no longer a threat so wereleased Dave to resume head-ing for Pohnpei.

The Joint Typhoon Agencyreleases an update of tropicaldepression, storm and typhoontracks and speedevery six hours so Ifound myself anxious-ly awaiting each newreport. At odd hoursat night I headeddownstairs to checkthe latest news. With-in 24 hours of Nord-havn departingAlinglapalap, I wasshocked to see thetropical depression (now named Fax-ai) had been upgraded to a tropicalstorm. Even worse, it had turned tothe west, then south and back to theeast. Sustained winds of 50 knots were

being reported and Faxai was headingaround to the east of Pohnpei. Icalled Walt to confirm and he too wassurprised. This just doesn’t happen. Iimmediately consulted my computerand C-Map charts and found theisland of Kosrae, about 150 miles

south of Nordhavn’s track and theonly refuge from Faxai. We calculatedthat at full cruising speed of justunder 8 knots they could make Kos-rae before dark the following day andstay out of the predicted storm track.The decision was made.

In the hours to follow, Faxai contin-ued to disobey the law of storms,tracking farther east than anticipated.It was headed directly for Kosrae andwas predicted to arrive at the sametime as Nordhavn . We had no choicebut to push on. With seas at 18 to 20feet and sustained winds in excess of40 knots, landfall was made at thewestern harbor of Lelu. The windswere howling and the rain was torren-tial, blocking the radar’s ability to pen-etrate into it. The entire crew strainedto see the entrance buoys and Davefelt uneasy about the plotter’s accura-

QUOTE

“Suddenly, everyone was awake.The thought of spending anothernight at sea in these conditions wasnot comforting. And, very privately,I think each of us asked ourselveswhy we were here at all, why wewould subject ourselves to theseconditions and perils. It’s the experi-ence, of course, the adventures toremember, the photos to displayand the stories to tell.”— John Wooldridge, Motorboating

On Yap, a fallenJapanese Zero restsin the woods, and anative shows RayDanet the stonemoney still in usetoday.


cy, so he spun the boat around andbegan heading out into the rising sea.There was another harbor on the leeside of the island and he felt it safer topush on rather than make a fatal mis-take here. Just then, the crew lookingaft from the cockpit saw a break in therain, and the entrance buoys andchannel came into view. Dave went tofull throttle and spun the boat againin the huge seas, quite literally surfingin. With his knees knocking, CaptainDave got boat and crew into Lelu safe-ly and dropped the anchor.

And that’s where they stayed for fivefull days as Faxai parked itself overKosrae, at times dropping one inch ofrain per hour. The boat was in a smallbasin with a seawall behind, anchoredin 30 feet of water. Due to the lack ofswinging room, only about 150 ft ofchain could be laid out, but the bigBruce 110-lb anchor never budged.

PRIMER

How do you deal with the possibility of pirates boarding your boat?

Our policy aboard Nordhavn is that no one comes on board while we are atsea, not for any reason. If an unauthorized attempt at boarding takes

place, we would use any means necessary to help them back into their ownboat or the sea, whichever is closest. There will be, of course, exceptions to thatrule, as one mariner must help out another in distress, but this would be on acase-by-case basis. If we are halted by a navy or coast guard, that would be alittle different. We would have to comply with their wishes.

In a scenario where a ship asked for water, parts or food, I think we wouldlisten to their needs and place a call on the satphone, VHF and SSB to letsomeone know of our situation. We would also make sure the ship in needknew of our calls and make sure that the ship in question remained well awayduring the transmissions and discussions. If they attempted to close with usafter being asked not to, this would be cause to disengage and deny any assis-tance. In the end, if it was decided this was a genuine emergency, we wouldfloat anything we agreed to give them to them and let them pick it up.

The tough part is that you can’t just leave someone at sea who is in need,but you also cannot risk your own vessel and crew. It is a tough call and hasbeen since man first took to the sea.

— Dave Harlow

An Iridium satellitetelephone systemenabled a steady flowof e-mail betweenship, office and home,with Ray Danet shownat the main laptopaboard Nordhavn; BradSmith enjoys the viewfrom the rig, close to30 feet above water.

rain coming from all angles even anopen port would soak the boat’s inte-rior. By now Dave and Ray had adapt-ed somewhat to the heat, but Big Tomand John, with so little time to accli-mate, were oppressed by it. Tom saidhe was going back to Seattle and lie inthe snow all day making snow angels.

Finally, Faxai regained her direc-tion and sped off to the northwest.Moving higher in latitude, sheattained typhoon strength and thensuper typhoon with sustained winds ofup to 190 knots. Guam battened downits hatches in anticipation of Faxai,but she turned more north and thenback to the east and finally died.

John had run out of time and hadto leave Nordhavn in Kosrae. He nevermade Pohnpei but his experienceswere certain to make good copy.Despite the weather, the crew tookturns watching the boat and goingashore to do some solo exploring ofKosrae. Each found great beauty inthis tiny but rugged and mountainousisland, which lay under a canopy lushjungle. With its waterfalls and springs,and its friendly and happy people,Kosrae was truly a tropical paradise.

Dave, Ray and Tom departed Kos-rae and had a routine passage the

It was a stressful time for the crew asthe boat could not be left unattended.The wind would tumble over the highisland peaks and blast down on Nord-havn from all angles. At times, whenthe squalls passed through and thewinds increased, Dave felt compelledto run the engine in anticipation of adragging anchor. Additionally, therewere two sailboats within the anchor-age and there was concern over theirdragging into Nordhavn.

The heat played a major role againduring the heavy rains. The humiditywas unbearable, and with horizontal

remaining 300 miles to Pohnpei, andwith a quick turnaround were boundfor Yap, an island in Micronesia, 1,200miles farther to the west.

A couple of days out of Pohnpei,Dave noticed an oil leak on one oftwo hoses which attach the remotemounted oil filter. It started off as adrop, but the volume increased by thehour. We had spare hoses for all ofour steering system, stabilizers, andtransmission coolers, but nothing forthe oil filter. It was decided we would

reroute to Chuuk where the famousTruk Lagoon lies. Chuuk also has reg-ular air service and Alaska Diesel Elec-tric shipped new hoses direct.

The stop gave the crew the opportu-nity to see some of the World War IIwreckage for which the lagoon is sowell known. After receiving the hosesand completing the 10-minute task ofchanging them, they were off for Yapwith continued fair weather. Theymade landfall January 6.

Because of the delays caused by Fax-ai, Tom was out of time and left in Yapafter six weeks of invaluable help. Inhis place came PAE technician BradSmith, who brought with him a newMarine Air 16,000 btu air-condition-ing system.

Dave had been away from homenow for almost eight weeks, Rayalmost six. With only about 2,000miles to go to Singapore, they couldsmell the barn. But Yap turned out tobe such a terrific place that a coupleof days of sightseeing were in order.

Work on the AC system wasdeferred until at sea. Brad, withDave’s help, performed a factoryinstallation of the AC, and althoughwe normally install three units on aNordhavn 40, this single unit wasenough to cool the owner’s and guest

cabins and allow the off-watch crewsto sleep in 70-degree comfort despitethe 95-degree deck temperatures.Normally, the saloon and wheelhousewould rarely use the AC while at sea,but for any tropical cruising I’d highlyrecommend it in the sleeping cabins.

Ahead of Captain Dave now was thePhilippines, the first region wherethere was concern over security. Theplan had been to avoid the southernpart of the islands, where there hasbeen terrorist and pirate activity. For

years, the southern part of theSulu Sea has been considereddangerous and is usually avoidedby yachts. The route selected wasthrough the San BernardinoStrait and then zigging and zag-ging to the north end of Min-doro to the port of Galera. Afterleaving Galera, the boat couldrun down the coast of Palawanand on to Singapore.

As Dave approached thePhilippines, he was getting a favorablecurrent and sea conditions were flat.From experience, he knew that anoth-er stop—clearing in, dealing with thePort Captain, immigration, refuelingand outward clearance—was just notpossible in less than 72 hours. He cal-culated his remaining fuel and the dis-tance to Singapore, and decided totake a more southern route throughthe Surigao Strait, across the Sulu Sea,down the coast of Borneo and righton into Singapore. I agreed and theymade the 2,000-mile passage non-stopin 13 days with fuel to spare.

It wound up far and away the mostcomfortable and efficient part of theirleg, after the long-awaited northeast-erlies that provide a fair sea and favor-able currents in the central Pacificwere never to be.

Nordhavn had a trying voyage onher Pacific leg of more than 8,000miles, however, she had performedbeautifully with only a few minorproblems, all easily fixed en route. Itwas February 24 as Brian Saunders,Paul Grover and I watched her motorinto Singapore’s Raffles Marina, look-ing ready to continue her voyage.

The next 6,000 miles through polit-ically-troubled water were now ourproblem.

PRIMER

Keeping watch

The crew has really settled into theroutine of a 3-hours-on-and-6-off

watch schedule. We have a period oftime 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. with no onescheduled on watch. Whoever feels likesitting in the wheelhouse at that timetakes a few hours or so while the othertwo read, sleep, fix a meal or take careof maintenance items. There is a laptopin the pilothouse and the noon-to-6p.m. open watch is a good time tocatch up on office work or notes tohome.

Here is our three-man watch schedule: • Dave ........12 a.m. to 3 a.m. • Tom ......... 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.• Ray ......... 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.• Dave ........9 a.m. to 12 noon • Open ....... 12 noon to 6 p.m. • Tom ......... 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. • Ray .......... 9 p.m. to 12 midnight The funny thing about any watch

schedule is how you come to feelabout your particular time slot. At firstyou tend to hate the slot you drew, butas time passes you get into the patternof sleeping, waking for three hours andgoing back to sleep again.

You begin to look forward to beingalone, to listen to any music you want,read undisturbed, right mushy lettershome, or just stare ahead and dream.

On a warm night you go out andlean on a rail and watch the sea. Thereis nothing like this anywhere, it’s yourwatch. If you stay out there longenough you can’t help but think ofthose that came before, those thatstood this same watch. A thousandtimes on a thousand different ships. Onwhalers, revenue cutters, tramp steam-ers, great ships of war and countlessothers. Watching for pirates, subs, tunaor whales while others slept and waitedbelow.

They stood watch alone in the night,lights on low, thinking of the comingfight, of fish yet to be caught, wonder-ing what the next sun would bring.And always dreaming of home, and thegirl left behind. The names havechanged, the ships have changed, eventhe times have changed, but the sea,the man and the dreams remain.

— Dave Harlow


C


BACKGROUNDGlobal contender

The Nordhavn 40 resembles a workboat more than ayacht. Stocky and muscular, bristling with a cargo mast,

paravane poles and communication antennas, the 40 is allbusiness, like a boxer in contention for the middleweightcrown. Nevertheless, the 40 exudes a certain charm, a flairthat’s most appealing.

The workman look contrasts dramatically with the world-class yacht finish that becomes so obvious at closer range.The fairness of the glasswork and the quality of the hard-ware are outstanding, testimony to the gobs of money PAEpoured into computer modeling and tooling, and the terrificworking relationship that has developed between PAE andthe Pacific Seacraft factory in Fullerton, California, wherethe 40s are built two at a time, with 50 men working onemonth to produce each boat.

There is the belief at PAE that the general hull form of the40, with fuller sections aft and a flat transom, is the way tovoyage the world. Out on the open ocean, one can seehow tonnage works wonders, how the shape of the 40gives it a comforting grip on the water.

Power is furnished by a Lugger L668D, a naturally aspirat-ed, six-cylinder diesel that employs the venerable 414-cubic-inch John Deere as its base engine. The Lugger is matedwith a heavy duty Twin Disk transmission running 3:1 reduc-tion and can handle three times the horsepower the Luggerwill produce. Cruising speed of 7 to 8 knots requires only55 to 60 hp at 1,800 rpm. The engine is rated at 103 hp at2,300 rpm. Jim Leishman clearly loves the 668: “We havepurposely derated the engine to its lowest continuous ser-vice rating, so it’s only producing one horsepower for everyfour cubic inches of cylinder displacement. As a result, inmore than 125 boats that we’ve launched with the 668, wehave had no catastrophic engine failures, not a single failureserious enough to strand anyone.”

In PAE’s experience, engine problems stem mainly fromfuel problems—clogged filters or water in the fuel—or diffi-culties with cooling. On the 40, the 920-gallon fuel systemis elegant in its simplicity and straightforward in operationand maintenance. The 40’s Lugger is equipped with a com-mercial-grade Walter keel cooling system and a dry exhaustthat exits a handsome stack high above the pilothouse roof.

The wheelhouse is centrally located on the boat withgreat lines of sight in all directions and well protectedbehind the 8-foot-high bow and Portuguese bridge. Thewheelhouse layout provides ample dashboard space for agalaxy of electronics, with space above the line of sight foradditional smaller instruments. A raised settee provides ide-al seating for watch-standing on a passage, with a full-length watch berth aft of the settee. The Dutch doors portand starboard are great for ventilation, or for quickly stick-ing one’s head outside for a look-see.

The saloon and galley on the 40 offer more space thanon the Nordhavn 46 as they extend the full width of thevessel. Outside, there is only toe room on the sidedecks, butit is possible to work your way all around the outside of theboat in fair weather. The single head with sink and showeris also larger than either of the two heads on the 46. Head-room dimensions in the engine room are equal to the Nord-havn 50 with five feet available. In other words, this Nord-havn is a large 40.

Throughout the interior, it’s obvious the Nordhavn 40 isnot a down-market boat. The teak selection and placementare pleasing, the execution marvelous. The oil-based satinfinish looks rich. The plumbing fixtures imported from Ger-many and the lamp latches from Japan provide touches ofelegance throughout the yacht. The quality look extendsinto the engine room where perforated aluminum sheetingcovers walls and the overhead.

This degree of quality, pedigree and all-weather, trans-ocean capability makes for a production passagemakerworthy of an around-the-world record.

— Blake August, Trawler World

DATA SHEET

LOA ............................................ 39 ft 9 inLWL ............................................ 35 ft 5 inBeam ......................................... 14 ft 6 inDraft ............................................ 4 ft 9 inDisplacement .......................... 50,000 lbYear introduced ............................. 1999Number launched ............................. 43


We threw off our lines Janu-ary 28, leaving behind the luxury ofRaffles Marina for the uncertainty ofan area notorious for piracy. And atthe end of this leg was the gateway tothe Middle East, which—after thetragic events of September 11—raisedconcerns of passing through in an

SINGAPORE to OMAN

The sum of allfears: flying fish

We were careful to avoid pirates andterrorists, but how do you prepare forsuicidal flying fish and a leaping squid?By Jim Leishman

American-flagged vessel. How were weto know that the only attack on Nord-havn would come not from boat-jack-ers or terrorists, but from schools ofcrazed flying fish and a squid deter-mined to make his mark?

This leg would also see some incred-ible voyaging, the kind that sailors

dream about, the kind that makes itall worthwhile. Accompanying us onthe first stage—up the Malaysian coastand through the infamous Strait ofMalacca to the Island of Phuket inThailand—was Kim Lee, senior editorof the magazine Nautique, publishedby Raffles. It is a voyage just under 600

Pho

to: R

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Gaf

fney


miles, and while offering some of themost beautiful cruising grounds in theworld it is infamous for ship-jackingpirates.

Most people we met in Singaporeassured us these seagoing muggersrarely molested yachts, yet weremained unconvinced. But for thefirst 10 miles, our immediate concernwas to keep a close eye on our course.Singapore is reclaiming so much oftheir coastline that the charts areobsolete before their ink dries. How-ever, the shallow areas, in the processof reclamation, were well marked anddidn't present much problem in day-

light. We found a favorable currentsetting to the west and a breeze fromthe northeast, so we made excellenttime.

At slightly over 1 degree of northlatitude, the air temperature is wellinto the 90s during the day and dropsto the high 80s at night. With the boatmoving and with doors and windowsopen, the saloon and wheelhousewere quite comfortable, however, thelower staterooms required air condi-tioning, which we ran continuously.For two days and nights we made ter-rific time, averaging better than eightknots. During the evening the smell ofcooking fires was carried from theMalaysian coast and I found myselfchecking our vessel for trouble beforeI recognized the source of the smell.

Seeking a little relief from thewinds, which had clocked more to thenorth and created a fairlyuncomfortable chop, we decid-ed to make a brief stop on thewest side of the island ofLangkawi for the night. Notwishing to clear into Malaysia,we stayed aboard and barbecuedsteaks while taking in the lovelyscenery.

Our stop was too brief and wewere under way the followingmorning at 0500. By nightfall,

LOGBOOKFrom: Singapore, SingaporeTo: Salalah, OmanDistance: 3,436 nmSpeed: 7.28 knotsFuel burn: 3.16 gphCaptain: Jim LeishmanCrew: Brian Saunders, Paul Grover,

Kim Lee (Singapore to Phuket, Thailand)

we were approaching the MalaysianIsland of Phi Phi, and with only fivehours to Phuket we decided to makeanother stop. Our destination, BoatLagoon, requires entry on a high tideand the first in daylight was the fol-lowing day at 1500, so an overnightstop at Phi Phi made sense.

Again we stayed aboard and mar-veled at the scenery. Phi Phi is famousfor its cliffs, rising hundreds of feetfrom the sea. The many islands in thearea looked like perfect movie localesfor King Kong or The Land ThatTime Forgot, and in fact at least oneJames Bond movie was filmed here.

Dawn hadn't broken when we werejolted awake by the roar of un-muffledengines on the "long tail" boats, usedby local fisherman. They take a car,tractor or utility engine of everydescription and mount it on a crudebalancing joint at the stern of thesedug-out type vessels, ranging in sizefrom 20 to 50 feet. The engine isdirectly coupled to a propeller shaftthat hangs astern and is about thelength of the boat. The prop spins atengine speed and there is no reduc-tion gear, neutral or reverse. Theoperator hangs onto a tiller armattached to the screaming engine andcontrols the whole thing. They seemto do it quite effortlessly and the boatsmove at surprising speed.

We departed at 0800 and enjoyedan easy five-hour run up to theentrance to Boat Lagoon, entering

E-MAIL

On seasickness

The NAIAD stabilizers with theirnew gyro were doing the job so

well that when they quit again, ittook only five minutes for me to bethrowing up over the Portuguesebridge. Let me just say that I almostalways get sick at sea. Usually ithappens the first day, and that’s theend of it. I don’t even take pills any-more. Just puke and get it overwith. I’m so good at it I can start asentence, throw up over the side,wipe my mouth and finish thethought without skipping a beat.

— Peter Swanson, PassageMaker

PAE partner Jim Leishman has the conaboard Nordhavn. He captained thecircumnavigating 40 from California toHawaii and then again from Singaporeto Athens—and grilled more than onemean steak for the crew.


the tiny dredged channel at close tohigh tide. Boat Lagoon is an incredi-ble place, but the three-mile voyageup the channel is stressful the firsttime you do it. It goes through a man-grove swamp, and just when you thinkyou're lost you see the superstructureof two or three megayachts and thenthe marina facility with its restaurants,bars, shops and a full-service shipyard,all nicely maintained and attractive.Boat Lagoon is home to three otherNordhavns, including the 62-footerFeeling.

Thus far, the notorious MalaccaStrait had produced only waving, smil-ing fisherman and lots of large com-mercial traffic. It seemed a safe andfriendly place.

On February 4 at 1350, after a four-day layover for sightseeing, refueling,provisioning and an arduous inwardand outward clearance, we departedPhuket for the 1,600-mile voyage toMale, within the Maldives islandgroup. Feeling, owned by SingaporeanDavid Loh, would accompany us toMale where she would cruise until theonset of the southwest monsoon inlate April. Departing Phuket we set a

course for the Great Channel,which lies between the northend of Sumatra and the India'sNicobar Islands, and thenacross the southern part of theBay of Bengal and into the Indi-an Ocean direct for Male, capi-tal of the Maldives, an island

Male at 2000. It was February 12.The Maldives has become a popular

vacation getaway for Europeans, andmany of the small islands have beendeveloped into self-contained and up-scale resorts. Along with David Lohand Feeling, we were invited to be theguests of Bondos Island Resort.

QUOTE

Talking the talk

“The success of this voyage establishesour company’s design and engineeringgoals, and it will hopefully boost a buyer’sconfidence to the extent of which theboat has been tested. There are builderswho speak about building ocean-crossing-capable trawlers, and then there are thosewho actually know of what they speak.”— Joe Meglen

QUESTION?How does motion of the Nordhavn 40 ina seaway compare to a sailboat?

The motion is not as gentle, since the motorboat shoulders rather than slicesthrough waves, but the motorboat feels more stable and comfortable as

there is no heeling. Stabilizers, whether active fins or passive paravanes, elimi-nate almost all rolling except in beam seas.

— Georgs Kolesnikovs, Trawler World

republic of some 1,200 coral Islands.The passage was uneventful, fast

and comfortable. During the day wewould close on Feeling, sometimes towithin a hundred yards, and at nightour separation would increase tothree or four miles. Throughout theday we would talk on Channel 72, andit was comforting to have our big sis-ter constantly in view. Nordhavn twicehad 200-mile days and reached Malein just over eight days, averaging 7.7knots. Arriving after dark, we reliedupon our chart plotter and radar,dropping anchor off the west side of

Mohamed Shareef, executive secre-tary to the managing director of Ban-dos Island Resort, boarded Feeling atMale and guided our two Nordhavnsto the island retreat. Bondos is abouta half-mile across with about 250beach-front bungalows and a staff ofmore than 400. The beaches are ofthe finest white sand, and palm trees,tropical vegetation and flowers coverthe island. The resort generates itsown electricity, has a desalinationplant, provides water taxi service toMale and the airport island ofHuhule, and operates excellentrestaurants, bars and shops.

The resort management allowed usto use their harbor, a tiny man-madefacility providing shelter for the dozenor so resort boats, and also used bythe water taxis. The entrance is nomore than 75 feet wide and there isbreaking surf along the north cut ofthe channel where the coral has beendredged. It was a white-knuckle rideentering as lots of headway is required

The Nordhavn 62Feeling runs alongsideNordhavn en route tothe Maldives (top). Offthe Malaysian coast, acommercial fishboat,typical of the fleets inthe region, hurries outto sea. Opposite: Some250 beach-front bun-galows on stilts and astaff of 400 awaitguests at the BondosIsland Resort in theMaldives where thecrew enjoyed fourdays of explorationand relaxation.


to maintain directional control. Nord-havn surfed into the tiny basin andwent hard into reverse to keep fromhitting the resort. There were plentyof helpful line handlers and we tiedbow to with a mooring line astern tokeep us off the seawall. The two Nord-havns dominated the little harbor andcreated a lot of interest among resortguests.

After four short days in paradise, itwas time to resume our voyage acrossthe Indian Ocean.

Prior to continuing, we had toreturn to Male for clearance formali-ties, and to pick up a few last-minuteprovisions and take on fuel for thelong passage ahead. Our excellentagent Nash, of Island Sailors, saved usthe hassle and risk of fueling outsidethe harbor in the rough and unpro-tected general anchorage. Nash got usright up to a clean commercial bulk-head, and a beautiful new fuel truckshowed up with a big banner acrossthe front welcoming Nordhavn andher crew to the Maldives. We had thelocal newspaper people aboard as wellas a TV crew from the Male TV chan-nel. The fueling went smoothly andwe were given a sample of the fuel ina clear container, right off the bottom

of the truck.Ahead was our entry into the Middle

East. It had been agreed at the startthat we would re-assess the political sit-uation and potential danger as weapproached the region. We hoped wecould continue on our planned routeup the Red Sea. If not, we could head

south and round Africa's Cape of GoodHope, but that would add mileage andthe weather risk of the Southern Indi-an Ocean's cyclone season.

On February 16, we departed, cau-tiously comfortable with our originalroute through the Suez and into theMediterranean, and took up a course

PRIMER

Safety gear

Of great concern to PAE was the safety of people aboard Nordhavn. Know-ing that we would have no more than four people for any one leg, we felt

a six-man, open-ocean liferaft would be adequate and a Switlik canister modelwith hydrostatic release was installed.

An ACR EPIRB was interfaced with the onboard GPS and hard-mounted onthe front of the wheelhouse, also with a hydrostatic release. Additionally, wecarried an abandon-ship bag, stowed in the wheelhouse. Within it we carriedan additional ACR EPIRB with internal GPS function. There was also a hand-heldGPS, a VHF radio, antenna and battery pack for the Iridium phone (We can pullit from its docking station), two gallons of fresh water plus a hand-held PURwater maker, fishing gear, flashlights and flares. We also had four immersionsuits for cold water. The liferaft was mounted an adequate distance from theship’s dinghy (in case of fire) and our plan was to try to launch both in anemergency.

A Para-Tech sea anchor to be deployed off the bow was included for anemergency engine failure or to ride out a storm while conserving fuel. We car-ried a Para-Tech drogue which can be deployed astern in very heavy weather toenhance direction control and slow the boat down.

— Jim Leishman

PRIMER

Do you have adequate range toreach your destination?

Crossing an ocean in small motorboat is much like flyingacross a continent in a light airplane. You want to be

absolutely certain of how long you have before you mustrefuel.

One of the chief challenges of crossing an ocean in atrawler yacht is the careful management of speed and fuelconsumption. It’s a vital function that leads to great satisfac-tion at the successful conclusion of a long passage.

Our circumnavigation underscored the importance ofknowing the range-speed capabilities of your particular ves-sel. It demonstrated that tank tests are just tank tests andcomputer predictions of range are merely predictions—andonly for calm conditions.

BC Research in Vancouver tank-tested a scale model of the40. In the test configuration, the predicted weight was a 1/2load displacement of 40,000 lb. BC Research produced arange graph that indicated an economical speed of 7 knotswould give a range of up to 4,000 nautical miles.

In real life, the circumnavigating 40 weighed in at about52,000 lb at the beginning of a passage. Additionally, thetest model was not fitted with stabilizing fins, bow thrustertunnel, or wing engine shaft, strut and foldingpropeller—nor was air conditioning running.

Prior to the passage to Hawaii, I spent a considerableamount of time testing our boat. The N40 fuel system has asupply reservoir that is designed to allow precise fuel-con-sumption checks over 15-minute intervals. Running at 1,400rpm, we averaged 6.3 knots in moderately calm water andconsumed 1.9 gph. At 1,500 rpm, we averaged 6.7 knots at2.2 gph, and at 1,600 rpm, 7 knots with consumption at 2.6GPH. We had run the boat all summer to and from Alaska pri-marily at 1,800 rpm burning about 3.6 GPH and making about7.8 knots. (The boat was always lighter for the Alaska cruise).

There is a significant difference in performance from theextreme load condition where I conducted the tests and thepredictions developed by BC Research. As far as I can figure,the difference in weight can explain a lot. Using a standard

formula of performance calculation, I found that by increas-ing the weight of the vessel from 40,000 lb to 52,000 lb, theprediction of horsepower to drive the boat at a S/L ratio of 1(5.95 knots) will increase by 30 percent. At 6.54 knots and7.14 knots (S/L 1.1 and 1.2) the increase is 32 percent.

Here are the numbers:

Boat speed 5.95 knots 6.54 knots 7.14 knots

Speed/length ratio 1.0 1.1 1.2

BC Research prediction at 40,000 lbin shaft horsepower 18.9 shp 23.80 shp 37.80 shp

Adjusted using standard formula for 52,000 displacementin shaft horsepower 24.9 shp 31.45 shp 49.95 shp

Tested performance prior to passagein shaft horsepower 32.0 shp 40.00 shp 56.00 shp

Comparing heavy weight calculation with the actual, wesee a 28 percent increase in actual horsepower required at5.95 knots, a 27 percent increase at 6.54 knots and a 12percent increase at 7.14 knots.

There is no calculation to predict the drag of the active finstabilizers, the bow thruster tunnel or the wing engine shaftand prop. The stabilizers are the biggest drag componentwith two 6-square-foot fins (total 12 square feet) deflectingup and down through an arch of about 60 degrees. Thesefins not only induce significant drag while running as thehydraulic pump, which drives them, consumes 6.5 full horse-power from the main engine. The power consumptionaccounts for an additional fuel burn of about .325 gallonsper hour—at any RPM selected. In moderate offshore seaconditions at 6.5 knots, with the fins turned on, the speedcan drop as much as 1/2 knot to 6 knots which is almost 10


for Salalah, Oman, 1,377 miles to thenorthwest.

The Indian Ocean continued toprovide ideal conditions, light windsout of the northeast and mild seas.With clear skies and temperatures inthe low 90s, we were glad to have ourair conditioning, which kept our state-rooms a cool and dry 70 degrees. Thegentle breeze flowing through theopen doors and window of the saloonand wheelhouse kept temperatureswithin the upper decks comfortable.These ideal conditions allowed for

plenty of rest, and the galley and aftdeck barbecue were in constant use.

Brian Saunders emerged as the offi-cial ship's chef, however, he acknowl-edged my barbecuing expertise, andthe cocktail hour usually began aboutthe time the Magma was lit. With com-fortable reclining chairs, a balmybreeze, setting sun, dinner on the grilland a cool beverage in hand, voyag-ing-- and life--didn't get any better.

Each morning Brian and PaulGrover would monitor prearrangedfrequencies on the SSB to receive

information from sailboats aroundSalalah. We were hearing more andmore discussion of boats leavingSalalah in convoys, that there weresome 30 yachts anchored and waitingto depart, and talk of German navyships gathering at the southern end ofthe Red Sea. To enter the Red Sea wewould have to pass through the Gulf ofAden and clear Socotra Island, justwest of Somalia and the Horn ofAfrica, which has been a dangerousarea for years with many reportedpirate attacks. A course to Salalah


added distance to our voyage butoffered a convenient and safe port, theopportunity to arrange a convoy withother yachts headed up the Red Sea,plus, we could maintain maximumclearance from dreaded Socotra Island.

The weather continued fair, and aseach day passed we began to noticethe air cooling slightly. The eveningswere now into the high 70s and wefound it was no longer necessary torun the air conditioning. Each nightwe were given a remarkable show ofphosphorescence--brighter than any

I've ever seen. Maybe associated withthis light phenomenon, the waterteemed with flying fish and at nightNordhavn was pelted by them, leavingsmall marks where they hit the cabinand hull. Many stranded themselveson deck. Some, attracted by the light,would fly right into the open wheel-house doors, and one even glidedthrough the saloon and crashed inthe lower pas-sageway to thestaterooms. Squidalso attacked our

boat after dark, with a particularlylarge one spraying the whole star-board side with reddish brown ink. Aforensic review in the morning sug-gested he must have shot out of thewater and hit the paravane pole,bursting on impact. It took an hour toclean up the mess.

After eight and a half days of easyrunning we called for an entry clear-

ance with the SalalahPort Authority, andwere authorized toenter the inner har-

percent. At lower speeds, frictional or drag resistance is theprimary force to overcome. As speed increases up to 1.2 to1.3 times the square root of the waterline (speed-lengthratios), the primary resistance force to overcome shifts towave-making, thus, we see only a 12-percent reduction inperformance at 7.14 knots. Drag from these appendages isnot hurting us as much at higher speeds.

Another big consumer of power are alternators, which areknown to be very inefficient. I have heard it said that a DCalternator is only about 38 percent efficient—which meansthat for every horsepower consumed by the alternator, only38 percent of that power is converted into wattage. In otherwords, to produce one horsepower of wattage (750 watts)2.6 horsepower has to be delivered to the alternator. On ouraround-the-world boat, with the large freezer aboard, I esti-mated that we consumed an average of 70 amps of DC pow-er, 24 hours a day: 70 amps times 14 volts equals 980 watts is1.3 hp multiplied by 2.6 equals 3.4 hp, plus there is inefficien-cy due to the belt loss. I suspect that the alternator is drawingapproximately 4 hp, again adding about a quarter of a gallonper hour top our fuel burn. As with the hydraulicdraw—maintaining 1200 PSI of pressure, regardless ofwhether the fins are moving or not—the alternator draw isconsistent and, at lower power settings, the draw becomes alarger percentage of the fuel consumption. At the long-rangespeed of 1,400 rpm, our 40 runs a little over 6 knots, burningabout 1.9 gph. At this low speed, the power draw of thealternator and hydraulics account for over 27 percent of thefuel consumption. Out of the 880 gallons of fuel consumedon the Dana Point to Honolulu voyage, 237 gallons went tohydraulics and electrical demands! That certainly isn’t any-thing we learned from tank testing.

Another area of interest lies within the propeller selection.We spin a 4-bladed 28-by-24-inch prop. A huge amount ofeffort has been put forth to make the boat as quiet andsmooth running as possible. Over the years, we have donetesting on propellers and found that a 3-bladed prop willgive better performance at lower (ocean-crossing) speeds atS/L between 1 and 1.2. Above that, the 3-bladed propellerbecomes more highly loaded and begins to cavitate. Normal-

ly, Nordhavns are runat an S/L ratio of 1.3(for the 40 this is justunder 8 knots) andthe 3-bladed propoffers no advantagesand is quite noisy. Weinstalled a 3-bladedprop on Salvation llfor the final leg of hercircumnavigationfrom Hawaii to Cali-

fornia. The 3-bladed prop gave a 20-percent increase in Sal-vation ll's range at 6.5 knots, however, it was subsequentlyremoved and the 4-bladed prop was reinstalled for coastalcruising to reduce vibration and cavitation. I did order a new3-bladed 30-by-24-inch prop and tested in on the 40 just pri-or to our departure. We noted an increase in performance ofabout 10 percent, but also noticed the characteristic vibra-tion, which was anticipated. Despite the performanceimprovement, I reinstalled the 4-bladed propeller in the inter-est of a quiet and vibration-free boat. The point of this is thatthe BC Research predictions were based upon achieving pro-peller efficiency of 50 percent. I don’t believe we are achiev-ing that with our present propeller selection and I don’tbelieve that we can, unless we’re willing to accept noise andvibration.

To recap: We have a much heavier boat than what wasoriginally tank-tested.It has a lot of drag because of theaccessories we install to make voyaging safer, more comfort-able and easier. We have been aware of the effect of weightand drag on all of our vessels and find that oceans arecrossed at much lower speeds than what the same vesselmakes during coastal passages.

One of the reasons we took on the challenge of a circum-navigation was to develop better methods of prediction thattake into account the true performance of the modern, well-equipped vessel but also to understand the effects on perfor-mance that the wind and sea have out on the open ocean.

— Jim Leishman

Visual fuel check backs upelectronic metering.


bor. We dropped our anchor themorning of February 25 and werepromptly cleared by immigration, cus-toms and the port police, all of whichwere kind enough to come out to theboat. The whole process took lessthan 30 minutes.

Nordhavn and about 30 sailboatswere corralled into a small section ofthe inner harbor, each yacht clearingthe other by less than a boat lengthand all swinging together on singlebow anchors. It wasn't long beforesailors (some of whom we had spokento on the SSB) tendered by, curiousabout our voyaging motorboat and tooffer helpful information aboutSalalah.

Oman is reported to be one of therichest countries in the Middle East,and the port of Salalah is a small butbustling terminal with room to loadand unload up to about 10 large car-go ships. There are modern containercranes along with traditional single-arm cranes for the handling of non-containerized freight. One seawall is

reserved for the traditional Dhow-typecargo vessels of wood construction,some carrying chickens and goats.One old woody arrived carrying hun-dreds of tons of smelt-like fish, allpacked into burlap sacks and stinkingbeyond description. The stevedoresunloaded the ship by hand andstacked the foul bags into waitingtrucks, overloading them to the verytop of their cargo fences. I laterlearned these fish were used to feedbeef and dairy cattle, and that thelocal beef was tainted with a fishyaftertaste. Thank goodness for ourwell-stocked deep freeze.

We also learned that the favoriterestaurant and gathering place for theyachting crowd was an easy walk fromthe port and that they served goodfood (imported beef) and gooddrinks. The restaurant was aptlynamed The Oasis and buzzed withactivity late into each evening.

After dinner at the restaurant, Brianand I met some British sailors return-ing to the navy supply ship Fort

Rosari. That morning the British air-craft carrier Illustrious, a small Britishfrigate, and the Fort Rosari hadentered the harbor and moored alonga quay near the yacht anchorage. Twoother British frigates had moored inanother part of the harbor. We talkeda bit as we walked and were soon invit-ed aboard the Rosari for a nightcapwith the sailors in the crew's lounge.The crew of this British ship weremerchant marine and supplied thecarrier and frigates with ammunition,fuel and general supplies. We spoke atlength with the second officer of theship and expressed our concerns oversecurity. He could not say where theyhad been or where they were going--only that they were part of an interna-tional coalition for the prevention ofterrorism. He assured us, however,that the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and theMediterranean were safe and we hadnothing to worry about.

Later, lower ranking crew in thatsmoke-filled lounge told us the waterswere thick with coalition warships--German, French, British, Italian andAmerican. As well, they said, aircraftwere in the air 24 hours a day and ifwe keyed our VHF on 16--called amayday--there would be aircraft over-head within minutes. We were elatedwith the news and by morning it hadspread throughout the anchorage. Allthe following day cruisers were invit-ing the British crew out to their yachtsfor drinks and snacks.

We enjoyed our stay in Salalah, theweather was pleasant and the peoplewere all friendly. The terrain is arid,resembling the coastline along theSea of Cortez, and I found the cooler,dry air refreshing after weeks in thetropics. The town of Salalah was most-ly new with a prosperous look andfeel, and we found modern well-stocked markets for re-provisioning.More than once on the way to town,the taxi had to slow to allow free-rang-ing camels to cross the road. The dri-ver explained that they had little usefor camels these days, but treated theanimals with reverence for their pastcontribution to Arab society.

All was ready March 2, and we leftSalalah for our next stop Djibouti, 730miles west-southwest. C

The crew aboard Nordhavnwere relieved to learn in

Oman that there wereCoalition forces watchingthe waters that lay aheadthrough the Middle East.

Pho

to: R

ick

Gaf

fney


OMAN to PORT SAID

Suez pilots go by the book

The cruising guide was right: First thing he saidwas: “Okay, Captain, full speed, full speed.” Second was: “Some cigarettes, please.”By Jim Leishman

This leg would take us to theRed Sea and through the Suez Canal,one of the most anticipated parts ofthe entire trip, but we would have toput our excitement on hold.

Although we were bound for Dji-bouti, that wasn’t our original destina-tion. Plans had called for the nextstop at Massawa, Eritrea, however, twodays out of Salalah our stabilizersbegan to act up and I found that thegyroscope which controls the systemhad failed. We had never seen thistype of failure before and did not havea spare unit aboard. A new one had tobe ordered and it could not arrive inSalalah in time, so it was sent to Dji-bouti, about 10 hours out of our way.

Although little more than a port,Djibouti’s location at the crossroads ofEurope, Africa and Asia gives it signifi-cant strategic importance. It’s said that

Djibouti was colonized by the Frenchto thwart British ambitions across thewaters in Yemen. The French influ-ence is apparent in the town’s archi-tecture, French is widely spoken andthe French Foreign Legion maintains

order and provides security forthe country.

With the exception of a fewnights at the yacht club and alittle sightseeing during oneday, I spent the entire timetrudging around clearing in,clearing out, chasing down ourgyro, and fueling. Povertyappeared widespread, and whilewe wished the best for the peo-

ple of Djibouti, we were elated to beclear of the harbor March 10 with afull load of fuel and a mechanicallyperfect vessel. We felt secure againbeing back at sea.

Our first challenge was the narrowStrait of Bab el Mandeb, the realentrance to the Red Sea. In addition toheavy shipping traffic and a little pira-cy, the 12-mile passage between Dji-bouti and Yemen is known for strongsoutheast winds and steep seas andNordhavn got a first-hand experience ofwhat 40 knots can do in the narrowstraits and shallow water. For the firsttwo days out of Djibouti we had roughseas. Then, just as predicted in every-

LOGBOOKFrom: Salalah, OmanTo: Port Said, EgyptDistance: 2,106 nmSpeed: 6.82 knotsFuel burn: 3.08 gphCaptain: Jim LeishmanCrew: Brian Saunders, Paul Grover,

Peter Swanson

Nordhavn was ableto buy clean fuel allthe way around theworld, includinghere in Djibouti.


thing I’ve read about the Red Sea, thewinds slowly decreased and droppedoff to a calm at the midway pointbefore slowly filling in from the north-west and building up to 30 knots as weapproached the Gulf of Suez.

We arrived in Suez City on Monday,March 18, at about 1800, just beforedark. The strong north wind thatplagued us for the past three daysfinally let up and most of Monday wascalm, giving us time to clean the boat.We contacted our pre-arranged agent,Felix Maritime, and were greeted infront of the Suez Yacht Club by

Ahmed M.A. Ghany. From the yachtclub tender he assisted us in takingthe fore and aft mooring buoys andsecuring the boat. Having cleared intoOman and Djibouti by myself, I canattest that hiring an agency to do thefootwork is well worth the minimalcost. Ahmed came aboard, collectedour ship’s documents and passports.He advised us that a surveyor fromthe canal authority would measure thetonnage of the vessel, and that wecould fuel and pass through the canalthe following morning. A vessel capa-ble of 8 knots could navigate theentire 118-mile canal in one day.

At 0700 Tuesday, Ahmed was backaboard with the surveyor, and withinhalf an hour the boat was measuredand we cast off the moorings to fuel.Suez was the first fuel dock we hadseen since Thailand and we’d becomeaccustomed to taking fuel from truckson the quay. At about 0900 we pickedup our pilot and were on our waythrough the amazing Suez Canal.

I’ve passed through the PanamaCanal several times, but this was myfirst Suez transit. I found it just as fas-cinating. The product of French engi-neering and Egyptian labor, the canalopened in 1869 after a decade of con-

struction. It is the longest canal in theworld without locks and cuts throughthree lakes, which take up some 18miles of its length.

Our first pilot, Mohamed, immedi-ately took the helm and would notrelinquish it throughout his leg, which was about two-thirds of the wayup the canal to Ismailia. We’d beenstudying the Indian Ocean CruisingGuide, which contained a photo of apilot steering the author’s sailboat.The quotation reads: “For the mostpart, the pilots of the Suez Canal arecourteous and diligent although theywill always nag you to ‘go faster, go

PRIMER

Politics and security

When September 11 brought lifetemporarily to a halt in Ameri-

ca, our plans for the circumnavigationwere firmly in place and news storieswere appearing about the voyage.September 11 led to a couple ofweeks’ pause and reconsideration.We’d be passing through the Philip-pines, Malaysia, and would have toenter the Red Sea through its 20-mile-wide southern entrance, withSomalia to our south and Yemen tothe north. We would take on fuel inDjibouti, then have to run a thousandmiles with Sudan and Egypt to portand Saudi Arabia to starboard andthen pass through the Suez Canalbefore we entered the perceived safe-ty of the Mediterranean. Despite ourconcerns, we believed it to be safeand with great enthusiasm we pro-ceeded with our plans.

— Jim Leishman

British naval officers (whom we metin Oman) promised our crew that allwe needed to do is cry for help overChannel 16 and the ships of the anti-terrorist Coalition would come imme-diately to the rescue. The way theysaid it made us think they were hop-ing someone would mess with one ofthe cruisers. Much has been writtenabout the dangers hereabouts, butthis may well have been the safesttime in history for small boats to tran-sit the area.

— Peter Swanson, PassageMaker

A major mosque in Suez, horse-drawn delivery in PortSaid, camels everywhere in theMideast, and paperwork forthe Suez Canal transit.

QUOTE

“Osama bin Laden, Osama binLaden,” the radio squawked overChannel 16 as we steamed off thecoast of Oman. “Thees ees GeorgeBush. I am looking for you.” Abored Arab fishermen was amusinghimself and presumably theradiomen of the Coalition fleet thatwas indeed looking for bin Ladenjust over the horizon. It was cer-tainly more amusing than when helater keyed his mike to share popArabic music with us.”— Peter Swanson, PassageMaker


faster’ and will always be offended atthe meager baksheesh you offer.”

Sure enough, we got the same guyand I showed him his photo in thebook. He laughed and nodded. Firstthing he said was: “Okay, Captain, fullspeed, please, full speed.” The secondthing was: “Captain, some cigarettes,please.”

He would have nothing to do withthe autopilot and insisted on hand-steering for eight hours while smok-ing a whole package of cigarettes. Try-ing to get these guys not to smoke inthe wheelhouse would probably beimpossible, and the concept of formu-la hull speed and wasted power wasincomprehensible to them. Ratherthan go 8 knots at a reasonable 1,900rpm, our guy insisted on full throttle,

increasing our fuel consumption by50 percent while adding only four-tenths of a knot in speed. Uponarrival in Ismailia, the baksheeshthing started. At the agent’s advice, Iplanned to give our man $25 and acouple of shirts. Sure enough, he wasappalled. We finally agreed on $35and four shirts and I thought we weredone. “Captain, more cigarettes. Fivepacks, please,” he said before leaving.I gave him one, and didn’t feel too

BACKGROUNDCrew considerations

The total circumnavigation of 24,000 nautical miles wasdivided into five legs: Dana Point to Singapore, Singapore to

Greece, Greece to Barbados, Barbados to Acapulco, andAcapulco to Dana Point. Five separate captains and crews wereinvolved, all key employees of Pacific Asian Enterprises. Theygenerally numbered three, with a fourth berth reserved for jour-nalists covering the voyage or for special guests. The economic

justification for the trip was the experience gained by the crew,which included all company owners and designers, three differ-ent project managers, the engineer who writes all our operatormanuals, and our key sales personnel. The knowledge gainedwill be used to improve existing boats and utilized in futuredesigns, as can already be seen with the new Nordhavn 43.

— Jim Leishman

good about the process. Welater found out that Mohamedis well paid, as are all pilots.

As soon as Mohamed left,our new pilot boarded us. Hisname was also Mohamed andthe process began again. NewMohamed was to take us thebalance of the way to Port Said,and we understood that we

would run until 2200 or 2300 to finish.At about 1700 our pilot was told wemust stop short of Port Said and waituntil morning to complete the transit.It was all a bit confusing, but westopped and tied up at a canal authori-ty dock behind a huge tug boat. Ouragent Ahmed and pilot Mohamedstayed aboard with us until dawn andwe began again, arriving in Port Saidabout 1000 on Wednesday, March 20.

In all it was a neat trip. It was awe-inspiring to think of this huge canal

having been engineered and dug solong ago. Along the shoreline wenoticed evidence of the wars withIsrael, in 1967 and 1973, which result-ed in the canal's closure between 1967and 1975. The banks were littered withtorn and twisted parts of personnel car-riers, landing craft and other machinesthat were unrecognizable. Notable wasthe preparation along the entire canalfor quick setup of strategic floatingbridges in the event of military action.

Egypt appeared thriving, with newconstruction everywhere we looked.The town of Ismailia was particularlyattractive, with numerous resort hotelsand palm-lined banks, flowers andmanicured gardens everywhere. Ihope to return to Egypt some day—particularly to see the Nile River andthe pyramids.

But now it was time to push on tothe Mediterranean.

PRIMERSpares

Recognizing the need to keep moving or lose our weather/time windows, itwas important that we minimize delays, thus extensive spare parts were

brought aboard Nordhavn. We were in the unique position of simply being ableto advance-order parts which, if not needed, could be installed on a futureNordhavn 40. The usual parts necessary for a long voyage, such as spare fresh-water pumps, bilge pumps, engine belts and filters, all were included. We alsocarried a spare main engine starter motor, injection pump, injectors, injectortubes, fuel lift pump, and alternators. Additionally, we had a spare steeringpump, steering ram, an extra tiller arm, an extra NAIAD hydraulic pump and finactuator rams, spare hoses for steering and stabilizer hydraulics, autopilot head,autopilot brain box and motor with hydraulic pump, and an extra stabilizingfish, tow line and tow chain in case we lost one of our flopper-stoppers. For anormal owner to carry all these spares, it would represent a significant expense.If it were not for our need to minimize delays, I would have left 75 percent ofthe stuff at home. PAE has found that we can get spare parts to our cus-tomers—virtually anywhere in the world—quickly and cost effectively, thuslarge on-board spare-parts inventories are unnecessary. Ironically, Mexico is theexception because of the nature of the bureaucracy south of the border.

— Jim Leishman

C


PORT SAID to ATHENS

March means a mean Med

The air was clear, the sky was blueand the sun shone brightly as webattled 60-knot gusts in a sea thatwas white as snowBy Jim Leishman

Weather in the EasternMediterranean can be a handful inlate March, with the transition fromwinter to summer posing considerablechallenges to forecasters and marinersalike. So, it wasn’t totally unexpectedwhen our relatively short 600-mile pas-sage from Port Said to Athens waspunctuated by heavy weather thatdelayed our arrival by three days.

Departing Said Yacht Club onThursday, March 24, we had anticipat-ed moderate northwesterly winds.This passage would take us on a north-westerly course across the EasternMediterranean, passing between theislands of Crete and Karpathos, thenmaking our way among the dozens ofGreek islands on the Sea of Crete, intoAthens. We figured four days.

As soon as we cleared the Port Saidbreakwater, we were bucking against25 knots and steep eight-footseas. Pulling the power backto 1,400 rpm, we resignedourselves to two or three daysof discomfort at five knots,anticipating relief as weapproached Crete. In an e-mail, Jeff Leishman, who hadbeen providing weather fore-casting throughout our leg

using various Internet sources,expressed concern the weather mightbuild into gale conditions. Our weath-er forecaster, Walt Hack, confirmedJeff’s concerns. He predicted westerlywinds to 50 knots and suggested ournearest point of refuge was Kasos, asmall island east of Crete.

By Saturday morning we were expe-riencing sustained southwesterlywinds of 38 knots and occasionallyhigher gusts. We had been recordingbarometric pressure hourly and saw apressure drop of 13 millibars in just24 hours, starting at 1013 and drop-ping to below 1000—the fastest I’veever seen a barometer fall.

The seas were on our beam, so wewere able to keep our speed as wetried to follow Walt’s suggestion offinding shelter no later than midnightSaturday. Being half way across the

Mediterranean, there was little choicebut to push on. We approached asmall cove called Helathros on thesouthwest side of Kasos about 0200 onSunday. Despite a good radar returnand comprehensive charts, I feltuncomfortable with the cove’sentrance. The chart plotter showedtwo rocks just on the surface at thecove entrance and I could not con-firm them on the radar. We decided tostand off until daylight and ran upand down the relatively calm lee sideof island to maintain steerage and sta-bility. At dawn we made our entry intoa beautiful cove and dropped anchorin about 25 feet of water.

The Island of Kasos looks very muchlike our own California ChannelIslands, with high, rocky cliffs.

Around 1100, I decided to make ahot lunch, but just about the time Ihad the cooking utensils out and thestove going, we got a 30-knot souther-ly blast of wind straight in from thesea. Within 15 minutes we were seeing40 knots gusts and the previously calmharbor had four-foot breakers develop-

LOGBOOKFrom: Port Said, EgyptTo: Glyphada, GreeceDistance: 626 nmSpeed: 6.10 knotsFuel burn: 2.67 gphCaptain: Jim LeishmanCrew: Brian Saunders, Paul Grover


PRIMER

Weather watch

Here are the main three sites PacificAsian Enterprises used during the

Nordhavn circumnavigation:

• NWS Marine Forecast Siteshttp://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/listmari-neoffices.html

• Joint Typhoon Warning Centerhttp://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc.html

• FNMOC Weather Mapshttp://www.fnoc.navy.mil/PUBLIC/WXMAP/

ing. It became very apparent that wecould not stay another minute atHelathros Cove.

Brian Saunders pulled the bridle offthe anchor chain and returned to thewheelhouse. With the windlass pullingand the boat in gear we moved up onour anchor. I had to use pretty goodblasts of power and a fully deflectedrudder to maintain directional con-trol, but all went well and the anchorstowed itself in its roller. Paul Groverwatched the chart plotter and gaveme direction changes to maintainelectronic clearance of the entrancerocks, which we never did see.

The amazing thing was the sea con-dition. The wind was blowing hardout of the west and it wrapped aroundthe island, bringing the seas right intothe cove. As we cleared the headland

and turned east, we felt and saw thefull strength of the wind. The seaswere not huge but building by theminute. Our anemometer was show-ing about 50 knots true and we hadnumerous gusts up to 60 knots. Thetops of the seas were being blown offand creating a sea smoke which blast-ed off to leeward. The air was crystalclear with bright sunshine and bril-liant blue sky, and the wind-whippedfoam covering the sea surface was aswhite as snow.

Our boat handled the followingseas beautifully—on autopilot weraced down the island at 1,800 rpm,running in excess of eight knots. Ourplan was to go around the island tofind a port that faced the north. Butwe became concerned about the fore-casted northerly winds and the factthe strong westerly wind we wereexperiencing might be just as bad onthe other side of the island with itseast-west orientation. We consideredcrossing the channel to the largerisland of Karpathos, about 14 mileseast, but I was concerned about the

building seas and how rough the Medmight get in another two hours. Wedecided to approach the southeastside of Kasos and look for a lee—evenif it meant motoring in position andnot anchoring.

We got lucky, spotting a cove withhigh cliffs, a small beach and a shel-tered anchorage with about 50 feet ofdepth. The wind and sea calmed as weapproached and we anchored in abeautiful spot. We heard sheep andlooked up to see dozens of them graz-ing on shrubs that cling to the rockycliffs and ravines.

The storm raged for two more days.On Sunday afternoon we spotted asmall cargo ship on the ragged hori-zon, rolling from gunwale to gunwale.It approached our sheltered cove andanchored in deeper water about a half-mile out, still enjoying the lee andcalming effect of the cliffs. I spoke withthe Greek captain and at his request Ipassed on the latest weather forecastthat we had received from Walt Hack.The ship was bound for Rhodes fromSpain.

His destination was only about 100miles to the east but he complainedthat even running with the wind andswell, the seas were too rough to con-tinue on in his 300-foot ship.

Walt finally gave us a green light toproceed on Tuesday morning, and wepushed on in improving but roughweather up to the mainland ofGreece, arriving early the followingevening at Glyphada, a modern yachtharbor south of Athens. Our part ofthe circumnavigation was done.

QUOTE

“When I came aboard, I could seethat Sue Leishman is a believer in theJoan Kessler philosophy of provision-ing for long passages: Shop till thereis no more storage space available.Then, buy lots of extra toilet paper.”— Georgs Kolesnikovs, Trawler World

C


The Mediterraneanshowed no signs of settling down asJeff, Pete and Justin began their leg,which would take them some 5,200miles to Barbados, but it wasn’t theweather or mechanical failure thatwould prove the most troublesome. Itwas the possibility of Nordhavn—andthe entire venture—being stalled, per-haps for weeks, in an arid outpost inthe Atlantic.

For the almost five months sinceleaving Dana Point, the crews hadbeen beneficiaries of friendly peopleand generally good service at theirports of call. Good luck ran out atCape Verde, the final fueling pointbefore the Atlantic crossing. The theftof the ship’s documents and crewpassports was true cause for concern.

But before dealing with that, thecrew had to first contend with theMediterranean.

After fueling and reprovisioning,and a difficult and costly clearance pro-cedure, Nordhavn departed Glyphada

ATHENS to BARBADOS

An ocean of troubleWith ship’s papers and their passports gone, thecrew faced the prospect of the voyage beingstalled for weeks 100 miles off the coast of Africa

By Jim Leishman

to transit the historic Corinth Canaland head west towards the Atlantic.After clearing the six-kilometer-longwaterway, most of the next six dayswere spent battling strong head winds,finally reaching their first stop, PalmaDe Mallorca. In sharp contrast to theclearance procedures in Greece, thosein Palma, which is Spanish, were easyand inexpensive. After only a two-daystop, Jeff and crew reluctantly departedPalma for the Canary Islands, off thewest coast of Africa, 1,100 miles away.

Only hours after leaving Palma, anew weather threat showed itself, forc-ing Nordhavn to take refuge at theport of Villajoyosa on Spain’s main-land. After a delay of less than a day,they put to sea again in improvingconditions, and by the time theyapproached the Strait of Gibraltar, atthe Atlantic entrance to the Mediter-ranean, the miserable weather of theprevious two weeks was finally behindthem.

Turning southeast and laying acourse for the Canary Islandsbrought classic passagemakingconditions with breezes aft ofthe beam, and warming tem-peratures as the degrees of lati-tude wound down.

After a pleasant six-day pas-sage, Nordhavn tied up at theTexaco fuel dock at Las Palmas,on Grand Canary Island, andreceived the same hospitality as

in the other Spanish ports of Palmaand Villajoyosa. A little sightseeing,fueling, reprovisioning, a couple ofnice meals ashore and it was time todepart.

On April 21, Nordhavn put to seaagain, now bound for Praia, on SaoTiago Island in the Cape Verde islandgroup, the last stop before taking onthe Atlantic, the final ocean crossingof the circumnavigation. Locatedabout 1,000 miles south southwest ofGrand Canary and less than 100 milesoff Senegal, on Africa’s Atlantic coast,Praia is the natural refueling port andstepping-off point for the trans-Atlantic passage to Barbados, 2,089miles to the west. It’s the shortest pos-sible route to Barbados and a neces-sary stop; the only alternative is a2,600-mile course from Las Palmas.

Settled by the Portuguese in the 14thcentury, Cape Verde became a tradingcenter for African slaves, and presentinhabitants of the windblown and arid

QUOTE

“Careful monitoring of fuel con-sumption, regular re-calculation ofrange, intelligent adjustments inengine speed, these all make a longocean passage an intellectual chal-lenge, as there certainly isn’t, on mostdays, much physical challenge in acomfortable passagemaker such asNordhavn.”— Georgs Kolesnikovs, Trawler World

LOGBOOKFrom: Glyphada, GreeceTo: Holetown, BarbadosDistance: 5,253 nmSpeed: 6.39 knotsFuel burn: 2.78 gphCaptain: Jeff LeishmanCrew: Pete Eunson, Justin

Zumwalt, Tim Clark


islands are descendants of both groups.It proved to be the most difficult portof the entire circumnavigation.

On April 27, after a routine andpleasant six-day passage, Nordhavn

arrived in Praia and Jeff and hiscrew set forth by dinghy todeliver the ship’s documentsand crew passports to immigra-tion, customs and the portauthority. Pulling up to wharfside, the crew were offered assis-tance by a group of young

locals. But the moment lines werepassed, the quick hands of a helpersnatched the document valise fromthe dinghy thwart and off he went,bolting for the cover of the surround-

ing shantytown and accom-panied by several pals.

Justin, our youngest andleanest crew, gave chase butclosing on the thieves hebegan to realize the dangerof further pursuit andreturned to the crimescene. The crew was nowwithout passports or ship’sdocuments. The rest of the

loss was minor by comparison—about$150 cash and a throwaway camera. Ifthe ship’s fuel tanks had been full, theguys could have left for Barbados andprobably had new papers and pass-ports waiting for them on the otherside of the Atlantic. But with no CapeVerde clearance, there would be nofueling permit. Jeff dreaded the possi-bility of being stuck for days or weeksin this hostile environment, waitingfor new paperwork.

The local police were summoned.

Man-made Corinth Canal is a strikingshortcut on the Mediterranean.

Gibraltar guards the entrance to theMed. Justin Zumwalt's fishing skill

means mahi mahi for supper.Passports of the crew are stampedfull of memories of the 5,200-mile

leg to Barbados.


There was nothing left for the crew todo but wait and ponder their fate.Events were not long in unfolding.Within minutes an exhausted Cape

For weeks I had been watching theAtlantic weather and while storms hadbeen raging around the Azores to thenorth, our westward route between 10and 15 degrees of north latitude hadbeen excellent, with easterly tradewinds of under 20 knots and little vari-ation in conditions.

Nordhavn got under way at 16:45 onApril 29 after three days in Praia, anx-ious to complete the final passage oftheir leg. For the next 15 days weenjoyed 10 to 20 knots of easterlywinds, mild temperatures in the 80-degree range and excellent fishingthat included landing numerousprized wahoo and dorado.

After the unruly weather on theMediterranean and the excitement inPort Verde, the crew settled in for acrossing which was so uneventful thatJeff had to apologize for the dearth ofreports—just 10 e-mails from theentire crew—and for the boring com-mentary. “There’s just not much toreport,” he reported more than once.Watch standing, routine maintenanceand chores aboard, and reading fromthe extensive ship’s library consumedmuch of each day. There were alwayslengthy discussions about the dinnermenu, and often extravagant mealswere prepared, primarily by Pete, agreat offshore cook. With 10 cubicfeet of deep freezer space, the ship

Verdian appeared with the valise,explaining he had chased down thevillains, recovered the invaluable caseand was returning it. It was intactexcept for the money. Jeff was so hap-py he tipped the hero generously forhis good deed, and our crew proceed-ed with the process of clearing in sothey could quickly clear out.

Weeks later, Jeff developed the pho-tos in the disposable camera andfound that the gang had taken a fewphotos of themselves. Our “hero” wasamong them!

PRIMER

Electronics for passagemaking

Raymarine electronics were selected for the wheelhouse of Nordhavn usingthe latest equipment available in the fall of 2001. Included in the package

are primary and secondary radars of 48- and 24-mile range, primary and sec-ondary GPS, video depth sounder plus a second digital unit, large screen chartplotter, wind instruments, autopilot, and VHF. We have an ICOM SSB and anIridium satellite phone for worldwide coverage plus a KVH TRAC phone whichgive North and Central American coverage only.

The Iridium phone is connected through a modem to our laptop computerand we can receive and send e-mail worldwide. The baud rate is limited to4,800 but, for even extensive text messages without attachments, the low speeddoes not present a problem. We find we can receive eight or 10 e-mails andsend an equal amount in one session using about two to three minutes of air-time at $1.50 per minute. Additionally we can receive and send e-mail throughour SSB using the more economical Sailmail program. The SSB requires someeffort to tune and a suitable frequency has to be found, but limited e-mails canbe received and sent for a nominal annual fee of $200.

For navigation, the chart plotter function of the Raymarine equipment includ-ed C-Map cartridges for the entire route. Additionally, the new RayTech Naviga-tor software has been installed on our laptop computer and interfaces with allthe Raymarine equipment via their high-speed link called SeaTalk. C-Map world-wide charts are downloaded to the laptop’s hard drive.

One of the most noteworthy functions of the RayTech Navigator is Rayma-rine’s weather service which we can receive through our Iridium telephone.Through the RayTech program we can download three-day weather forecasts. Aregion is selected and we receive wind speed, barometric pressure and oceancurrent predictions, all of which are overlaid on the charts being used on thenavigational program. Using an animated process, we can scroll on our comput-er screen through the forecast period and see the weather unfold for the next72 hours—with the isobars, wind barbs and scaled current arrows clearly show-ing us what to expect.

We have two GPS units permanently installed and an A-B switch allows us toselect one of the two to drive the Raytheon chart plotter and to provide naviga-tion data to the laptop computer. For back-up, we carry a second laptop with allsoftware installed. We have one additional hand-held GPS with a power anddata cord.

We are using Raymarine’s G-Series autopilot with an integral rate gyrocom-pass, and we have another complete unit as a spare. As a safety precaution, wehave a full assortment of paper charts, but no sextant.

— Jim Leishman


E-MAILTime warp

Have you ever seen that movie,Groundhog Day, where Bill

Murray wakes up every morning tothe same day? Somehow, I thinkwe have ended up in the same timewarp. No matter what course westeer we have a constant 25-knothead wind, the skies are clear andbright, and the seas are straight upand down at about four-secondintervals, day after day after day.However, we are dealing with it justfine and we know that by this timetomorrow we will be out of theMed and, hopefully, mercifully, intoa nice northeasterly that will blowright into the Canaries.

— Jeff Leishman

was always well stocked withexcellent meats, pork, chickenand fish.

Only two minor problemscropped up—a failed coolingpump for the stabilizers and athrown belt on the auxiliaryalternator. The belt was easilyreplaced by shutting down themain engine, and with the wingengine providing propulsion,the belt was changed in a mat-ter of minutes. The failed cool-ing pump was the last aboard so itsreplacement had to wait until Barba-dos, and the paravane stabilizers wereused the last three days of the passage.

On May 14, at 12:00, Nordhavn tooka berth at the Port St. Charles Marina,where a new crew awaited her.

PRIMER

Essential equipment

Our boat is equipped with bothNAIAD active fin stabilizing and

TPS paravane stabilizing to reduce rolloffshore. Either of these systemswould have been adequate for thevoyage, but due to the promotionalnature of the trip and the popularity ofboth systems, it was decided that bothwould be included.

An auxiliary 27-hp Yanmar enginewas also installed. We call it a wingengine and most Nordhavns havebeen equipped with this option. Thewing engine has its own starting bat-tery, transmission, shaft and foldingpropeller and operates off its own sep-arate fuel supply. In the event of atotal engine or drive train failure, thewing engine will give us about 5 knotsof propulsion in calm water.

It can routinely be used to keep theboat on course, stable and movingduring main-engine fluid checks andmaintenance.

Another piece of equipment weconsidered important to comfort dur-ing the circumnavigation was a water-maker. It is very important to us thatthe boat be kept clean, the laundrycan be done and the crew can showerand use water without restraint. Wefelt that a 110-volt AC watermakercould not always be used on the longpassages, as the added fuel consump-tion of a running generator might notbe acceptable.

A large 12-volt DC unit manufac-tured by Spectra was selected as it canproduce 400 gallons of water per dayand operate off the main engine’s con-tinuous-running DC alternators.

— Jim Leishman

Meals, when prepared as well as they wereon Nordhavn, are often the highlight ofthe day during long ocean passages. JeffLeishman (left) and Pete Eunson dive into aGreek spanakopita nicely matched with ared wine from Greece. On some days, theAtlantic is so benign even the swim plat-form makes for a fine place to cool off.Cape Verde locals (far left) watch Nordhavnbeing refueled prior to the hop across theAtlantic to Barbados.

C


Within five hours of herarrival, Nordhavn was ready for seaonce again. She was cleared in andout by customs and immigration,fueled, reprovisioned and the minorwork list (change oil and filter, changeengine air filter, replace Naiad cool-ing pump) was complete.

All that remained was the tradition-al crew handoff dinner and that tookplace at Angry Annie’s. It was a rau-cous affair as Jeff L, Pete and Justinhad us in tears of laughter as theyreminisced about their two monthstogether moving Nordhavn fromAthens to Barbados.

The two crews said their goodbyesshortly after 10 p.m., and on the taxiride back to the boat Mike suggestedwe leave immediately instead of at

BARBADOS to ACAPULCO

Panama, thenhead for the barn

The plan was to pack the boat with fuelbecause the crew intended to run non-stopand hard to AcapulcoBy Dan Streech

daybreak as we had planned.Jeff and I had been thinkingthe same thing and so, with abalmy and gentle breeze push-ing us, Nordhavn set off fromBarbados just 10 and a halfhours after arriving.

Leaving Barbados requiresan initial east-northeasterlycourse for 100 miles to clear

the north end of Saint Vincent Islandin the Grenadines, and from there aslight turn to the left followed by astraight 700-mile run around thenortheast tip of Venezuela. Veer leftagain and head 350 miles straight intothe beautiful San Blas Islands, thenfollow the coast west for another 110miles into Colon, Panama.

The Caribbean east of Barbados

LOGBOOKFrom: Holetown, BarbadosTo: Acapulco, MexicoDistance: 2,689 nmSpeed: 6.91 knotsFuel burn: 3.84 gphCaptain: Dan StreechCrew: Mike Gregovich, Jeff Merrill

(Barbados to Balboa), Kevin Ryan (Colon to Acapulco), Tim Banse (Panama Canal)

water wouldsimply disap-pear from one side of the boat.

Where the wave patterns converged,there was a mountain. Where troughsconverged, there was a chasm. Thepoor Naiad fins valiantly swung to fulllock, but as good as they are, theycouldn’t manufacture instant buoyan-cy and we lurched. We called theevent a “stool-tipper” because theloose bar stool that we have in thepilothouse (for sitting at the comput-er) tipped over with an unnervingcrash. With the wind now gusting toabout 35, it was quite messy. Off-watchand sitting in the saloon using theother computer, I could look out theback window to see approaching seasabove the boat deck or breaking seaslevel with the saloon windows.

Although this cost us about oneknot in speed, it was no big dealand actually rather exciting.Nordhavn took her lumps stoical-ly and we felt 100 percent safeand secure. Through it all, Mikeslept and Jeff played TommyJames on his beloved stereo.

After almost seven days at seaNordhavn dropped anchor with-in the San Blas Archipelago at20:00 on May 21.


E-MAILHook-up!

We hadn't hooked up on any fish in over 15 days and I was beginning tolose confidence. Within two minutes the reel took off: "Zzzzzzzzzz"! I

was so excited I bashed my head on the door frame trying to leap into thecockpit to grab the rod. Pete was up already and stopped the boat immediate-ly. At first I thought it was a wahoo because I saw something tail walk acrossthe water about 200 yards out. After a 10- to 15-minute battle with the fish,we had a nice 20-lb dorado on board. Looks like we’ll have some nice mahi-mahi for dinner. — Justin Zumwalt

and all the way to Panama is knownfor its strong easterly trade winds, andthe new crew took time to adjust tothe 20- to 30-knot breeze and 8- to 12-foot seas. Running down-swell, theseconditions are quite comfortableaboard Nordhavn, but it still took threeor four days before everyone was feel-ing better. The easterly can get partic-ularly strong in the westernCaribbean.

Sure enough, that’s just what hap-pened on our first night out as the seabecame a witch’s brew of confusion.The basic 10- to 12-foot following seaswere still there, but at least two addi-tional wave patterns were now in play.Just when it seemed that all Nordhavnhad to do was slide down the face ofone of the 12-footers, a sneak wavewould hit us from the side, or the

Surf’s up!

We are screaming down waves(OK, maybe yodeling) but, boy,

Howdy, these seas are shoving Nord-havn as well as a 50,000-pound, big-boned, full-figured girl can be pushed.A big set emerged from behind theboat and I called to Mike to read thetop speeds off the GPS. 9.9 knots!Cowabunga, surf’s up! Dude, this istotally rad, closest thing to an e-ticketfun ride I’ve yet to find aboard. I’msure we must have hit an unobserveddouble digit figure during the after-noon. — Jeff Merrill

Today was a Caribbean sleigh ride asthe seas have built and consolidateddirectly behind us. As the 10- to12-foot seas pass under Nordhavn, theypick her up and give her a temporaryboost in speed as she tries to grab holdand surf. Several times we saw SOGspeeds over 11 knots on the GPS. Attimes it was a little too much, butwe’re not complaining. I would muchrather be tossed around a little thanturn around and face those seas headon. — Dan Streech

Jeff Merrill and Mike Gregovich discoverwhat fierce traders the Kuna women are asthey shop for molas in the San Blas Islands.A typical San Blas village. Opposite andbelow: Jeff stands fast waiting for a lock toopen. A Panama transit groups various andsundry vessels.


With heat lightning silently flashingall around us, Mike, Jeff and I sat onthe foredeck and toasted the passagewith Barbados rum, as we enjoyed thegentle night breezes heavy with mois-ture and the fragrance of these tropi-cal islands. We could see severalislands in the moonlight and lookedforward to exploring them in themorning.

I had cruised the archipelago 30years earlier on my family’s 60-footyawl and promised myself to somedayreturn. I had a vision and a hope forwhat I wanted and expected the SanBlas Islands to be after all these years.Indeed, they were beautiful, exotic,and a small slice of paradise onearth—actually, better than I remem-bered.

Nordhavn reluctantly left the islandgroup on the evening of the 23rdafter two days of sightseeing, whichincluded the purchase of traditionaland brightly colored molas from theresident Kuna Indians. The crew doveand swam in the crystal clear watersand lagoons, and rested well aftertheir long, rough passage.

At the daybreak of Thursday, May

her transit of the third great canal ofthe circumnavigation, the previoustwo being the Suez and Corinth.

As friends and followers watched onthe canal Web site (http://www.pan-canal.com), Nordhavn was slowly low-ered back into Pacific waters underthe watchful eye of the MirafloresLocks cameras. Otherwise, it was anuneventful transit.

The Atlantic and Caribbean hadproven friendly and easy oceans tocross. With fair trade wind conditionssince leaving the Mediterranean,Nordhavn and her crew were about tore-enter the Pacific, the so-called“placid ocean” that had been so for-midable just five months earlier.

But first we pulled into the Flamin-co Marina to ready for sea. Jeff andone of the hired line handlers went to

QUOTE

“I joined the boat in Panama inorder to crew during its canal tran-sit. I came away from the experiencewith a fire burning in my belly: Iwant to quit my job and go cruisingin a trawler.”— Tim Banse, Southern Boating

San Blas Islands

Ivery much want to make a stop at the San Blas Islands which I visited in 1971while cruising with my family aboard Malabar VII. I was 22 years old at the time

and was completely fascinated and intrigued by the primitive but gentle andbeautiful Kuna Indians who live among the archipelago of several hundredislands. At that time, the Kuna ladies dressed in their colorful molas and abun-dant silver swarmed our boat in their dugout canoes to conduct barter. The menfished and the happy, carefree children ran naked around the villages of grasshuts.

An idyllic vision of unspoiled culture has stayed in my mind since then and Ihave always dreamed of going back. Despite all of the boat deliveries and travelassociated with my job, I haven’t returned since. I told stories about San Blas tomy children as they were growing up, and several years ago my daughter Eringave me a book entitled A People Who Would Not Kneel, which is a history ofthe Kuna Indians. I haven’t read it yet, but plan to in the next few days. I amkeeping my fingers crossed that I will find a people still unspoiled. What if I finda McDonald’s, Internet cafes and satellite dishes? Say it ain’t so!

San Blas Islands redux

Ihad a vision and a hope for what I wanted and expected the San Blas Islands tobe. The reality far exceeded it. The islands were beautiful, exotic, and a small

slice of paradise on earth. They were actually better than I remembered. We left Nordhavn and took the dinghy to the island in our lagoon, finding a

little village on the other side. There were six or eight huts, about 10 naked chil-dren swimming in the water, about six women and the “chief.” The chief askedfor $5 as a landing fee, which we happily paid.

Then the mola trading began. The Kuna women are notorious for their fiercedealings. About 90 minutes and $200 later, we departed with many molas, butthe women were tough and never gave an inch. One young lady (about 25) whowas oblivious of her three-year-old trying to suck her flopping breast would ges-ticulate, sulk, pout and argue as I tried to negotiate her price. In the end, I paidfull price and the poor child was finally able to lock on for breakfast.

— Dan Streech

24, Nordhavn reached the busy portcity of Colon, entrance to the PanamaCanal. I immediately contacted ourfriend and agent Peter Stevens ofDelfino Maritime Agency to organizethe necessary arrangements for thecanal transit. Within a couple hoursthe measurer was aboard and Nord-havn was surveyed to calculate hercanal fee, and then Pete arranged forslip space at the Panama Yacht Clubto await transit. Friday and Saturdaywere spent provisioning and cleaning,and Sunday morning Nordhavn began


the market for some last-minute sup-plies while Mike and Kevin fueled andtidied up the engine room. I toldMike and Kevin to “pack” the boatand they managed to squeeze in 755gallons ($1 per gallon) as fuel oozedout of the vents. I intended to runnon-stop and hard to Acapulco, a dis-tance of about 1,500 miles, and arrivewith minimal fuel on board. Mikereferred to me as a “barn-souredhorse.” With Nordhavn now back inthe Pacific and pointed generallytowards home, one could not help it.

Pete Stevens came aboard and pre-sented his invoice, together with awell-organized three-ring binder con-taining all necessary paperwork andextra copies of crew lists, passportsand such. The Stevens invoice was ina format that was clear and under-standable. The bottom line was$1,172, which included the basic $500transit fee plus the Stevens agency fee,line rentals, taxes and various othersmall charges. I paid the two line-han-dlers separately. I highly recommendthe use of an agent when transiting

the canal and especially rec-ommend Pete Stevens. Hecan be reached at (507) 261-1931.

For the past four days,poor Nordhavn had been adormitory, cafeteria andpublic bathroom. Asplanned, Jeff and Kevin wereto overlap so both couldexperience the canal transit.The stay of guest journalist

Tim Banse was to have been a simpleovernight event but it stretched to twodays due to the transit delay. Add tothat the line-handlers, pilot, and vari-ous guests—“Do you mind if I use thehead?”—and things had started to feela bit crowded. The red light nevercame on indicating a full holdingtank, but it must have been close.

While we were sorry to see ourexcellent shipmate and good friendJeff Merrill and our new friend Timleave, it was a relief to hoist their lug-gage to the dock and reclaim our lit-tle ship. Dan, Mike and Jeff were nowthe past and Dan, Mike and KevinRyan were clearly the future. The newcrew was the one going to sea and wehad entered the zone of excitement,

E-MAILHeat and humidity

We are learning many thingsfrom the around-the-world

project and much more will comefrom reflection after the voyage isfinished. What I have learned is thatthe boat (assuming that it is a goodboat) is no longer the issue. Themodern boat far exceeds the physicaland mental strengths of those whooperate it.

The No. 1 issue for me is the heatand humidity. It is ever present, insidi-ous and debilitating. Except for timespent in the air-conditioned state-room, I have been hot since themoment I stepped off the plane inBarbados. My friend Marty Wilson,owner of N6216 Karma, scoffs at mycomplaints and says that in time, oneadapts. Fine, Marty, adapt away. Iwant air conditioning!

— Dan Streech

The sun sets as Nordhavn departs San Blas for Panamaand the finish of the Atlantic leg of the circumnavigation.An abandoned lighthouse and keeper’s quarters on thesouthern tip of Barbados. Yachts and homes are bigger inthe Port St. Charles area of Barbados.


PRIORIT IES

Some of you may ask what theheck I have been doing. Well, I

make sure the fridge is stocked dai-ly with new beer. This is a job thatDave Harlow taught me well andwarned that it was not to be takenlightly. The last thing you want todiscover, as the sun sets over theyard arm, is that you don’t have anycold beer!

— Jeff LeishmanPanama transit

Our transit of the Panama Canalwas for me the highlight of

the trip so far, as it was for theothers, I’m sure. The crowningmoment came when Nordhavnwas in the front position of theMiraflores lock chamber, and as Istood on the bow talking to mydaughter, Kerry, in Key Largo, Flori-da, with a cellphone in one handand waving my red bandana in theother, hearing her shout throughthe phone, “I see you, Daddy!” Idon’t know who was more excited.

— Mike Gregovich

Editor’s note: One of the won-ders of voyaging in the 21st centu-ry is that you can tell loved onesback home to watch you transitPanama on the live camera page atwww.pancanal.com.

responsibility, nervousness and dreadthat comes as you depart on a longpassage.

By about 8 p.m. Nordhavn was readyfor sea. Fuel was loaded, the engineroom was thoroughly checked, thefood was stowed, the boat was cleanedand the previous four days of slothful-ness had been erased. By this time,however, rain was falling, lightning wasflashing and an onshore wind of 20knots was fluttering the Nordhavnburgee. We were exhausted from anexciting day that began at 3:30 a.m.Should we leave? Yeah, let’s go!

We slowly motored through theanchorage as Mike and Kevin stowedlines and fenders and made Nordhavnready for sea. With building appre-hension, I could see the rain blowingsideways, illuminated by the fluores-cent lights on the breakwater. As wepassed the fancy sport fishermanwhich had been our lock partner, Icould see them through the big win-dows enjoying dinner and watchingTV. That boat had roared past us at 30knots after exiting the MirafloresLocks, but then had to slow downafter getting into the rough condi-tions around Flaminco Island. We had

almost caught up with them, but did-n’t and they went on to hog ourreserved spot at the fuel dock. I simul-taneously envied them and despised amulti-million-dollar boat that could-n’t, or wouldn’t, go to sea in thoseconditions. In a replay of the old tor-toise and hare story that we see sooften, I predicted that humble Nord-havn would beat that gorgeous 2,900-hp gold-plater to Acapulco.

As we rounded the breakwater, weentered a lumpy and confused seaand a radar screen completely full ofships, buoys and islands. We bumpedour way through an uncomfortablenight of trying to read the movementsof various ships while hanging on tobucking Nordhavn.

The weather settled down duringthe night and the dawn brought abeautiful sunrise, smoother seas andfewer ships. I was glad we had left theprevious night. We had already putabout 70 miles in the bank.

We were now northbound duringthe beginning of Mexico’s hurricaneseason. All around, huge bands ofthunderstorms were forming to createtorrential rain, erratic localized winds,and confused and uncomfortable seaconditions. In the intense heat andwith water temperatures in the 80s, itwasn’t long before numerous bandsjoined, organized and began to buildstrength.

On May 28, warnings were issuedfor tropical storm Alma, the first hur-ricane of the season.

Nordhavn was still well south ofAlma, but we kept a close eye on her,remembering well the week-long bat-tle with typhoon Faxai in the centralPacific last December when that stormturned in directions that had amazedthe forecasters. Fortunately, Almabehaved and moved northward wellahead of Nordhavn. Then, on June 1,another alarm. A tropical depressiondeveloped, but it failed to build tostorm status.

We arrived in Acapulco on June 4after a bumpy and wet, but generallyuneventful, voyage.

The task would now fall to PAE part-ner Joe Meglen, along with sales rep-resentatives Dennis Lawrence andGary Armellio, to make the final1,500-mile run to Dana Point.

At anchor in the SanBlas Islands: a smallslice of paradise onearth.

C


A fireboat and otherNordhavns greet thecircumnavigating 40

on its return to DanaPoint, California.

ACAPULCO to OCEANSIDE

Taking cover on the final leg

The Pacific wasn’t about to make it aneasy finish. First, we had to deal witha hurricane named BorisBy Joe Meglen

The weather was cloudy,steamy and decidedly unsettled as weleft Club de Yates de Acapulco. Turn-ing west through Boca Chica Strait, weslid past Punta Lorenz and then madeour right turn to begin the “uphill”slog. Our plan for this final leg was tohug the coast, picking up a countercurrent that would allow us to make aquick right turn to a port of refuge ifa tropical storm developed.

We were joined for the first part ofthis leg by guest journalist CourtneyFreeman who was doing an articleabout some of the destination resortsfrequented in Mexico by yachtsmen.This would give us the opportunity tostop in a few places that we mighthave otherwise bypassed. Weather per-mitting, we planned to stop in Man-zanillo (Las Hadas), Bahia Navidadand Puerto Vallarta where Courtney

would leave us. Given these stops andNordhavn's range, we planned to topour fuel tanks off in Puerto Vallartaand bypass Cabo San Lucas altogether.

All of this, of course, was subject tochange, recognizing the fact we werecruising in hurricane country during

the beginning of the season.Senor Marcas, the harbormas-ter in Acapulco, had cleared usout to Puerto Vallarta.

For the time being the weath-er was almost embarrassinglybenign, with calm and followingseas and just enough wind tocool things down, allowing theair conditioning to be shut off.

As we might have expected,the fine weather was short

lived. A new tropical depression wasdeveloping, and, unlike Alma, this onewas behind Nordhavn and headingstraight at us. On June 8 a warning wasissued and our forecaster, Walt Hack,confirmed the severity of the situation.

Jim Leishman urgently advised meto seek shelter at the closest port,Manzanillo. I took Nordhavn up about

LOGBOOKFrom: Acapulco, MexicoTo: Oceanside, CaliforniaDistance: 1,511 nmSpeed: 7.30 knotsFuel burn: 3.96 gphCaptain: Joe MeglenCrew: Dennis Lawrence, Gary

Armellio, Courtney Freeman(Acapulco to Puerto Vallarta)


Finally

The circumnavigating Nordhavn 40 was renamed Finally when it was purchasedby Greg and Deborah Luque, a Connecticut couple who keep the boat in

Newport, Rhode Island. They plan to gradually expand their cruising from NewEngland to Florida and the Caribbean.

E-MAILCircumnavigatorsrendezvous at sea

We had asurprise

visit by Spirit of Cardiff and her crew,Alan Priddy, Steve Lloyd and Clive Tul-ly. Our position was N25 50, W11320, off the coast of Baja California.Spirit of Cardiff is a 33-foot hard-bot-tom inflatable that is circumnavigat-ing, going the opposite direction asNordhavn. If ever we thought thecrew of Nordhavn was roughing it,those thoughts were quickly dispelledafter seeing the vessel that Alan, Steveand Clive are traveling in. Whenboarding Nordhavn, these adventurersthought they were boarding theQueen Mary with her spaciousness,engine room, air conditioning, heatingsystem, separate staterooms, wheel-house, freezer, etc., and we suddenlygained a much greater appreciationfor the civilized manner in whichwe’re traveling by comparison. Wetook Spirit of Cardiff in tow while hercrew joined us for a few pints and aquick dinner. We swapped a few sto-ries and a few toasts, and then theywere off as quickly as they appeared.We do not envy them the balance oftheir trip and the hardships they have,and will continue to endure.

— Joe Meglen

Footnote: Spirit of Cardiff reachedNewfoundland, but after 23,000miles at sea, the three Welshmen ranout of luck. Steve Lloyd suffered aheart attack. He survived, but whilehe was recuperating, the boat wasdamaged beyond what they couldafford to repair.

California peninsula.We took Spirit in tow and the crew

came aboard Nordhavn for a quickdinner. We swapped stories and a fewtoasts, and they were off as quickly asthey appeared.

As the crew of Spirit of Cardiff depart-ed, they presented us with a plaqueand coat of arms commemoratingtheir trip. We wished them well.

On June 18, we reached San Diego,and the following day Nordhavn was

moved 40 miles up the coast toOceanside Harbor, where she wouldremain until her official homecomingin Dana Point on June 30. During thetrip to Oceanside, Nordhavn wasturned westward and crossed 117.42West longitude, officially completingher circumnavigation on the 19th dayof June 2002.

three-day wait, Boris had degradedback into a tropical depression and weresumed our northward course, stop-ping at Puerto Vallarta the next daywhere Courtney disembarked.

From there, the plan was to runnonstop to San Diego. Weather wasrough out of Puerto Vallarta, butthere appeared no further threat oftropical storms. By the 14th the roughseas began to subside and Nordhavnwas making good speed up the Bajapeninsula.

During the past few months we hadbeen watching the progress of anothercircumnavigator, The Spirit of Cardiff.This vessel was also trying to set a cir-cumnavigation record, but that’s wherethe similarity ended. Spirit was a 33-footrigid-bottom inflatable which leftCardiff, Wales, at the end of March tak-ing an easterly route, hoping to set a

speed record in the under 50-foot class.Nordhavn and Spirit had passed eachother in April on the Mediterraneanwithout making contact, but now onthe Pacific we would try to rendezvous.Through numerous e-mails, Clive Tul-ly and Jim Leishman exchanged posi-tions, course and speeds and our twovessels met one evening off the Baja

All PAEpersonnelwho took the40 around theworld wereon board forthe final shorthop to DanaPoint fromOceanside.

20 miles north, to Bahia Navidad,deciding it offered better protectionfrom the season's second major storm,Hurricane Boris. By June 11, after a

C

QUOTE

“One person was on watch, andthe remaining three of us wereplaying guitar, reading a book, andsipping wine, in that order. In thefirst round of Hurricane Boris vsNordhavn, it was pretty clear whothe winner was.”— Courtney Freeman, Yachting


RETROSPECTIVE

Nordhavn is in an area (between Acapulco and Panama)that gave us great misery during our family cruise on

Malabar VII in 1971. I brought the logbook with me to readand have been reminiscing about that epic cruise.

While the basics of seamanship have remainedunchanged, so many other things are different that it is dif-ficult to remember how primitive it was three decades ago.Malabar was primitive partly because of our tiny budget,but mostly because the gear and equipment that we takefor granted today simply were not available for yachts.

In 1971, we departed Salina Cruz, Mexico, on a non-stoprun to Puntarenas, Costa Rica, a distance of 750 miles. Wehad spent the previous five days in Salina Cruz waiting for aTehaunapecker to blow itself out. Ten days later we finallydropped Malabar’s anchor at the island of Jesuscito acrossthe bay from Puntarenas.

Before departing Salina Cruz, we took on fresh water (ofcourse, no watermaker) which was a laborious process oflowering five-gallon glass bottles down into the dinghyfrom the commercial pier, rowing out to Malabar, hoistingthem onto the deck and pouring them through a funnelinto the tank. We loaded four bottles per trip and theprocess took several sweaty hours.

Nordhavn has a washing machine and dryer and a won-derful large stall shower. With the Spectra watermaker, wehave essentially unlimited amounts of fresh water. On Mal-abar, we constantly worried about fresh water. Dishes werewashed in salt water and rinsed in fresh. Clothing waswashed in a bucket on a washboard and hung out to dry(the loss rate from blowing away was about five percent).Showering was a bathing-suit shower, which took place onthe small area aft of the cockpit.

On Nordhavn (or any Nordhavn), one has complete con-fidence in the structural integrity of the boat. Not one sec-ond is spent worrying about the hull, the bulkheads, therudder, engine mounts or windows. On the 45-year-oldwooden Malabar, I had constant anxiety about the boatbreaking up and sinking from under us. The swollen andrusty steel chain plates, the mysterious leak in the garboardseam that got worse and worse, the hogging deck and thequestionable rudder. One never knew if the creak, groan orsnap that you heard would be the last.

If Malabar had broken up and sunk, we would have triedto get into the Avon dinghy, but probably we would havedrowned. I cringe when I think back to the danger and riskthat we subjected ourselves to on Malabar. Nordhavn, onthe other hand, is a tank which will almost certainly neversink due to simple structural failure. If she should sink dueto collision, fire or some unforeseen chain of events, wewould (if we had time) call Mayday on two kinds of radios(SSB and VHF), make telephone calls on two kinds ofphones (Iridium and Wavetalk) and then launch and enterour Switlik life raft bringing our abandon-ship bag, survivalsuits, EPIRB, the Iridium phone, handheld VHF, and the

handheld GPS. We would probably be rescued within a fewhours and then start thinking about the insurance settle-ment. Malabar had no insurance and represented the entirenet worth of my parents.

On Nordhavn, we always know precisely where we are,down to the nearest 15 feet. We have two GPS units andthree different navigation programs, which display on theRaymarine plotters or the computer monitor. We have tworadars which can overlay on the plotter to verify landmarks.On Malabar, we almost never knew where we were unlesswe were sitting in port. We navigated by dead reckoning,shore landmarks, light beacons and the occasional radiobeacon using our Bendix RDF. We had a sextant, sightreduction tables and an Accutron watch, but our skills atcelestial navigation were minimal, and anxiety about ourposition was constant.

On Nordhavn, we sit in a pleasant pilothouse protectedfrom the elements. Our screens, computers, radios, tele-phones, electrical panels and instruments are arranged inlogical order on the upper and lower consoles. One has asense of security and feels in command of the vessel. OnMalabar, we sat in an open cockpit and hand-steered theboat no matter what the circumstances. We had an awningfor protection from the sun, but in rain, or worse yet, saltspray from beating to weather, we had to wear the hatedfoul weather gear.

On Nordhavn, we are IN the boat, staying within the pro-tection of the Portuguese bridge. On Malabar, we were ONthe boat protected only by the lifelines. Trips to the buckingforedeck to change sails were always a time of high risk.

On Nordhavn, we are nearly always well rested and clean.On Malabar, we were nearly always tired and often timesdelirious with fatigue, and seldom as clean as we wanted tobe. One of the overlooked safety benefits of a cruisingpowerboat versus a sailboat is that on the powerboat youare going to be less fatigued and therefore have betterjudgment at those crucial times when you need it.

Back to Malabar’s passage from Salina Cruz to Puntare-nas. Nearly all of the deprivations described above occurredon that passage. We motored in blazing sun until our fuelwas nearly depleted. We got hit by a Papaguyo, which isthe evil twin of a Tehaunapecker. Our main, jib and genoawere all torn. We were lost for two days when PuntaGuiones did not appear as we expected. We nearly ran outof water and had to severely ration. And, we had to layahull for 12 hours in winds estimated to be over 50 knotswhile poor Malabar issued forth death groans and her leakincreased in volume.

As I read the logbook and diaries of that passage (andother passages just as horrendous), I marvel at the optimisticspirit and lack of complaining. Yes, some of the misery wasdue to our ineptness and poor planning, but most of it wasaccepted as the norm for that time—only 32 years ago.

— Dan Streech

Under sail then, under power now


Circumnavigation of the world by the Nordhavn 40 Nordhavn

Start and finish: Dana Point, CaliforniaTime under way: 151 days 3 hoursTime elapsed from November 3, 2001, to June 30, 2002: 238 days 21 hoursCircumnavigation: Outbound and homeward tracks crossed on June 19, after 228 days

FROM TO NAUTICAL HOURS SPEED GALLONS GALLONS MILES PERMILES RUN IN KOTS BURNED PER HOUR GALLON

Dana Point, California Honolulu, Hawaii 2,345 388 6.04 860 2.22 2.73

Honolulu, Hawaii Majuro, Marshall Islands 1,962 308 6.37 732 2.38 2.68Majuro, Marshall Islands Kosrae, Micronesia 502 87 5.80 218 2.52 2.30Kosrae, Micronesia Pohnpei, Micronesia 297 57 5.20 171 2.99 1.74Pohnpei, Micronesia Chuuk, Micronesia 379 47 8.00 141 2.98 2.69Chuuk, Micronesia Yap, Micronesia 847 120 7.05 358 2.98 2.37Yap, Micronesia Singapore, Singapore 2,235 316 7.07 800 2.53 2.79

Singapore, Singapore Phuket, Thailand 563 69 8.20 219 3.19 2.57Phuket, Thailand Male, Maldives 1,529 199 7.70 670 3.37 2.28Male, Maldives Salalah, Oman 1,344 204 6.60 604 2.97 2.23

Salalah, Oman Djibouti, Djibouti 733 100 7.30 380 3.78 1.93Djibouti, Djibouti Suez, Egypt 1,287 198 6.50 517 2.61 2.49Suez, Egypt Port Said, Egypt 86 11 7.90 54 4.96 1.59

Port Said, Egypt Glyphada, Greece 626 103 6.10 267 2.60 2.34

Glyphada, Greece Palma, Mallorca 1,009 151 6.70 590 3.92 1.71Palma, Mallorca Palmas, Canary Islands 1,085 178 6.10 542 3.05 2.00Palmas, Canary Islands Praia, Cape Verde Islands 1,034 140 7.40 412 2.95 2.51Praia, Cape Verde Islands Holetown, Barbados 2,125 354 6.00 743 2.10 2.86

Holetown, Barbados Cristobal, Panama 1,237 172 7.20 720 4.19 1.72Cristobal, Panama Balboa, Panama 34 11 3.00 15 1.32 2.27Balboa, Panama Acapulco, Mexico 1,418 206 6.88 761 3.69 1.86

Acapulco, Mexico Bahia Navidad, Mexico 320 43 7.50 162 3.80 1.98Bahia Navidad, Mexico Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 132 18 7.50 66 3.75 2.00Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Oceanside, California 1,059 146 7.25 592 4.05 1.79

Oceanside, California Dana Point, California 23 3 7.60 9 2.97 2.56

TOTAL 24,211 3,627 6.67 10,603 2.92* 2.28*

Note: The grouping of legs of the voyage as shown corresponds to the installments of the narrative in this magazine.

* Air conditioning on most of the time.

BY THE NUMBERS

For more information on voyaging around the world with Nordhavn, visit www.nordhavn.com.


Alcom Marine Electronics949.673.1727www.alcommarine.com

Bellingham Chart Printers800.643.3900www.tidesend.com

C-Map USA 508.477.8010www.c-map.com

Diamond/Sea-Glaze800.770.0455www.diamondseaglaze.com

Floscan206.524.6625www.floscan.com

Forespar Products949.858.8820www.forespar.com

IMTRA508.995.7000www.imtra.com

Martec562.435.4494www.martec-props.com

Maxwell Winches949.631.2634www.maxwellwinches.com

NAIAD Marine Systems800.760.6242www.naiad.com

Northern-Lights/Lugger 800.762.0165www.northern-lights.com

Outbound Yacht Services949.488.0652www.outboundyachtser-vices.com

Para-Tech Engineering800.594.0011www.seaanchor.com

Pacific Seacraft 714.879.1610www.pacificseacraft.com

Raymarine800.539.5539www.raymarine.com

Rixen Enterprises800.925.6260

Seaward562.699.7997www.seawardproducts.com

Shorepoint Insurance800.350.5647 ext.15www.shorepointinsurance.com

Spectra Watermakers 415.332.3780www.spectrawatermakers.com

Spurs Marine954.463.2707www.spursmarine.com

Steiner Binoculars800.257.7742www.steiner-binoculars.com

Switlik Parachute609.587.3300www.switlik.com

West Marine 800.BOATINGwww.westmarine.com

Wilmington Prop 310.518.1133www.wilmingtonpropeller.com

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A512


T he first-ever trans-Atlantic rallyfor ocean-going motorboats is ago for next summer.

The Nordhavn Atlantic Rally 2004is being organized by Pacific AsianEnterprises in hopes the event willtweak the spirit of adventure amongtrawler yacht owners and at the sametime showcase the technical advancesin nautical design that make such anevent possible.

Beginning in Newport, RhodeIsland, in late May, the 3,500-nautical-mile voyage will conclude at Gibraltarafter stops at Bermuda and theAzores. Staff from PAE will accompa-ny the convoy in two or more Nord-havns, and provision will be made forcoping with medical and mechanicalemergencies at sea.

Jim Leishman, vice-president of PAE,said sponsorship of the rally will setPAE further apart from its competitors.

“So many people today have somemoney and have some time, and theywant to do something meaningful.With the rally, we’ll be giving them afabulous adventure,” said Leishman.“People want to share adventures, sowe’ll give them a fleet of boats to trav-el with. Most people want a little bitof risk but, ultimately, they want to besafe. So, we’ll provide an escort andsupport.”

The rally will not be limited to theNordavn line of ocean-going power-boats; other qualified vessels can takepart. PAE will establish basic require-ments such as range of at least 2,500miles at 7 knots.

“Transoceanic passagemaking is aserious business and safety is para-

mount,” said Leishman. “While wewill do all that we can to ensure apleasant voyage, it is up to each cap-tain to be responsible for the safetyand conduct of his vessel and crew.”

Staff from PAE will also be at eachstopover to smooth the way by help-ing with government formalities, pro-visioning, fuel, and shore-side groupactivities.

Plans call for the rally to ren-

dezvous at PAE’s Portsmouth, RhodeIsland, office in May where each ves-sel will be inspected for conditionand equipment requirements. Weath-er permitting, the fleet—traveling intwo groups according to speed capa-bility and the owner’s desire—willleave about May 20 for the 600-milecrossing to Hamilton, Bermuda.

About June 1, they’ll set off forHorta, Azores, an 1,800-mile passagethat will take between eight and 11days. The final leg of 1,100 miles isscheduled to start about June 25 forGibraltar, gateway to the Mediter-

ranean. At the conclusion of the rally,there is a “playground waiting forthem in the Med and rest of Europe,”said Leishman.

In Europe, participants will havethe option of cruising in groups orsingly, making the return voyage, ortaking advantage of arrangementsmade by PAE to have their boatsshipped home at a discount rate.

While the rally will provide achance for cruisers to test the pas-sagemaking prowess of their vesselsin a fun but secure environment, itwill also demonstrate the long-rangecapabilities of even small, displace-ment powerboats.

“Advancements in naval architectureand boat-building technology have cre-ated a class of full displacement vesselswith remarkable sea-keeping abilitiesand incredible cruising ranges,” saidLeishman. “We build Nordhavns tomake adventure possible and thisevent will help introduce a whole newgroup of people to the thrills of

transoceanic passagemaking.”To capture some of those thrills,

Bruce Kessler, a circumnavigatingyachtsman and retired TV/film direc-tor, will accompany the rally to makea documentary film. With the popu-larity of reality TV and cable outletscatering to outdoor adventure,Kessler and TV producer Jo SwerlingJr. hope to generate network interestwith stories of the voyage and itsparticipants.

To learn more about the rally, callPAE at 949-496-4848, or visitwww.nordhavn.com.

A fleet of passagemakerswill convoy to the Med

Trawlertransat

C

Map

: Rob

erta

Coo

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ry

Cruise inComfort

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The Gold Standard


World Cruising Routesby Jimmy Cornell

Intended chiefly for sailing yachts but oftenused by passagemaking powerboats, this

book covers almost1,000 offshore routesand gives good, hard-won advice on whento make particularpassages, when toavoid making them,what routes to take,

where to make landfall, what charts andguides to use, and seasonal weather. Hard-bound, 5th edition, 2002. 640 pages. $49.95.

World Cruising Handbookby Jimmy Cornell

Not a cruising guide, but a detailedmariner’s introduction to 185 countriesbordering the world’s oceans, seas, andchannels. Covered for each country: clear-ance requirements and procedures, fees,visas and cruising permits, customs andimmigration, flag etiquette, language, med-ical facilities, yacht clubs, currency and cul-ture. Hardbound, 3rd edition, 2001. 566pages. $69.95.

American Practical Navigatorby Nathaniel Bowditch

First published in 1802, it has been thedefinitive book on navigation for generationsof seafarers, and still is carried on the bridgeof every ship in the U.S. Navy. Weighing inat almost six pounds, it deserves a place inthe library of every serious mariner. Paper-back, 2002. 878 pages. $65.

Advanced First Aid Afloatby Peter Eastman, MD, and John M.Levinson, MD

An enduring and easy-to-use onboardmedical reference. Almost every accident orailment that might occur on board is cov-ered using layman’s language. Easy step-by-step instructions allay panic and take thereader calmly from diagnosis, throughtreatment, to nursing and recovery. Paper-back, 5th edition, 2000. 218 pages. $16.95

Joy of Cookingby Irma S. Rombauer (et al)

If you can have onlyone cookbookonboard, forget thegalley guides andmake this the one.Offering easy-to-follow advice on foodpreparation for theexperienced chef andnovice alike, this four-pound book coverseverything from abalone to zucchini andhors d’oeuvres to dessert. Hardbound,1997. 1,136-pages. $35.

Boatowner’s Electrical andMechanical Manualby Nigel Calder

Generally accepted as the best book everpublished on fixing electrical and mechani-cal equipment on boats, this is what youneed when you’re hundreds of miles at seaand something vital breaks down. Detailedinstructions with lots of pictures and linedrawings. Hardbound, 2nd edition, 1996.592 pages. $49.95.

Chapman Piloting, Seamanshipand Small Boat Handlingby Elbert S. Maloney

The most comprehensive boating book inprint. Recommended by the U.S. CoastGuard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadron

and used by yachts-men worldwide formore than 75 years,it is the recognizedauthority on seaman-ship and the han-dling of boats. Hard-bound, 63rd edition,1999. 656 pages. $45.

BestBooks10 recommendationsfor voyaging aroundthe world

By Milt Baker

Seaworthiness, The ForgottenFactorby C.A. Marchaj

It may have a sailboaton the cover, butmake no mistake: thisis the technical bibleon seaworthiness, safety and comfort insmall offshore boats of all descriptions.What it says definitely applies to passage-making powerboats, and that’s one reasonNordhavn designer Jeff Leishman has awell-worn copy on his own bookshelf.Hardbound, 2nd edition, 1996. 372 pages.$39.95.

Voyaging Under Powerby Robert Beebe, revised by James F.Leishman

If you want to really appreciate what goesinto conceiving, designing and building agood offshore passagemaking powerboat,this is the book to read. Pacific Asian Enter-prises partner Jim Leishman has takenRobert Beebe’s original 1975 book, andupdated and revised it with all the under-pinnings for today’s power-driven passage-makers. The definitive practical and philo-sophical guide to offshore cruising underpower. Hardbound, 2nd edition, 1994. 272pages. $29.95.

Ocean Passages for the Worldby British Admiralty

For planning ocean-crossing passages underpower, this is the book of choice for someof the world’s most experienced passage-makers. Recommended routes across alloceans, seasonal weather considerations,currents, and more. A terrific addition toany serious offshore passagemaker’s library.Hardbound, 4th edition, 1987. 314 pages.$110.

Prices shown are list price in U.S. dollars.

Having trouble finding these books at your

nearest bookseller? Try Bluewater Books &

Charts, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

(1-800-942-2583, www.bluewaterweb.com),

Landfall Navigation, Greenwich, Connecticut

(1-800-941-2219, www.landfallnavigation.

com), or Captain’s Nautical Supply, Seattle,

Washington (1-800-448-2278, www.

captainsnautical.com).

Passagemaking 101Friday, Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m. to 12 noon

Passage Planning 202Friday 1 to 5 p.m.

Passagemaking for WomenSaturday 1 to 5 p.m.

Communications for PassagemakersSaturday 1 to 5 p.m.

•

For program information and to register call 1-866-865-2628 toll-free

or visit passagemakingunderpower.com

•

~~ ~~

PassagemakingUnder Power

S Y M P O S I U MIn conjunction with the 44th annual

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

Presented by Trawler World

Heidi and Wolfgang Hass, the latest couple to circumnavigate the world under power, will be among the expert presenters at the third annual symposium on long-range cruising in trawler yachts.

October 31-November 2, 2003Radisson Bahia Mar Beach Resort

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

For everyone planning to voyage under power to distantports and foreign lands, and for everyone dreaming aboutpassagemaking. Space is limited, so register today!

•

Experience the Power of Passagemaking


There are six different Nordhavns to chose from, in addition to the three new models previewed on Pages 6 to 26. By Jennifer McCauley Stern

NORDHAVN 50The Nordhavn 50 fuses a uniqueblend of seakeeping ability, perfor-mance and modern styling. A depar-ture from the saltier look of tradition-al trawlers, the 50 is the ultimate cruis-er for those looking for classic linesand Nordhavn dependability.

The 50-footer comes in a variety oflayouts, making it ideal for a couplewho want to handle the boat withouta captain but who may have frequentovernight guests or a family on boardwith them. The two- or three-state-room configuration is available inboth a standard and wide-body layout,

the latter offering more interior roomin the saloon.

At a cruising speed of 8 knots, the50 can go nearly 3,000 nm. And whentopping out at 10 knots, she can stilltravel over 1,000 nm.

Her fit and finish are second tonone and help make the Nordhavn 50one of the easiest sells on the resalemarket.

LOA ............................................... 50 ft 6 inLWL ............................................... 44 ft 2 inBeam ............................................. 15 ft 5 inDraft ..................................................... 16 ftDisplacement ................................ 75,000 lbD/L ........................................................... 290Cp ........................................................... 0.63A/B ratio ............................................... 2.1:1Engine .................................. Lugger L-108AHorsepower ...................................... 300 hpFuel ................................................ 1,320 galCruising speed (S/L 1.2) ................... 8 knotsRange at cruising speed ........ 2,800 nm estYear introduced ................................... 1996Number launched .................................... 23

NORDHAVN 62The Nordhavn 62 looks, feels and per-forms like a serious ship. Her seawor-thiness and luxurious accommoda-tions are ideal for anyone looking tocross oceans in comfort and style.Over 7,000 lb of ballast contribute toher stability, allowing her owners toenjoy a pleasant ride in even theroughest conditions.

Billed as the ultimate passagemaker,the 62 is capable of cruising non-stopin excess of 3,000 nm at 9 knots. Herbulbous bow reduces resistance andpitch motion, allowing much comfort,speed and range.

Meanwhile, the 62’s interior isunparalleled. A standard four-state-room, four-head layout can be semi-customed to the owner’s individualspecifications, perhaps providing forcrew quarters. However, since the 62 isinherently a self-sufficient yachtdesigned for short-handed voyaging,many owners run their own ship, leav-ing more room for family and guests.

LOA ............................................... 62 ft 6 inLWL ........................................................ 61ft Beam ......................................... 19 ft 4 in Draft ....................................................... 6 ftDisplacement .............................. 135,000 lbD/L ........................................................... 265Cp ............................................................. 0.6A/B ratio ............................................... 2.2:1Engine ................................ Lugger L-6125AHorsepower ...................................... 325 hpFuel ................................................ 2,450 galCruising speed (S/L 1.2) ................ 9.4 knotsRange at cruising speed ........ 2,800 nm estYear introduced ................................... 1992Number launched ................................... 24

NORDHAVN 57The sleek 57 has become Nordhavn’sanswer to those looking for a “fast”trawler. The waterline length—elon-gated by a parabolic shaped bulbousbow—gives the 57 its top speed of11.5 knots. But unlike its semi-dis-placement counterparts which com-promise efficiency for speed, theNordhavn 57 can offer a reasonablepace without the associated costs. Itsrefined hull form is most comfortablecruising at 9 to 10 knots with a rangeof up to 3,000 nautical miles.

PAE has raised the bar of luxury withthe 57’s interior. Its contemporary lookprovides spacious, luxurious accommo-dations in a number of different lay-outs. The design of the 57 makes it asemi-custom boat that appeals to eachowner’s distinct tastes and needs. The57’s visibility and maneuverability aresuch that a couple can comfortablyhandle her by themselves, yet she is soroomy a captain can be easily accom-modated if desired.

As with the rest of the Nordhavnline, the heavy-duty 57 is a stable andseaworthy yacht.

LOA ............................................... 57 ft 6 inLWL ............................................... 52 ft 8 inBeam ................................................... 16 ft Draft ................................................ 5 ft 9 inDisplacement ................................ 95,000 lbD/L ........................................................... 320Cp ........................................................... 0.65A/B ratio ............................................... 2.1:1Engine ................................ Lugger L-6125AHorsepower ...................................... 325 hpFuel ................................................ 2,000 galCruising speed (S/L 1.2) ................... 9 knotsRange at cruising speed ........ 3,000 nm estYear introduced ................................... 1996Number launched .................................... 29

NORDHAVN Showcase

Decisions, decisions


For additional information, visit www.nordhavn.com. Due to the semi-custom nature of its boats, Pacific Asian Enterprises prefers to discussoptions, equipment selection and pricing on a one-to-one basis after reviewing with you the many choices available. PAE is headquartered in DanaPoint, California, 949-496-4848, with sales offices in California, 949-496-4933, Rhode Island, 401-846-6490, and Florida, 772-223-6331.

NORDHAVN 40The smallest of Nordhavn’s blue waterfleet, the Nordhavn 40 proved to be acapable ocean-crosser in her ownright with the completion of theimpressive Around-The-World voyage.The no-nonsense production vesselpowered her way across 24,000 milesin just eight months without anymajor mechanical failures.

She is solid and seaworthy thanks tocommercial-grade windows and doors,and machinery that is rated for con-tinuous duty. At 7 knots, she’s got arange of almost 2,500 nautical miles.

While it’s obvious her seakeepingabilities can compete with biggerships, so does her interior room rivalthat of a much larger yacht. A gener-ous beam, relatively high profile andabundance of room below the water-line produce an interior volume simi-lar to that of many boats in the 45- to50-foot range.

Built at the Pacific Seacraft factoryin Southern California, this boatoffers luxury and offshore functionali-ty at an easily managed 40 feet.

LOA ............................................... 39 ft 9 inLWL ............................................... 35 ft 5 inBeam ............................................. 14 ft 6 inDraft ................................................ 4 ft 9 inDisplacement ................................ 50,000 lbD/L ........................................................... 380Cp ............................................................. 0.6A/B ratio ............................................... 2.3:1Engine .................................. Lugger L-688DHorsepower ...................................... 140 hpFuel ................................................... 920 galCruising speed (S/L 1.2) ................... 7 knotsRange at cruising speed......... 2,400 nm estYear introduced ................................... 1999Number launched .................................... 43

NORDHAVN 46The boat that began the ocean-crossingpowerboat boom 14 years ago, theNordhavn 46 is still going strong withover 80 hulls sold. And her recordspeaks for itself: no other productionboat has experienced as many success-ful circumnavigations or ocean cross-ings as the Nordhavn 46.

Her blueprint has launched count-less other ships, including the rest ofthe successful Nordhavn line of long-rangers. And while her specificationshave been refined to reflect currentresearch and technology upgrades,the theory behind her—that a soft-chined and ballasted full-displacementhull provides a stable and efficientboat capable of running in very roughseas in any direction—remains true.

Designed to be easily handled by acouple, with enough space to com-fortably suit two guests, the 46 wasdrawn with two interior configura-tions. The two-stateroom layoutincludes a master berth with en suitehead situated either amidships for themost comfortable ride, or forward formaximum ventilation.

The capable 46 is roomy and luxuri-ous enough to provide a family withall the comforts of home on longvoyages.

LOA ............................................... 45 ft 9 inLWL ............................................... 38 ft 4 inBeam ............................................. 15 ft 5 inDraft ....................................................... 5 ftDisplacement ................................ 60,000 lbD/L ........................................................... 383Cp ........................................................... 0.63A/B ratio ............................................... 2.3:1Engine .................................. Lugger L-688DHorsepower ..................................... 140 hpFuel ................................................ 1,000 galCruising speed (S/L 1.2) ................ 7.4 knotsRange at cruising speed ........ 2,800 nm estYear introduced ................................... 1989Number launched ................................... 78

NORDHAVN 35Drawing from the ocean-crossing her-itage of the long-range Nordhavns,the 35-foot Coastal Pilot is lighter andfaster, intended for shorter excursionsalong demanding local cruisinggrounds. Developed in 2000 as an all-weather coastal cruiser, the 35 is ideal-ly suited for an active couple seekingadventure.

She is handsomely equipped andthoughtfully laid out with little touch-es like Corian counter tops, a largequeen-sized berth and dual-personhelm bench that increase her comfortand desirability.

During testing by Power & Motor-yacht, the magazine concluded: topspeed of 15.6 knots with range of 430nautical miles; at 8.9 knots, range is1,693 nm; at 7.9 knots, 2,785 nm.

With an overall height from keel tocabin top of less than 13 feet 6 inches,she can be cost-effectively moved overland, so a summer’s cruise to GlacierBay, Alaska, can be followed by a win-ter spent exploring the Bahamas.

Her big boat features and capabili-ties make the Nordhavn 35 CoastalPilot an ideal and economical alterna-tive to the financial commitment ofmaintaining a larger vessel.

LOA .......................................... 33 ft 4.75 inLWL ............................................... 33 ft 4 inBeam ............................................. 13 ft 2 inDraft ................................................ 3 ft 8 inDisplacement ................................ 24,000 lbD/L ........................................................... 270Cp ........................................................... 0.64A/B ratio ............................................... 2.3:1Engine ............................. Yanmar 6LYA STEHorsepower ...................................... 370 hpFuel ................................................... 590 galCruising speed as tested by PMY ... 9 knotsRange at cruising speed .............. 1,600 nm Year introduced ................................... 2000Number launched .................................... 18


NORDHAVN People

Faces ofNordhavn

Dan StreechOwner/President

Ask Dan Streech about himself andthe conversation invariably turns tohis company, its history, its philoso-phy, its future. It quickly becomesclear the company is his life. A passionfor the sea instilled at a young age ledStreech to his dream of buildingworld-class, ocean-going vessels.

As founder and president of PacificAsian Enterprises, he turned thatdream into the thriving business heoversees today, but the course to itssuccess was anything but smooth sail-ing. Pitted against many a storm—spi-raling interest rates, luxury tax, weakdollar—that threatened to drown thefledgling boat brokerage he started 29years ago, Streech and his part-ners persevered through integrity,hard work and a never-say-die atti-tude. That ethic is evident todayalong the docks near the DanaPoint, California-based PAE officeand—more than any bottom linecould—gives Streech the mostpride, satisfaction and happiness.

During the first decade, hehelped develop the 11 modelsand variants of PAE’s now leg-endary Mason sailboat line, andthen collaborated with Jim andJeff Leishman on the design ofthe first Nordhavn 46. A 1970graduate of California Polytech-

Here are the fourdozen men andwomen of PacificAsian Enterprisesresponsible for thesuccess of Nordhavn.They are located atPAE headquarters inDana Point, California,unless otherwiseindicated

nic University, he possesses an engi-neering-minded penchant for systemssuch as fuel, water and hydraulicfound on all the boats. Streech alsofocuses on ensuring a smooth produc-tion process. The one-time Nordhavn62 project manager now supervisesthe entire project managementdepartment, which includes dailycommunication with the factories,compliance to American Boat andYacht Council regulations, and over-seeing warranty and commissioningmatters. On the non-technical side, heshares business management dutieswith partner Joe Meglen, involvingeverything from accounting to humanresources details.

“Being part of PAE has created awonderful lifestyle which is full ofsatisfaction, fun and adventure,” saysStreech, 54.

Jim LeishmanOwner/Vice-President

He’s been called the guru of cruis-ing under power, but it’s a title PAEvice-president Jim Leishman is reluc-tant to accept. He’d rather the spot-light stay focused on the product heand his company have been produc-ing for the last decade-and-a-half. Theconcept for the first Nordhavn wasinspired by the forward-thinking

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Leishman, and it virtually broughtabout a revolution in the boatingindustry.

Leishman, along with his twopartners and his naval architectbrother, has developed a deepunderstanding of the long-rangecruising market by constantlyresearching, experiencing, and try-ing to foresee the next big thing.

As Mason sailboat sales ebbed andflowed with the economy, Leishmansearched for something that wouldspark the company’s growth potential.Sensing a waning in the popularity ofsailing, he concentrated his efforts onlong-range cruising under power. Heassisted his brother Jeff in drawing thelines for his naval architecture seniorthesis, a 46-foot passagemaker, andthe first Nordhavn was born.

Since then, Leishman, 47, has spentcountless hours on board all six Nord-havns that PAE has produced, withmany ocean crossings, countless tripsup and down the West Coast of theUnited States, and a major portion ofthe around-the-world promotionalvoyage he conceived.

All this experience at sea, combinedwith the studies and the overall suc-cess of the Nordhavn line, have madeLeishman a popular speaker on theseminar circuit. He also was asked tore-edit and update the classic cruising“bible” Voyaging Under Power, writtenby Capt. Robert Beebe.

Joe MeglenOwner/Treasurer

As one of the three founding prin-cipals of PAE, Joe Meglen continuesto operate under the job umbrellathat he and his two partners took onwhen the company was established aquarter of a century ago. PAE hassince grown tenfold, but Meglenremains busy in many different areaswhile concentrating on handlingclient payments and the importationof the boats into the United States. As

well, he assists with management ofthe Nordhavn 57 project and overseesthe sales staff.

An astute sailor, Meglen contin-ues to be the company’s go-to guywhen questions on Mason sail-boats arise. But now that Nord-havns have taken the company—and the boating world—by storm,he has little time for sailing.

A business degree in interna-tional finance and marketingfrom California State University,Fullerton, provided him with thebackground for his financial-offi-cer status. But his schooling inboats and boatbuilding is theresult of personal study and hundredsof hours at sea.

Meglen, 53, sees a bright future forPAE, thanks in part to a superiorproduct and the superior teambehind the product. “We have man-aged to surround ourselves with inno-vative, self-motivating people whoshare the same enthusiasm for build-ing some of the world’s greatestyachts,” he says. “We have a collegialatmosphere at PAE which has provento cultivate self-reliance, creativity,growth and confidence.”

Jeff LeishmanOwner/Chief Designer

It began modestly enough 14 yearsago as the final project for Jeff Leish-man’s senior naval architecture class.The lines he drew of a 46-foot ocean-going boat would become the Nord-havn 46 and eventually launch amarine industry phenomenon. That

legendary drawing also earned Leish-man a degree from the Yacht DesignInstitute (YDI) and helped himbecome one of the most respectedyacht designers today, known for hiswork penning each of PAE’s eight pas-sagemakers and the Nordhavn 35Coastal Pilot.

Leishman’s roots in PAE beganwhen he was just 15, commissioningboats. After high school, he received adegree in engineering and design atSaddleback College, and joined PAE

to work on Mason sailboat designs.In recognition of his role in the

growth of PAE, Leishman, 42, wasmade partner in 2000.

Pete EunsonProject Manager N40 & N43

A grifted craftsman, Pete Eunsongrew up with boats in Southern Cali-fornia and went to work at Ta Shing—the Taiwanese factory which buildsthe Nordhavn 35, 57 and 62—build-

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ing Transpacs and Norsemens. Hespent nearly 10 years at Ta Shing andthere befriended the three owners ofPAE, then dealers of Transpac yachts,returning stateside to join the compa-ny in 1982.

Dave HarlowProject Manager N46, N47 & N50

A childhood friend of the Leishmanbrothers, Dave Harlow has an exten-sive sailing background and mechani-cal know-how. He was a delivery cap-tain of offshore sailboats for the bro-kerage affiliate of PAE before shiftingto sales. He was appointed projectmanager, first of the Mason 44, thenof the Nordhavn 46 and 50. Last year,he added the new Nordhavn 47 to histo-do list.

Philippa MorrowProject Manager N35

Philippa Morrow joined the PAEfamily in 1998 as manager of Nord-havn’s affiliate sales office in DanaPoint, and a year later became project

manager assistant for the Nordhavn35 and 40. She was named the 35 pro-ject manager in January 2003.

Trever SmithProject Manager N62 & N72

Trever Smith has been with PAEnearly six years. Like much of thestaff, he started on the docks as amember of the commissioning crew,learning the inner workings of thecomplex vessels. His demonstratedknowledge of Nordhavns earned himthe job of N62 project manager in2001. A year later, he also took on thenew N72.

Justin ZumwaltProject Manager N57

Seven years ago, this great-nephewof renowned U.S. Navy Admiral “Bud”Zumwalt started at PAE, doing oddjobs and washing new boats. Helearned the complex systems of theNordhavn and began traveling withnew owners on maiden voyages tofamiliarize them with their new boats.In 2000 he became PAE’s commission-ing manager, and in 2001 he was madeproject manager of the Nordhavn 57.

Adam CultraroSales Representative

After joining in 1998 as a computerspecialist, Cultraro garnered a covetedspot on the team at Lemest YachtSales. His background in electronicsengineering enables him to speak tohis clients at a technical level that’snot usually intimately understood bysalesmen. He owns a 50-year-old clas-sic sailboat that he’s restoring himself.

Larry GieselmanSales Representative

The first official salesman,Larry Gieselman joined PAEnearly two decades ago, bringingan extensive background in sail-ing and marine hardware sales.Hired initially to manage thecommissioning department andhead up the marine equipmentdivision of the purchasingdepartment, he shifted to sales.Since then, he has sold more pre-owned Masons and Nordhavnsthan anyone in the world.

Jeff MerrillSales Representative

Jeff Merrill was recruited byPAE in 1999 to head the Nord-havn 35 Coastal Pilot project.Three years later, he moved tosales of the entire Nordhavnproduct line. A former vice-presi-

dent of sales and marketing for PacificSeacraft, builders of the Nordhavn 40,Merrill has an extensive sailing back-ground that translates well to Nord-havn’s large ex-sailor market.

Steve MillerSales Representative

A retired community collegeadministrator, Steve Miller became ayacht broker, joining the staff ofLemest Yacht Sales four years ago. Anavid sailor and owner of a 33-foot

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Endeavor sloop, Miller’s trips of latehave been on his customers’ Nord-havns as he helps familiarize themwith their new boats.

Brian SaundersSales Representative

Brian Saunders came to PAE in1999 with an extensive background inthe yachting industry. After graduat-ing from university, Saunders—already a seasoned mariner—boughthis own boat business where he soldFrers and Sparkman & Stephens-designed powerboats and sailboats.After 10 years, he sold the businessand cruised the world.

Brad SmithSales Representative

A key member of PAE’s commis-sioning team for three years, BradSmith’s knowledge of Nordhavnsrecently landed him a spot on thesales force. An ABYC certified electri-cian, Smith has flown all over thecountry to service Nordhavns. Smithlives on a 38-ft sailboat, and was a pro-fessional captain on both coasts.

Jennifer McCauley SternMarketing ManagerNortheast Sales ManagerNewport, Rhode Island

Jennifer McCauley Stern came toPAE six years ago to handle marketingduties. With PAE’s growth, public rela-

tions functions were turned over to amarine-specialist ad agency, allowingher to focus on in-house publicity, fea-ture-story writing and Web site duties.A Salve Regina University graduate,Stern returned to her East Coast rootsin 2001 to head up the Northeastoffice. She’s helping to organize theNordhavn Atlantic Rally for 2004.

Gary ArmellinoSales RepresentativeNewport, Rhode Island

Gary Armellino helped launchPAE’s Northeast office, allowing folkson the “right coast” to view Nordhavnscloser to home. A Nordhavn enthusiasthimself, Armellino has an extensivemarine background including owner-ship of a boat-tow service, designer ofboat parts, and delivery captain.

Dave BalfourSales RepresentativeNewport, Rhode Island

PAE’s newest employee, Dave Bal-four, joins the Northeast office withnearly 20 years’ experience in themarine industry. Balfour worked 10

years at Freedom/Legacy Yachts, firstas a customer service manager andthen as a broker, and as a service tech-nician and manufacturing engineerfor Boston Whaler.

Ray DanétSoutheast Sales ManagerStuart, Florida

Ray Danét owned his own broker-age firm for nine years before joiningPAE’s affiliate Lemest Yacht Sales in2000. Before that he was a sales repfor Shock Boats and Forespar and alsoowned and/or operated three marinehardware stores. Danét has built a cus-

tom 34-foot sailboat and sailed itaround the South Pacific. In 2003,Danét set up PAE’s southeast office inStuart, Florida.

Dennis LawrenceSales RepresentativeStuart, Florida

Signing on with PAE in 1988, DennisLawrence was the second salesman tojoin Lemest Yacht Sales and wasaboard from the inception of theNordhavn project. With his marine

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technology expertise and thousands ofmiles aboard Nordhavns, he has con-tributed to design modifications result-ing in improvements to PAE yachts.

Kirk WhiteCommissioning Manager

Kirk White launched his career as ayacht technician specializing in dieselengine repair, but has extensive expe-rience both as a captain and as a mas-ter of all mechanical and electricalinner workings of boats. In 2000, after11 years of operating his own busi-ness, he became PAE’s commissioningchief. He manages a crew of 16 whocan service up to eight Nordhavns atthe same time.

Commissioning Team

Russell Barber, Nick Beye, SarahCopper, Mark Craven, Paul Groover,Doug Harris, Justin Jensen, MikeJensen, Eric Leishman, Troy Posner,Andrew Ridderhoff, Mike Roberts,and Garrett Severen.

Head Office Staff

Cindy Barnes, Accounting Manager;Jean Badraun, Office Manager; TimCruz, AutoCad Specialist; Mike Gre-govich, Technical Manual Writer;Mary Harrison, Weekend sales secre-tary; Michelle LeRoy, Project Manag-

er Assistant; Leah McGettigan, SalesOffice Manager; Dorothy Mobley,Accounting Assistant; Sherman Salo-nen, Shipping and Receiving Assis-tant; Sky Scott, Purchasing/MaterialsHandling Manager; Patty White, Com-missioning Administrator; Amy Zahra,Marketing Assistant.

Offices

Pacific Asian Enterprises, Inc.P.O. Box 87434179 Golden Lantern, Suite 101Dana Point, California 92629Telephone: 949-496-4848Fax: 949-240-2398

E-mail: [email protected]: www.nordhavn.com

Nordhavn yachts and brokerage,Lemest Yacht Sales24703 Dana DriveDana Point, California 92629Telephone: 949-496-4933Fax: 949-496-1905E-mail: [email protected]

Nordhavn yachts and brokerage,Northeast Sales Office:11 Memorial BoulevardNewport, Rhode Island 02840Telephone: 401-846-6490E-mail: [email protected]

Nordhavn yachts and brokerage,Northeast Commissioning Office:222 Narragansett BoulevardPortsmouth, Rhode Island 02871Telephone: 401-682-2902Fax: 401-682-2901E-mail: [email protected]

Nordhavn yachts and brokerage,Southeast Sales & CommissioningOffice:450 SW Salerno RoadStuart, Florida 34997Telephone: 772-223-6331Fax: 772-223-3631E-mail: [email protected]

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T he popularity of offshoretrawler yachts has fueled con-struction of two new factories to

build more Nordhavns. At the founda-tion of the expansion is the rock-solidrelationship of Pacific Asian Enterpris-es with two Taiwanese boat builders,Ta Shing Yacht Building Company inTainan, and South Coast Marine inTanshui.

PAE began working with Ta Shingin 1978 to build its now legendaryMason line of sailing yachts. WhenPAE decided to add power passage-makers to its line some years later, TaShing’s managers stuck to their visionof the company as a singular builderof high-quality sailboats.

Subsequently, a trusted friend intro-duced PAE’s principals to the ownerof South Coast Marine, an associationthat led to the birth of the Nordhavn46 in northern Taiwan.

As sales of the N46 burgeonedalong with a general strengthening ofdemand for powerboats, Ta Shing’sfactory found itself in need of morework in a waning sailboat market.Coincidentally, PAE had decided toexpand the Nordhavn line with a 62-footer, and South Coast’s location

wouldn’t work for the 62. However,the boat would fit into Ta Shing’splant with exactly one-half inch ofclearance under the highest crane.Tight but doable.

Growth of the Nordhavn line con-tinued apace with the addition of theN57 and N50 models, both built byPAE’s Taiwan partners. The N40 wasthen designed to be made-in-the-U.S.A. and is produced in SouthernCalifornia. However, when the N35was introduced, PAE went back to Tai-wan where the cost-quality equationwas more favorable.

As production orders increased andboth builders pushed their facilities tocapacity, PAE decided to introducethe N47 in 2002. As well, a much larg-er vessel would have to be built in thenear future to serve the next segmentof their growing market. Clearly,something dramatic had to be done.

After more than two decades of suc-cessful collaboration, it was no sur-prise to PAE that when South Coastand Ta Shing learned of plans for thenew boats, both agreed to invest innew multi-million-dollar productionfacilities.

South Coast had long wanted toexpand into mainland China, and sothe decision was made to move pro-duction of the N47, starting with hull#6, to the company’s new plant on the

sea in Xiamen, just across the TaiwanStrait.

South Coast moved key managersand foremen to Xiamen to train andsupervise local craftsmen in the tech-niques required to produce Nordhavnlevels of fit and finish. Employees havethe added incentive of owning sharesin this new venture. PAE personnelare on site routinely to back them up.Given the Xiamen factory’s efficien-cies, and the fact strong orders enablethe boat to be built on a productionbasis, the target time from start of anN47 to completion is four to fivemonths, with two boats beinglaunched each month.

Less than 50 miles away, but on theTaiwanese side of the Taiwan Strait, TaShing’s technicians are equally hard atwork in their new factory in Tainan.They recently completed the dozensof molds required to build the N72,and are now putting them to usebuilding the new flagship of theNordhavn fleet, a process that takesabout 10 months.

With both new plants so big theyresemble blimp hangers, height andspace are unlikely to hinder construc-tion of even more and bigger boatsfor many years. That’s a good thing,because PAE’s management has chal-lenged itself to double its total annualsales volume.

NORDHAVN Abuilding

An enduring associationwith PAE’s Taiwaneseboat makers underpinstwo new plants buildingNordhavns

By Garrett Lambert

Built ona firmfoundation

Two new factories in Taiwan and China —and three new models in the Nordhavn line— will make it possible for PAE to doubleits annual sales volume.

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T he trademark may be Nordhavnbut the hallmark at PacificAsian Enterprises is passion,

pure and simple. It’s a never-endingenthusiasm for passagemaking thatpropels PAE in all its endeavors. Thethree founders of the company would-n’t have it any other way. Indeed, theydo not know of any other way to runthe company.

They each caught the boating bugat an early age in their native South-ern California.

Joe Meglen, when he was 15, want-ed to sail and he wanted his own boat.No problem. The teen built himself aSabot-like pram in the garage and, lit-erally, with a sailing manual in hand,taught himself to sail in NewportHarbor.

When Dan Streech was 10, hisfather, an inveterate tinkerer, builthim a small outboard-powered boat.As a teen, he had powerboats of hisown, but when he read Eric Hiscock’sVoyaging Under Sail while in college,sailing took over his life. Dan con-vinced his parents to quit their jobs,sell their home and buy an old yawlwhich the parents, two sisters and hecruised from California to theCaribbean.

During his high school years, Jim

Leishman would have spentfar more time at the marinathan in class were it not forparental control. He tookany job he could find downon the docks in Dana Point,and jumped at every opportunity togo sailing. Before he graduated, Jimhad already crewed to Hawaii in aTransPac race.

It was in 1973, while working afterschool at Kettenberg Marine in DanaPoint, that Jim met Dan when the lat-ter joined Kettenberg as a yacht bro-ker. Dan had met Joe one year earlierwhen he sold a Newporter 40 ketch toJoe’s parents. In 1974, Dan openedDan Streech Yacht Sales and withinmonths, Jim, and then, Joe, joinedhim as yacht brokers. The die was cast.

In 1975, Dan Streech Yacht Salesbecame the U.S. representative foryachts built by two Taiwan builders,and, over the next five years, the triowould import and deliver more than50 cruising sailboats, mainly CTs andTranspac 49s. In 1977, Dan, Jim andJoe formed a partnership to designand build their own line of cruisingsailboats, with the first modeldesigned by legendary Al Mason.Pacific Asian Enterprises was incorpo-rated a year later, followed by Lemest

Yacht Sales, a brokerage, the followingyear. The name Lemest is derivedfrom the first two letters of the sur-names of the founding partners.

The first Mason 43 was launched inJune, 1979. Six years later, Chablis,Hull #2 of the 53-foot model, becamethe first Mason to circumnavigate theworld. More than 300 Masons werebuilt by PAE, with many completingambitious ocean voyages and circum-navigations.

During the growth and success ofPAE during the Mason years, thethree partners kept their focus ondevelopment and design of ocean-going yachts, leaving the companyfree to choose and supervise the best

NORDHAVN Quality

A passion for passagemaking and pride in product driveeveryone and everythingat PAE

Passionand pride

Three decades ago, the faces look youngerand the hair longer: Jim Leishman preparesto varnish a wheel for a customer (upperleft), Joe Meglen inspects a boat with thebuilder in Taiwan, and Dan Streech, a fewyears before the three met, prepares tocruise to the Caribbean aboard the yawlMalabar IV with his parents and sisters.


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builders for each of its new projects.PAE owns its designs and molds, effec-tively creating a partnership with thefactories without having ownership inthem. Thus, Dan, Joe and Jim havenever been bogged down by the bur-dens and inertia of industrial manage-ment, and capital has been availablefor refining current models and devel-oping future ones. As a result of thisfocus, PAE was the first to recognizethe potential for a new breed of pas-sagemaker, and the Nordhavn line wasborn.

Inspired by all-weather North-Seafishing trawlers, Robert Beebe’s time-less book, Voyaging Under Power, andthe designs of Charles Neville,Stephen Seaton and others, PAE setout to create a modern passagemakercapable of going anywhere, yet easilymanaged by a shorthanded crew. Itwas designed by Jeff Leishman,younger brother of Jim and now alsoa partner in PAE. Nordhavn was creat-ed to fill the needs of people whowanted to live their dreams of makingoffshore passages without the discom-fort and hardship usually associatedwith long-range cruising under sail.

The first Nordhavn 46 was launchedin January 1989. Six years later, Salva-tion II, Hull #10, became the firstNordhavn and the first productionpowerboat to circumnavigate theworld. A new era in boating hadbegun, with PAE at the forefront.Indeed, PAE had introduced a newconcept to a segment of the boatingmarket that didn’t even exist in 1989,arguably one it made possible andcreated.

Most gratifying to Dan, Jim and Joe,is the fact that ocean passages now arebeing made by everyday people ofaverage athletic ability and physicalstrength. These are people, many ofthem couples, who simply love cruis-ing and who have discovered the com-fortable and safe world of power pas-sagemaking.

Advertising man Ron Geisman was

asked to develop the introductory

advertising for PAE’s power passage-

maker. He drew up a long list of

Scottish and Scandinavian names,

some real, others fictitious.

Nordhavn, one of the made-up

names, was selected because it was

unique, rang of refuge and safety,

and reflected the North Sea heritage

and styling of the 46.

Geisman’s first ad featured the

vessel's principal dimensions and a

short narrative of the capabilities of

the unique yacht, with the headline

reading, “This lady is oceans apart.”

The headline captured the essence

of PAE’s concept and the position of

the Nordhavn 46 in the cruising mar-

ketplace. Moreover, it distanced

Nordhavn from all other powerboats

and immediately led to the company

slogan: Power that is oceans apart.

Whereas the Mason line, with ele-gantly built and outfitted boats, raisedthe bar in the sailboat industry, theNordhavn line has established a goldstandard for quality under power.

Nordhavn quality stems from apride in product that has driven PAE’sfounders since the very beginning. It’sa pride in product now shared bymore than four dozen employees—and the 200-plus owners of Nordhavnyachts. PAE has experienced littleturnover in personnel, and Nordhavnowners find themselves dealing withfamiliar faces during their relation-ship with the company.

A true offshore passagemaker canmake coastal cruising more comfort-able and enjoyable, but a boatdesigned only for coastal cruising isinadequate for long-distance voyag-ing. Thus, only the best methods,components and systems are used,and everything is built to go to sea.Nordhavn quality means never havingto worry about the integrity of the ves-sel—or its resale value. But, yes, theboats are not inexpensive.

With the advent of the new millen-nium, PAE has truly blossomed. It hasattained that sweet spot in a compa-ny’s history when all improvementseems geometric, when everything ispossible—including the doubling ofsales to $50 million annually.

The past and future success of PAEgoes back to the love for boats andthe devotion to long-range cruisingthat are shared by Dan, Jim and Joe.Nothing demonstrates their passionmore than the decision to send aNordhavn 40 around the world—andthen to captain it themselves for halfof the circumnavigation!

For the founders of PAE, lookingafter business takes place as much onthe oceans of the world as in theoffice in Dana Point. It’s one morecharacteristic setting the companythat builds Nordhavn apart and,arguably, ahead of the rest.

How the namecame to be


T he tide has turned decisively infavor of using fiberglass insteadof steel to construct power voy-

agers, but that hasn’t stopped thedebate. While fiberglass has strength,resilience, design versatility, low mainte-nance, durability and high standard offinish, the argument always comes downto one word: safety.

It is the principal reason for choosinga steel boat. Steel trawler builders con-tend their boats offer the safety advan-tages of superior strength, fire resistanceand imperviousness to water absorption.However, a properly designed and con-structed fiberglass vessel can have thesesame advantages. Take strength, forexample.

As structural materials go, steel andfiberglass have three characteristics thatnaval architects find important in ves-sels: strength—meaning tensilestrength, or the ability to resist shearing;stiffness—the material’s resistance tobending; and hardness. In terms of ten-sile strength, individual e-glass fibers

(the kind used in fiberglass roving andmat) have an ultimate tensile strengthof around 300,000 to 400,000 poundsper square inch—equal to that of high-tensile steel wire of the same diameter(0.00020/0.00100 inches). However,when you compare steel and built-upfiberglass laminate on a strength-to-weight basis, fiberglass is around 800percent stiffer than the mild steel usedin boat hulls and decks.

“If the layups are of equal weight,pound-for-pound fiberglass is about1,000 times stronger than steel,” saysStuart Archer, naval architect for North-ern Marine, builder of Spirit of Zopiloteand other large trawler yachts. “But thatwould give you a fairly thick laminate.When you compare three-eighths inch

steel, which is typically the plating thick-ness of vessels such as ferries—similar insize to trawler yachts—a fiberglass hullof equal strength would be around oneand a half inches thick.” Hull thicknessin steel trawler yachts under about 50feet typically averages around one quar-ter inch. That thickness of steel is com-parable in strength to the one-inchlayup in fiberglass-trawler hulls, so inreal-world applications, strength is com-parable for the two materials.

T R A W L E R T O U G H

Steel is considered the stronger materialfor boat construction; however, fiberglasshas proven more than tough enough and even superior in many applications

By Jim Kirby

RULESFiberglass

You can't get much more hard agroundthan Joint Decision, a 57-foot Nordhavnthat was left high and dry on hard rock inBritish Columbia waters. Damage to herfiberglass keel and hull was limited to afew gouges.


What about impact survivability? Forexample, in a collision with a sub-merged shipping container, a log, oreven in a grounding. In these situations,steel boat builders point with pride tothat material’s inherent toughness andresilience. However, here again, fiber-glass construction has proven it is morethan up to the task. In addition to itsgreat tensile strength, fiberglass is alsohighly resilient—able to elasticallybounce back into shape after beingdeformed by an impact. This helps itabsorb impact energy by spreading itthrough the structure rather than local-izing it, as is the case with steel.

Steel is indeed harder than fiberglassand more resistant to abrasion, yet fiber-glass vessels show remarkably little abra-sive damage in impacts and groundings.Take the case of Joint Decision, a 57-footNordhavn trawler. While cruising at anestimated 8 knots, she ran aground onhard rock in British Columbia coastalwaters, and was left high and dry by anoutgoing tide. When she eventuallyfloated free, there was no evidence ofany operational damage to the hull.Closer inspection revealed only superfi-cial gouging on the bottom of the keeland a crack on the port side stabilizerfin’s winglet. When she was finallyhauled, repairs were minor. The five-inch-thick single-series laminates alongthe 57’s keel and her one-inch-plus hullthickness proved more than adequate.

Statistics show that impacts and colli-sions are the least likely causes of hulllosses. The true culprits are poor designand engineering. “If you look at what

causes major problems for people onboats, it’s not hitting containers, or hit-ting rocks, or breaching the hull; it’sfailure of systems—wiring problems andthings breaking, such as rudders andsteering gear,” says Jim Leishman ofPacific Asian Enterprises, builders of theNordhavn line of trawlers yachts. “Themost important attribute of any long-range cruising boat really has to do withthe construction and engineering of theboat rather than the actual materialfrom which it’s made.”

This attitude has been adopted bymuch of the marine industry, whereconfidence in fiberglass constructionhas led to the design and constructionof increasingly larger vessels. Vessels thatin the past, would have been construct-ed of steel, such as a 200-foot high-speed ferry in Alaska and the U.S.Navy’s 188-foot Osprey class minehunters, are now made of fiberglass. Inthe Osprey’s case, its three-inch-thick,single-skin laminate hull and eight-inch-thick keel must withstand the forces ofan ocean-going warship and also survivesevere underwater blasts from mines.

Steel’s virtual incombustability is also

seen as an advantage over fiberglass.Granted, fiberglass laminates will burn ifa fire gets hot enough to ignite them;however, a fire of this magnitude andintensity will usually burn everything inand on a steel boat as well. In either casethe result will be what insurers catego-rize as a dead loss.

“To minimize the fire risk on a steelboat, and suggest that the fiberglassboat is going to burn out from underyou is completely absurd,” says Leish-man. “I think if you’re going to have afire on the boat, probably you havemore time on the steel boat, but you’restill going to end up probably having toabandon ship if you can’t combat thefire. I’d rather be on a boat that’s reallywell engineered and has good fire sup-pression systems. That’s what is going tosave your boat, not whether it’s built outof steel or fiberglass.”

Another attribute of steel is its imper-meabity to water, while osmosis—theabsorption of water into the laminate—has always been a problem for fiberglassboats made with polyester-resin. Howev-er, manufacturers of modern fiberglassyachts have eliminated this problem byusing vinyl ester resins in their lami-nates. Vinyl ester is virtually imperme-able to water

Corrosion resistance and low mainte-nance are also significant advantages offiberglass. “Most of our boats are boughtby owner operators—usually coupleswho run the boat themselves,” says BudLeMieux, vice-president of NorthernMarine. “A fiberglass boat is essentially awash-and-wear product, requiring less

The cored fiberglass deck (left) is as stiff asa steel deck, yet its lower mass helpsreduce topside weight, thereby loweringthe vessel's center of gravity and improv-ing stability when in light ballast. At morethan 1 3/4-inches thick, the single-seriesfiberglass laminate (right) from a Nordhavn57 has more strength than the 3/8-inchmild-steel plating used on commercialvessels in the 100- to 200-foot range.


maintenance and normally low-er costs when it’s time for ahaul-out.”

Steel boats on the otherhand, have higher maintenancerequirements, with significantannual expense to maintain ayacht finish free of spot corro-sion and rust. Each third orfourth year, a steel yacht willlikely need to be hauled, sand-blasted and repainted. In hisbook, Elements of BoatStrength, Dave Gerr, who hasdesigned and built boats infiberglass, aluminum, wood andsteel says this about steel boatsand corrosion, “…rust is thecause of more maintenancethroughout the life of the vesselthan any other consideration in steelhulls.” He goes on to state that a generalrule-of-thumb is that a steel boat willlose about (0.004 inches per year),which means that in 25 years, 3/16 or0.1875-inch hull plating will be reducedto 0.09 inches. Maintenance can helpprolong the life of a steel boat, butthere still are areas, such as bilges,around tanks and at the base of bulk-heads where condensation collects, thatwill always remain inaccessible. It hasoften been stated that, “ A steel boatrusts from the inside out.” To compen-sate for this “wastage”, designers specifylarger dimension, or scantlings, for steelboats than those required for purelystructural reasons. For example, for ves-sels under 100 feet, that should onlyrequire 1/4-inch steel plating, 3/16-inch plating is used. And where 3/16-inch plating is required they specify5/16-inch steel. As a result of wastage,a vessel’s value depreciates rapidly overthe course of its life.

Jim Leishman concurs. “When peoplemake a decision to buy steel over fiber-glass, if they look actuarially at thesethings, they’re going to find that thesteel boat offers them no significantadvantage in terms of safety or provenstrength. At the same time, they have tolook at the proven disadvantages ofsteel, such as increased maintenance

designs of metal boats. And theseare only realistically possible withfiberglass.”

Compared to their steelcousins, fiberglass yachts, pro-duced from polished femalemolds, also tend to be moreesthetically pleasing in line andshape, and also exhibit a higheroverall finish quality. Achievingthe same level of finish in a steelboat is usually prohibitivelyexpensive. This is another reasonwhy fiberglass boats traditionallyretain a higher long-term value.

Fiberglass boats have two otheradvantages over steel boats thatmake them attractive to own andlive on—lower thermal conduc-tivity and less noise. Thermal

conductivity can easily become an issuein hot and cold climates. Steel is a terrif-ic conductor of heat—the minute thesun hits the deck of a steel boat it’sgoing to transfer that heat to the interi-or. Cold water also draws heat out ofsteel. To counter this, steel boats requireextensive insulation. On the other handthe resin laminates, and cored decksand hulls of fiberglass boats, work likean ice chest, providing an excellentthermal barrier between the interiorand the outside environment.

Steel is also naturally resonant, mak-ing it an excellent transmitter of noiseand vibration, while fiberglass acts asnatural attenuator of sound and vibra-tion. The result is a quieter, more com-fortable boat—something to take intoconsideration when living on a vesselday in and day out.

So, should you choose steel or fiber-glass when buying a long-range powervoyager? While the debate is unlikely todisappear any time soon, the fact eachmaterial has been shown to be strongenough for the job means one less keycriterion to consider. That leaves you toconcentrate on other variables that areevery bit as significant: the builder’sreputation, the boat’s design and con-struction, its range, displacement-to-length ratio, accommodations, features,appearance and overall quality.

costs—escalating as the boat ages—andhistorically poor resale value, when com-pared to a production fiberglass boat.

An additional disadvantage of thesteel boat’s heavier construction isexcessive weight, requiring more fueland power to operate. Although thismay not necessarily be as much of anissue in a full-displacement power cruis-er, it still can adversely affect the vessel’scenter of gravity and stability, especiallywhen in light ballast.

In addition to its high strength andease of maintenance, one of fiberglassconstruction’s biggest advantages over allother materials is its tremendous designflexibility. The ability to easily form com-plex shapes with fiberglass makes it theideal material for modern, high-efficien-cy hull designs and complex superstruc-ture shapes. “Fiberglass constructionallows us to take yacht building to thenext level of design,” says Le Mieux. “Hullforms with compound curves offer morestability than the traditional hard-chine

A huge advantage of fiberglass overall other materials is its tremendousdesign flexibility. The ability to easilyform complex shapes with fiberglassmakes it the ideal material formodern, high-efficiency hull designsand complex superstructure shapes.

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I N T R O D U C I N G T H E N E W N O R D H A V N 7 2I N O U R O P I N I O N , T H E W O R L D ’ S M O S T M A G N I F I C E N T P A S S A G E M A K E R

The Nordhavn 72, the new flagship of the Nordhavn line, represents P.A.E.’s most advanced thinking in hull form,engineering, styling and accommodations.It creates the benchmark by which others will be measured for years to come.

Naval architect Jeff Leishman, thestaff of P.A.E., and Nordhavn ownersthroughout the world have collectivelydrawn on their experience to createthe ultimate oceangoing yacht. The experience of building more than 500 vessels from 35 to 67 feet and personally

voyaging hundreds of thousands of mileson them has been invaluable in developingthis incredibly capable, luxurious vessel.

Ruggedly built entirely of fiberglass in highly polished molds, every square inch of the hull and superstructure is finished in gleaming gelcoat for a lifetimefree of corrosion. As with other Nordhavndesigns, the Nordhavn 72 has been thoroughly tank tested to eliminate anydisappointing surprises.

Designed for open ocean passage making, she is also striking in her eleganceand décor. Granite countertops, stone flooring, rich carpet, leather and the finestavailable equipment, appliances, fittingsand fixtures are all standard on the luxurious Nordhavn 72.

Carrying 4,100 gallons of fuel, she has the range to cross any of the world’s oceanswith ease. Showcasing our latest work infuel systems, hydraulics, electrical, air

conditioning, anchor systems, dry exhaust,fire suppression and more, the Nordhavn 72will be totally reliable and self-sufficient,providing owners with comfort and safetyin the world’s most remote locations.

Several accommodations plans are available. Call P.A.E. to speak directly with the people who have developed this remarkable yacht and who will be responsible for making its purchase and ownership one of the most enjoyableexperiences of your lifetime.

Pacific Asian Enterprises • Box 874 • Dana Point, California, U.S.A. 92629-0937 •Tel: (949) 496-4848 • Fax: (949) 240-2398 • www.nordhavn.comAsk about our complete line of Nordhavns. They have the power to take you anywhere.

®

72'0"65'0"21'0"7'0"220,000 lbs.4,100 gal.800 gal.3,000nm @ 10kts.

LOALWL

BeamDraft

DisplacementFuel

WaterApprox Range

Specifications & Dimensions

Aft wheelhouse layout also available

A F T E R B U I L D I N G O V E R 5 0 0 O C E A N G O I N G Y A C H T S

A N D V O Y A G I N G H U N D R E D S O F T H O U S A N D S O F M I L E S I N T H E M ,W E ’ V E D E V E L O P E D S O M E S T R O N G O P I N I O N S .

Standard layout

5740 NEW! 4335 Coastal Pilot 46 50NEW! 47 62 NEW! 72


Trawler Travelswith Tom Hall and Liz McLoughlin and the Nordhavn 40 Onward

Despite a love of the water that has spannedmuch of their lives, the live-aboard life ofmany cruisers is not for Tom Hall and Liz

McLoughlin.But it’s not because either lacks a sense of adven-

ture. After all, they set sail from Seattle for NewZealand in a 38-foot sailing cutter after knowingeach other only a few months. “Half of my womenfriends thought, ‘Why are you putting yourself in aposition to die at sea?’ and the other half thought‘Why are you doing that on a 38-foot platform witha man you hardly know?’ ” chuckles Liz.

They survived that four-month voyage in 1984and many more since. Even over a telephone line,their affection for one another is evident as is thepleasure of each other’s company. In 2001, theyswitched to power, purchasing a new Nordhavn 40.The shift away from sail came with the joys ofexploring the Pacific Northwest.

“Right now we’re both hale and hearty, but aswe age we will be less able to handle the substantialdemands a sailboat can sometimes put upon you,”says Tom, 71. “Moreover, a rugged trawler such asOnward can make travel in the Inside Passage somuch more comfortable and predictable when theweather turns nasty.”

Cruising is an integral part of their lives, but notthe defining one. Both Tom and Liz have busy, ful-filling lives ashore: Tom as a consulting health plan-ner doing work around the world, and Liz, whoworks in violence prevention. Both are avid hikersand bikers. The couple cycled from Vancouver toSan Francisco, where they live, and Liz, now 62,pedaled across the United States three years agowith her niece and nephew, both in their twenties.

Their thirst for adventure these days is slaked bytaking Onward into inlets off well-travelled water-

ways, getting as close to shore as they can, thenlaunching their kayaks from what Liz affectionatelycharacterizes Onward, a KTV or kayak transporta-tion vessel. (They have two kayaks, Inward andOutward.)

“Having the kayaks aboard gives one the free-dom to turn the engine off, get into the kayak, andthen explore,” says Liz, recalling a particularlymemorable jaunt at the end of a long entranceinto what is informally called, Bombproof Anchor-age, in the McNaughton group of islands southeastof Bella Bella, British Columbia. “At low tides, wecould float over the most amazing bed of sea crea-tures you could imagine. You could never get thatclose to the shore (in Onward).”

Their cruising these days is about evenly dividedbetween time alone and with friends. “One partthat appeals is having guests aboard and the won-derful conversations,” says Tom. “When we’realone we often read to each other.”

Tom and Liz happily share their trips and adven-tures with their Nordhavn, and othwerwise,through their Web site: www.bikenfly.org.

Plans call for taking Onward, now on the hard inAnacortes, Washington, north to Alaska this sum-mer, then leaving her there for the winter to allowadditional exploration in summer 2004.

To those wavering about taking that step into thecruising life, Tom and Liz invite them to look atthe joy it has brought them. “I would like to inspirepeople. . . to take advantage of every opportunityto get out of the daily routine and go to places thatyou never had the time to visit. When you havethem, take them, because they are so precious,”says Liz.

Adds Tom: “This is the kind of message I hopeothers will get . . . Take some time out betweenjobs, whatever, to realize your fantasies.”

By Joe Hvilivitzky

Under theGolden Gate:

Tom and Lizaboard

Onward.

Tom Hall and Liz McLoughlinOnwardNordhavn 40 #25• Nautical miles cruised: 3,800 since July 2001.• Why Nordhavn: Rugged reliability, economicfuel consumption (one re-fueling per season atlay-up), great comfort in the accommodations.

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Pho

to: A

lan

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enot

• Seeking to discover what cruising under power is allabout? Trawler Fest is so much more than a boatshow. Each event a little different, but always excit-ing and fulfilling. And, never long lines to board displayed vessels.

• Whether you are interested in local cruising options,inland river exploration, or long distance adventures—we have it all.

• At the heart of every Trawler Fest is a combination ofeducation and camaraderie unmatched elsewhere.

Seminars on safety, selection, cruising, etc.Roundtable discussions on women's issues, livingaboard, etc. And, of course meals, prizes and frivolity to cap off each evening.

• Come for the day, come for the event. If you cannot attend the full event, day passes and a la carte registrations are available as well.

• Trawler Fest is the ultimate rendezvous for trawlercrawlers and the best place to learn about trawlering.

Come by land, come by sea. Come to the show designed for

trawler owners, trawler seekers andthose starting the process.

Advance registration is recommended. For registration and detailed information on each event, call 1-888-wmtfest (1-888-968-3378), visit your local West Marine store or log on to trawlerfest.com

IS IT A TYPE OF BOAT, OR A STATE OF MIND?

WEST MARINE TRAWLER FEST IT'S NOT JUST A BOAT SHOW

Southern Boating Magazinewww.southernboating.com

Mainshipwww.mainship.com

Soundings Magazinewww.soundingsonline.com

Pacific Asian Enterpriseswww.nordhavn.com

John Deere Power Systemswww.johndeere.com/marine

Supported Nationally By:Ocean Navigator

www.oceannavigator.com

American Diesel Corp.www.perkins-sabre.com

Living Aboardwww.livingaboard.com

Trawler Worldwww.trawlerworld.com

Power & Motor Yachtwww.powerandmotoryacht.com

Kadey-Krogen Yachtswww.kadeykrogen.com

DIY Boat Owner Magazinewww.diy-boat.com

March 19–22Melbourne, Florida

•June 4–7

Poulsbo, Washington•

August 20–23Grand Haven, Michigan

•September 24–27

Solomons, Maryland•

October 22–25San Francisco Bay, California

Women Aboardwww.womenaboard.com

Ships Internationalwww.shipsint.com

Northern Lightswww.northern-lights.com

PDQ Yachtswww.pdqyachts.com

W H E R E W O U L D Y O U L I K E

Y O U R N O R D H A V N T O T A K E Y O U ?

5740 46 50NEW! 47 62

Nordhavns were designed for those who live their dreams. These

rugged, luxurious, oceangoing power vessels are capable

of taking a couple, with or without crew, anywhere in the world.

Safe, comfortable and self-sufficient for weeks at a time, they

can provide a lifetime of civilized adventure. Start your greatest

voyage by visiting www.nordhavn.com or call 949-496-4848.

®

April 7 2001

Arrived FATU HIVA, Marquesas

Islands relaxed and ready to see

the islands.

Total Hours Run: 361

Total Distance: 2,726 nautical m

iles

Total Fuel Burned: 1484 gal.

plus 18 by generator

Fuel Remaining: 1389 gal.

Average S.O.G.: 7.55 knots

Average Nautical m

ile/gal.: 1.84

circumnavigator

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