March 4, 2013

A Reason to Celebrate
By Amy Zahra

P.A.E. headquarters started the new year off with a bang by hosting its first party on the docks to celebrate the christening of THREE Nordhavns:  two brand new builds, N6056 Last Samurai, N5265 Mermaid Explorer; and brokerage N5511 Giddy Up (formerly Moana Kuewa).

N6056 Last Samurai owners Rick and Dianne MacClure are from the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.  Rick grew up around boats and his father raced tunnel boats for several years, winning many awards and racing records, which planted the seed for Rick’s passion for boating.  Together Rick and Dianne owned a 42-foot Lycrest aft cabin boat that they sailed around the Gold Coast waterways for many years.  Eventually they realized the need for a larger, sturdier boat that they could cruise extensively in, and so they started their search.  They looked at a lot of different brands, but nothing stood out for them until Dianne happened to stumble upon Nordhavn on the internet, which led them to the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in nearby Queensland where a Nordhavn was on display.  They were really impressed with the interior joiner work, finish and the overall look of the boat, and found that Nordhavn was what they’d been searching for.

After the MacClures ordered their N60, they were fortunate enough to meet N55 Skie owner Peter Sheppard and spent a lot of time cruising with him all over Australia, and also from La Paz, Mexico to the Marquesas Islands.  This quality time spent onboard the N55 only solidified their decision.

Rick and Dianne plan to take Last Samurai to the Anacortes, WA Trawler Fest boat show in May where she will be the featured boat on display.  Following the show they have an ambitious 5-year cruising plan which includes Canada, Alaska, Mexico, US East Coast, Greenland, Scotland, The Med, Central and South America, Antarctica, Easter Island, Tahiti and the Pacific Islands, and finally back to Australia. 

It’s worth mentioning that Last Samurai’s name stems from Rick’s 13-year training and teaching background in martial arts.  But the “Last” part of the equation is in reference to an N60 boat order they were forced to cancel as a result of the global financial crisis, and according to Rick, “was devastating to both of us, however, in the spirit of Samurai, we fought back and reordered our second N60 and have now taken possession. She stands proud as the Last Samurai.”

Coincidentally, the N5265 owners are Australian as well (from Perth, Western Australia), and also wanted to take delivery of their Nordhavn Mermaid Explorer in Dana Point to take advantage of the cruising on the west coast and Alaska and slowly make their way down under to more familiar territory.  Owners Phillip and Gerri Bradshaw are experienced cruisers and have owned a Grand Banks for six years, but two years ago they decided to “take the plunge” and sell their house and virtually all of their possessions to live aboard and cruise full time.  Their daughters were all grown up and it was simply time for a drastic change.  That realization is what brought them to Dana Point to take a closer look at different trawlers. They’d seen Nordhavns before and liked their look, and fortunately, after a first look in person - where they honed in on the immaculate finish and machinery/systems of the brand - sold them.  Like many Nordhavn owners, Phillip comes from a technical background so superb engineering was a key factor for him. In fact, the couple felt the differences between Nordhavn’s engineering and that of other models was beyond compare.

As luck would have it, Philip had an office near Hamble, England, where our European office is located, and was able to spend quite a bit of time there looking at the various models and acquiring more information before deciding on the Nordhavn 52.  When their boat was being built, he visited the factory in China and made a few minor improvements to his order, and was always in constant contact with us during the build process and received roughly 800 photos of her, so they felt like they knew her intimately even before coming to Dana Point to take delivery, and when they arrived, they were extremely pleased with what they saw.  Gerri states it best:  “We can’t fault it - it’s a beautiful boat, great finish, very stable, heavy; just what we wanted.”

Jim and Anne Crossley were the third couple to christen their Nordhavn 55 (hull #11) which they now call Giddy Up.  Previously Moana Kuewa, she is an immaculate, beautiful boat that appears like new, and it was the after-market additions, maintenance log and overall condition that was the deciding factor to purchase her over other N55s on the market.  Surprisingly, only weeks later they received an offer from someone looking to purchase Giddy Up, which only proved that they made the right decision!

The Crossleys hail from Calgary, Alberta, and their previous boating experience is on ski boats on fresh water lakes, so they are taking quite a leap!  They became familiar with Nordhavn from Jim’s brother-in-law who owns a N47 and is now cruising in The Med.  The next step for Jim was to peruse the “Nordhavn Dreamers” website and attend boat shows and seminars.  The Crossleys followed that up by chartering Nordhavns on the east and west coasts to make sure that Nordhavn and the cruising lifestyle were right for them.  Said Jim: “As time passed, I grew to respect the Nordhavn boat with its rock solid construction and philosophy for ocean crossing, making (these) boats head and shoulders above the competition”.

Jim met the aforementioned Peter Sheppard who owns N55 Skie at a seminar and they became friendly to the point where Peter invited Jim to crew with him on his first leg of getting his boat to Australia, which was a 16-day open ocean crossing of the Pacific.  It was on this voyage that Jim met Rick MacClure of Last Samurai  – what a small world!  It was a wonderful experience and according to Jim, “sealed the deal so to speak that if I was to buy a boat it had to be a Nordy and preferably a 55.”

“The name Giddy Up is in honor of the city that awarded us for our hard work to afford such a fine vessel.  Calgary is home to the renowned Calgary stampede where every year we are celebrating our history as a ranching community.  It is also a little tongue-in-cheek as a trawler is slow and needs prodding along just like a reliable pack horse.”

Giddy Up will most likely travel to Mexico, then in and around the California coast and into the San Francisco Bay Area.  They’ll end up in nearby Avalon, Catalina Island this July.

We are so thrilled that the MacClures, Bradshaws, and Crossleys made the decision to join our Nordhavn “family” and we wish them the very best in their travels!

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