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"Nordhavn owners prepare to cross Atlantic"
By Rich Armstrong
March 2003 SOUNDINGS
"Reprinted with permission from Soundings Publications
LLC."
In summer 2004, more trawler yachts will cross the Atlantic within
60 days than have done so in the last 60 years, according to Pacific
Asian Enterprises, sponsors of the first Nordhavn Atlantic Rally.
Thirty or more of the boatbuilder's Nordhavn trawlers are expected
to make a 3,700-nautical-mile passage from Rhode Island to Mallorca,
Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea, via Bermuda and the Azores.
"Every Nordhavn owner we've talked to so far says they want
to participate," says Jim Leishman, a principal at PAE.
Leishman says the cruise-in-compa-ny is another effort by PAE to
show off the bluewater capabilities of its trawlers. Last year a
Nordhavn 40 with a rotating crew of employees completed a circumnavigation.
For the trans-Atlantic crossing the fleet will run in convoy, with
one escort vessel in the lead and another following the fleet. The
owners of two Nordhavn 62s have volunteered for escort duty.
On board the escorts will be support teams of PAE employees and
associates. Using high-speed RIBs, they'll be able to quickly reach
any vessel needing assistance.
"An engine could overheat, a water-maker could fail,"
Leishman says. "We'll be ready for any eventuality."
The escort vessels will carry emergency fuel reserves with boat-to-boat
transfer capability, and they'll be able to provide towing if needed.
The escort crew will include a diver for underwater inspection and
repairs, as well as an emergency-medicine specialist.
There will be daily roll calls and daily weather briefings for
the fleet, and designated VHP and SSB frequencies will be monitored
around the clock. PAE shoreside staff at Bermuda, Azores arid Mallorca
will assist owners with government formalities, provisioning and
refueling, and will organize parties and other group activities.
All entries will be by application only, and the number of entries
will be limited. There will be an entry fee of several thousand
dollars, according to organizers. To request a provisional entry
form, e-mail Jim Leishman at jim@nordhavn.com.
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