Want to go long distances but not sure where to start? Lots of Nordhavn owners feel the same way. They invest their time and money in a Nordhavn because the name is synonymous with safe, comfortable, seaworthy yachts capable of going long distances. The list of Nordhavns that have made successful ocean crossings is so extensive that the company has essentially stopped keeping record – not because they don’t celebrate every single one. It’s just that often times they do not know about a Nordhavn ocean traverse until well after it’s been achieved.
For the yachtsman or yachtswoman who has big cruising dreams, a Nordhavn makes sense. But for boaters who are nervous about the idea of being at sea for days or weeks at a time, the brand provides plenty of opportunities for owners to baby step their way to passagemaking proficiency.
Nordhavn was put on the map with the introduction of its ocean crossing-capable Nordhavn 46, the first production power yacht of its kind to go across the Atlantic and circle the globe. But it became world famous (even written up in the New York Times) for the Around-The-World trip of a Nordhavn 40, the smallest boat ever to do so, accomplished by company staffers and techs in 2001-02. Just two years later, it made ground breaking history with the first rally of its kind: 18 boats across the Atlantic Ocean, from Florida to Europe. The company banked on giving nervous operators confidence with strength in numbers cruising.
It worked. Company-organized events took a back seat to owner-driven rallies: twice a group of boats mimicked the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally from 2004 while a trio of Nordhavns, famously embarked on what was the Great Sushi Run, departing Alaska and heading west across the Bering Sea to Japan.
The past several years, the manufacturer behind Nordhavn, Pacific Asian Enterprises, Inc., has gotten back to its roots and created smaller scale rallies, designed to give owners a taste of big journeys within the comfort of company support and fellow like-minded Nordhavn owners. The Taco Run, a thousand-mile exploration around the Sea of Cortez, has given previous long range-newbies the experience and confidence needed to tackle bigger itineraries. Next year there are plans to kick-off similar 1,000+ nm excursions in other parts of North America: namely the Bahamas, New England and the Canadian Maritimes, and the Pacific Northwest. There’s even been talk of European and South Pacific variations.
“It’s exciting to see newer owners embrace the experiences they have in these rallies and use them as a platform for greater adventures,” said Garrett Severen, Sales Manager of Nordhavn Yachts’ North Palm Beach office, who is helping to spearhead next year’s Conch Run in the Bahamas. One Nordhavn 60 owner, buoyed by the confidence he received from the Taco Run, is preparing to make a trip across the Pacific Ocean in the coming weeks. He, along with six other Nordhavns, will all be making the trek across the “Peaceful Sea”. They all plan to embark at different times – two have already left, the rest will all shove off by the first week of March – but they have a group text chain to stay on top of each other, and even have a date to rendezvous and toast to each other’s success in Nuku Hiva.
You can follow along with these Pacific crossing boats and even ask the crews a question as they tackle the 3,000+ nm journey. Or find out how you can take your first crucial step by learning more about Nordhavns.
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