There once was a loving father and husband who was facing retirement and the challenge of figuring out what to do next with his life – whatever it was, it should be something that would be enjoyed by the entire family. After hunting for the perfect universally pleasing activity, he found the answer in ocean travel. And when it came to selecting a boat that would provide the necessary comfort, capability and safety to take his brood to their various destinations of choice, be spacious enough to allow for breathing room when the tight-knit family didn’t want to be so tight, and still allow mom and dad to operate without help, there was only one real option: the Nordhavn 76. 

 

Before landing on the Nordhavn 76, Chris and wife, Eileen, put together a list with a lot of boxes to be ticked. There was the obvious, like proficiency and track record, but also Chris had an idea of how the boat should look from the outside with rugged lines and commercial-grade construction. Eileen had ideas about the inside – comfortable and cozy, with spaces their grown daughters would want to hang out in, a home away from home where they looked forward to unwinding after a day of swimming or sightseeing. So she had the interior modeled after the couple’s home in Long Island. The result was N76 Tugnacious, a masterpiece in the art of flawlessly blending brawn with beauty. 

 

The boat is fitted with four luxurious cabins and five heads. Most N76 owners employ a captain or crew, so the model comes with two single berths located in the rear of the pilothouse. These have been used mainly as overflow quarters for additional guests on Tugnacious since Chris was intent on running the boat himself. As such, another key draw to the model was the access to the machinery spaces for ease of operation. At 6’4”, Chris needed space to work in and there weren’t many boats that could provide the ample engine room he required.

 

When it came to selecting electronics, like most Nordhavn owners, redundancy was a big factor for Chris, and it shows in many of the systems installed. Case in point, the set-up of two watermakers and three generators.

Empty nesters since their youngest left for college, the couple was craving family bonding moments. With Tugacious as a bargaining chip, there was never a plea to get the whole group together. Friends and relatives – and yes, their daughters, jumped quickly at opportunities to spend glorious weeks on board to places such as Maine and the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Bermuda. To make stays even more enjoyable, the couple customized their yacht with features such as an extended mid-deck, a custom ladder to the hardtop, a Besenzoni retractable gangway, and many others. With all their loved ones aboard, Chris and Eileen also placed emphasis on safety features like two 8-man life rafts with hydrostatic releases in custom stainless cradles, an emergency tiller arm, extensive ditch bag and major first aid kit.

 

Tugnacious has provided three-and-a-half years of constant enjoyment, including a significant offshore voyage from Florida to Bermuda this past summer. It has been the source of the kinds of fun family adventures Chris had envisioned. But with impending college graduations and schedules becoming more limited, he and Eileen have decided to move down in size and focus on doing things just the two of them. They have put their beloved Tugnacious up for sale and hope she will be continue providing magical family moments for years to come.

 

For pricing, drawings, specifications, photos and a walk-through tour of Tugnacious, visit https://nordhavn.com/brokerage/listings/n76-tugnacious/.