Since the first Nordhavn owners began making long-range cruises and putting the brand on the map, we at Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE) have been celebrating them and their achievements. With each subsequent hull built, we would – along with the rest of the world – keep track of where on the globe a Nordhavn was at any given moment. It was truly astounding to grasp how far Nordhavns had come – and gone.

Decades and 550 Nordhavns later, it is not only astounding, but darn near impossible. So many Nordhavns and so many Nordhavn owners taking unimaginable trips that we hear or learn about weeks, months, even years after they happened.

To help keep up with our adventuresome explorers, and to honor owners for (literally) going the distance, we launched the highly successful Distance Pennant Program in 2008, where Nordhavn owners are recognized for miles they travel on their boats. The pennants serve as badges of honor, a way of showing the world the cruising spirit that exists amongst our owners. Miles have come by way of various means: some owners have crossed numerous oceans, some owners have traveled up and down the U.S. eastern seaboard umpteen times. It doesn’t particularly matter how miles are racked up. So long as they are recorded in the program data base, a mile traveled is a pennant earned. (Actually 2,500 nautical miles traveled is a pennant earned, and then again at 5,000 nm, and from there in 5,000 nm increments.)

If you think about it, all miles truly are special because each one contributed in some way to the realization of someone’s cruising dreams. But let’s face it, some of the 5.5 million miles that have been reported over the past 8 years are spectacularly special and warrant some kind of extraordinary recognition. In the past, only those who have circumnavigated the globe have been singled out for their accomplishment and awarded with an exclusive Circumnavigator pennant: Jim and Susy Sink on Nordhavn 46  Salvation II, Scott and Mary Flanders on Nordhavn 46 Egret, Eric and Christi Grab on board Nordhavn 43 Kosmos, and Heidi and Wolfgang Haas, who completed the feat three times on their Nordhavn 46 Kanaloa.

But we realize, a circumnavigation isn’t necessarily the be-all end-all of long distance cruising. So we are adding a “super level” to the current award structure. Along with the Circumnavigator pennant, we are creating an Extreme Latitudes pennant, for those who have taken their Nordhavns to the highest northern and southern latitudes. Several Nordhavns have traveled these areas of extreme latitudes including rounding Cape Horn and navigating the Northwest Passage.

The genius behind this new pennant level is not only do these owners get justly recognized, but we get to learn about and be inspired by their massive trips. To hear their stories is what fuels us as a company – even if we are hearing about them second- or third-hand or well after they’ve occurred.

We invite you to check out the Distance Pennant Program page and discover how far and wide Nordhavns have gone. If you’re a Nordhavn owner/cruiser of Extreme Latitudes, submit your miles and let us know where you’ve been. We recently reached out to our Owner’s community and heard back from five owners who have been to parts of the earth only a handful of powerboat owners have ever visited.

It’s been stated before that Nordhavn owners don’t travel great distances for the fanfare or accolades. That’s fine. They can leave the celebration of their successes to the rest of us! (Be on the lookout for a round-up of our Extreme Latitudists.)