We are just days away from the Solstice, and the official start of the summer cruising season. For Nordhavn owners, the best time for cruising is all year round, but there’s something about summertime adventure that’s a bit extra special – perhaps it relates back to childhood when nothing was better than deciding how to while away the months of school break. Certainly for the average person, this time of year hits the sweet spot for boat ownership. So we wondered, what will Nordhavn owners be doing to make this summer a special one out on the water? 

The owners of 38 different Nordhavns offered up their itineraries, and they were as varied as the models represented. It’s probably no surprise that the most common response was the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. After all, even in the warm season it can feel downright chilly and windy in this part of the world. Nevertheless, it is a haven for Nordhavns, and in fact, Nordhavn 76 Seacret, which is based in Victoria, BC during the winters, departed for Alaska April 1 and travelled through Desolation Sound, the Broughtons, past Cape Caution, through the Canadian Fjords and on to Alaska. “We left a couple months earlier than ‘normal’ but have been rewarded with empty anchorages.  It has been cooler and there is more rain than in the summer, but in between the rain there is sunshine,” wrote owner Jeremy Anwyl. The majority of those seeking the pristine and interesting grounds of the PNW will be doing it in the more traditional months, including Pacific Asian Enterprises (PAE)’s own ownership team who recently purchased a Nordhavn 57 Grande. 

Nordhavn owners will also be exploring the other side of the North American coast. In New England and the Canadian Maritimes, summer has just about arrived (kinda sorta), and several Nordhavns based there are ready to get things started. Last weekend, N6310 Shanti departed Vinelhaven, ME en route to Shelbourne, Nova Scotia and will loosely buddy boat with N60 Olaf around the northern latitudes. Meanwhile N57 owner Dick Pedone wrote that he will be cruising around New England and Nova Scotia “proudly flying our 85,000 (Nordhavn mileage) pennant.”

When many people think of summer travel, they think European vacation, and, as it turns out, so do many Nordhavn owners. Several Nordhavn 41 owners who recently took delivery of their boats at the factory in Istanbul are cruising around Turkey, Greece and Cyprus this summer, with the owners of 4120 Nabi spending time in the Aegean Sea. “Our newly minted N4120 was completed three weeks ago,” says owner Peter Smith. “We left Istanbul and sailed 200 miles to Lemos in Greece. We have since visited Skyros and are presently at anchor in Lesvos.” Not to be outdone is Richard Carey aboard N5531 Tai-Pan, who will cruise the same area, this being his 15^th season on the boat.

Other owners are exploring the Mediterranean, with the owner of the N56 Motorsailer Migaloo hitting all the “usual” spots: Greece, Italy, Croatia, France and Spain. And after many years of European adventuring, this will be the Thyrre family’s last summer there aboard their N64 Gratitude. They will wander around the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and the Netherlands and spend the winter in London before heading back home. “We plan to cross the Atlantic summer of 2024 back to the USA after almost six years cruising in Europe/Mediterranean,” writes Alec Thyrre.

Clear on the other side of the globe are N43 Opal Lady and N52 Fortuna Star with the latter cruising around the Cook Islands and the Society Islands. While Peter and Susan Beilby on Opal Lady will visit Vanuatu and New Caledonia before heading south to New Zealand in October prior to the start of the cyclone season there. “P.S.” writes Peter, “We do love our Starlink allowing us to stay in contact.” 

Rounding out the summer itineraries are those boats that will be in Mexico, Central America and the Bahamas, where the weather is nice practically every day of the year.

No doubt these Nordhavn owners will be living their best summer cruising lives. What about you?