Keep It Simple, Straightforward

Nordhavn Europe (NEL)’s Phil Roach had clients who came to him two years ago with an interesting brief. They didn’t want a complicated yacht. They didn’t want a big yacht. They didn’t want a yacht that required too much decision-making. What they did want was a yacht that would be capable of bringing them on adventures – a proper seafaring boat that was as adept at handling the rough North Sea as it was suited to navigate the narrow rivers and shallow canals of Scandinavia. For the sales representatives of any other manufacturer, the order might seem a tall one. For Roach, the answer was plain as day. The yacht his clients wanted was the Nordhavn 41.

Two years ago, the N41 was nothing but a concept with a set of drawings and a bunch of molds being worked on. But Roach’s clients were sold. They had recently purchased an extremely custom 90-foot German yacht with highly sophisticated systems and an interior that was tailored down to the square-inch. The couple loved the world voyaging their 90-footer gave them, but not the assemblage of crew and the berthing gamble required of big yacht owners. Being experienced boaters, they wanted to be able to take off at a moment’s notice, just the two of them, and venture around coastal Scandinavia and Northern Europe. While they’d considered bigger Nordhavns in the past, the sheer mass and drafts of the larger models are not geared for canal cruising and maneuvering around archipelagos.

Nordhavn 4104 was shipped to Southampton, UK, and commissioned at NEL. Unfortunately, COVID restrictions precluded the owners from traveling into England to take delivery. Instead, Roach enlisted the help of delivery captains Ted Duff and John Elderfield and drove the boat to Cuxhaven, Germany, for the handover. Hull four was the second N41 Roach has sold, but this was the first time he’d spent considerable time aboard. “It’s really refined for a little boat,” said Roach. “It feels so efficient. You can really get a sense of the Nordhavn pedigree in her.”

In Germany, Roach met up with the owners and did some training and systems review before they headed for their home in Denmark. Although only a few weeks into ownership, the couple is delighted with their boat. “It’s everything they wanted and more,” said Roach.

To date, 10 Nordhavn 41s have been purchased by Europeans. Roach said he is not surprised by the reception the boat has received across the pond given the coastal-type aspirations of the European boat buying market. He also attributes the popularity to the more contemporary look of the N41, citing the low profile and sleek lines that are reflective of the newer Nordhavn designs. “Her lines fit in nicely with a lot of the modern European cruiser boats,” Roach said. “She’s got form and function. And that can be hard to find.”