Cruising in the times of Coronavirus

For Pacific Asian Enterprises, Inc (PAE), the manufacturer of Nordhavn, the health and welfare of its staff, business associates, customers and supporters are, of course, top priority. And when it comes to serving the Nordhavn community and anyone interested in pursuing dreams of long range cruising, our commitment does not waver in these times. Although this story has had to be re-written three times due to the changes happening every day, the message remains the same: we are still working hard for you. Even as we are adjusting to the governor’s order that all California residents remain home from non-essential tasks/work, we are making sure that all channels of communication are being covered. Main office phones are being forwarded, all staff can be reached by e-mail and salesmen can be contacted on cell phones. As of now, our satellite offices are safely operating with doors open, but as rules shift daily, we anticipate an all-remote workday may be implemented in all locations. With no more than 6 employees at any one satellite office location (with service personnel separated from sales), we have ensured that our staff is abiding by the CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of illness.

In the UK, Neil Russell, director of Nordhavn Europe says “NEL is fully functional.” Hours are a mix of in-office and at-home so contact with him or partner Philip Roach is best made via their cell phones (see below), although office phones automatically get forwarded. Meanwhile, service continues to crank with pace at the Southampton location as new boat commissioning and service calls fill the docket.

The news is much the same in the U.S.: The doors of the Northeast sales office in East Greenwich, RI are open with regular business hours being conducted. NE salesman Dave Balfour says he’s hard at work with showings over the weekend and a training session with clients on their newly purchased N47 scheduled for next week. “I still continue to be busy and am happy for the distraction!” he said. Meanwhile, sales and service in FL are also buzzing, with many owners looking to ready their boats for quarantining down in the Bahamas. In Seattle, manager Don Kohlmann said the team there is ready for business while they keep an eye on a huge Nordhavn 40-refit happening at service partner Emerald Marine. The N40 is being retrofit with new davit, ABT stabilizers (previously a paravane-only vessel), and an electric wing engine. “It will be interesting to see how it turns out,” Kohlmann said.

At our offices In Australia and Turkey, staff are available to serve at a moment’s notice, even though Nordhavn Australasia are keeping mostly work-from-home hours. Information can be dispersed via phone or e-mail any time of day or night, says Manager Peter Devers, adding. “We are available for one-on-one meetings as required.”

Today news broke of Brunswick Corporation’s decision to temporarily halt production. But Nordhavn production continues. Each of our 3 factories (Tainan, Taiwan; Xiamen, China; and Ayvali, Turkey) are open and operating, says Nordhavn President Dan Streech. Under normal circumstances, project managers, salespeople, management and customers would be traveling to the factories for inspections, guidance and meetings. With travel restrictions in place, those visits are now replaced with Skype, Facetime, Go-To-Meeting and lots of e-mails, photos, videos and sketches. “These communication methods have been available to all of us for a number of years now but the crisis has forced us to use them better,” he said, adding these practices will probably be utilized even after the travel restrictions are lifted. “As they say, ‘Necessity is the Mother of Invention’.”

In the quiet background of the coronavirus chaos, Nordhavn owners continue to enjoy their yachts and are making necessary adjustments as they maneuver around the complications of COVID-19. As Jennifer Hamilton, owner of Nordhavn 52 Dirona recently intimated about the flexibility their Nordhavn allows: “We can have plans, and then get underway the same day with completely different plans.” 

If you have a punch list you need taken care of or want to keep dreams of ocean-going cruising alive through these dispiriting times, don’t hesitate to contact the salesman in the office closest to you: