So who are the Nordhavn Ocean Warriors? The answer might surprise you
By Becky Peters
Since 2008 the Nordhavn Distance Pennant Program (DPP) has been tracking the nautical miles traveled by the extensive Nordhavn fleet.The Distance Pennant Program was the brain-child of Nordhavn’s vice president Jim Leishman, wanting to prove the sea worthiness of even the smaller Nordhavns, and wondering how far our Nordhavns have traveled. We set up a web site inviting Owners to log their miles and post their travels. With 69% of Nordhavns reporting, the combined distance traveled is almost FIVE MILLION nautical miles. Just think how many miles have been traveled by Owners who have not yet logged their miles, and those who sold their boats prior to the program! The number would be staggering …
There are currently over 500 Nordhavns prowling the oceans. Three hundred and thirty have logged their miles onto the Distance Pennant Program and are proudly flying their Distance Pennants, offering further proof that Nordhavns can and do go the distance. Six have Circumnavigated: Eric and Christi Grab on N43 Kosmos, Scott and Mary Flanders on Egret, Wolfgang and Heidi Hass have Circumnavigated, twice, on N46 Kanaloa, Ghanim Al-Othman on N46 Othmani, Jim and Susy Sink on N46 Salvation II, and our own Around The World (ATW) N40, (bearing the apt moniker Nordhavn). The Lawler family on N46 Emily Grace is within striking distance of American shores and completing the seventh Nordhavn Circumnavigation; the first Circumnavigation with a child (daughter Emily) on board the entire trip! But which hull size has covered the most miles?
Nordhavn 46 owners have logged an almost whopping 1,500,000 nautical miles on the DPP. They have a bit of an advantage, having been the first built and on the ocean since 1989. Of the 80 N46s built, 59 Owners, or an enthusiastic 78% have logged their miles and shared their globe-trotting adventures. In addition to logging miles on the Pennant Program, N46 owners Frank and Linda Osborne (Discovery), Scott and Mary Flanders (Egret), Laurence and Diane Cranfield (Envoy) and Tim, Kim and Emily Lawler (Emily Grace) also keep active and vibrant blogs on our Nordhavn web site.
Another hull size with impressive miles is the Nordhavn 40 with almost a half million nautical miles. The ATW boat added 24,000 nm whileJohn and Susan Spencer on Uno Mas and Klaus and Elizabeth Loehr on Chinook have both logged over 35,000 nm.
The Nordhavn 47s have logged 499,308 nm. Milt and Judy Baker stay busy on Bluewater, having traveled 33,000 nm while keeping a blog and monitoring the Nordhavn Owner Site. Scott Strickland, Strickly For Fun logged over 30,000 nm including crossing the Atlantic as part of the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally (NAR) and two trips through the Panama Canal.
Speaking of the NAR, Nordhavns have also traveled in groups. Ken and Roberta Williams on N68 Sans Souci along with Braun and Tina Jones on N62 Grey Pearl, and Steve and Carol Argosy on N62 Seabird covered over 5,000 miles on the Seattle to Osaka Great Siberian Sushi Run. Nine Nordhavns took part in Med Bound 2007, five of which traveled up the coast from Fort Lauderdale to Newport, RI; three others followed the 3,800 nm route taken by 15 Nordhavns on the NAR. And Nordhavns are always well represented on every FUBAR, a cruise en masse from southern California to Mexico.
The Nordhavn 57s are also on the move having logged over 500,000 nm. Most notably are Sprague Theobald, who on his N57, Bagan explored the Northwest Passage on a five-month, 8,500 nm passage through open seas and past treacherous glaciers; and Dick and Gail Barnes, who have thoroughly cruised the globe, 58,890 nm worth, on Ice Dancer II.
So which individual Nordhavns owners have logged the most miles? There are several noteworthy mentions: the Hasses have logged 81,362 nm on N46 Kanaloa while the Barneses have logged a total of 82,435 on two Nordhavns, N50 Ice Dancer (23,545 nm) and N57 Ice Dancer II.
Posting over 60,000 nm are Scott and Mary Flanders on N46 Egret. Over 50,000 nm are Gary and Liz Isbell on N57 Joint Decision, Michael and Miriam Lasky on N76 Voyager III, Bob Edwards on N46 Suprr, and our special friend and the first person to Circumnavigate in a production boat, the late Jim Sink on N46 Salvation II.
Are you a part of the Nordhavn Distance Pennant program? If not, what are you waiting for? The first Pennant earned is 2,500 nm, with the next Pennant at 5,000, followed by Pennants in 5,000 increments. But don’t wait to reach 2,500 nm; you can add your miles now. Go to www.nordhavn.com/distance_pennant. We look forward to adding your miles, reading about your adventures, and sending you the Distance Pennant corresponding to your miles. Check back to the DPP page often…miles are being added every week! If you have any questions about the Distance Pennant Program contact Becky Peters at becky.peters@nordhavn.com or call 949.496.4848.