It was exactly one year ago that nine Nordhavns were preparing to head offshore together in the Med Bound 2007 journey. And it was four years ago that 15 Nordhavns were readying to cross the Atlantic as part of the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally. Nordhavn is known for ambitious group cruises like these, but not all Nordhavn rallies have taken place in far-off destinations. Just witness a group of Nordhavns that traveled in company last week from mainland southern California to the island of Catalina.
The route was a mere 120 nm round trip, but for the five boats who congregated, it was the perfect “adventure” filled with the same camaraderie, the same tributes to their seaworthy boats and the same amount of fun as is had on the larger scale trips.
It started out as an idea Kurt and Susan Antonius of N43 Endurance had for an easy getaway they could share with their Marina del Rey, CA dockmates, Dan Ahearn and Whitney Tipton (N43 Island Magic) and Chuck Kendig (N40 Inspiration).
The family of Nordhavn owners is a close one, and it wasn’t long before Larry and Sue Tomback, who own N46 Beverly S, caught wind of the trip and decided to tag along.
The foursome had a great “crossing” to Catalina, taking advantage of the superb weekend weather. They reached their destination of Cherry Cove later that day – each boat on the hook in close proximity to one another.
Morning came and so did a fifth Nordhavn passing by their anchorage. The moored Nordies honked and beckoned the running Nordhavn 55 on the radio to come join the fun.
It turned out to be Tom Anton, the new owner of N55 #24, who was on his maiden voyage to Catalina having just taken delivery of the boat (which recently served as lead escort in last year’s FUBAR rally.)
Tom obliged and soon the quintet dominated Cherry Cove, luring bystanders who watched enviously at the great time being had. There wasn’t a restaurant on the island that could compete with the cocktail hour going on here!
On their last, glorious night in Catalina, Tom hosted dinner on board his 55, easily fitting the 8 guests on board. With laughter and recounts of the weekend’s events abounding, the night solidified what the entire weekend sojourn was all about: cruising with other Nordhavn owners is fun – no matter how far or near the destination.
Kurt Antonius feels lucky to be part of such a great community. And he now understands how easy it is to organize an impromptu rendezvous. Just come up with an idea, get the word out, and watch the Nordy owners unite!