Earlier this week, the deadly Typhoon Morakot slammed into Taiwan dumping more than 80 inches of rain on some communities, spawning mudslides which buried entire villages and leaving thousands stranded. Taiwan’s official death toll at the time of press stood at 14 but was expected to rise drastically over the next few days. It has been described as the worst storm to hit the nation in 50 years and we at PAE were overwhelmingly concerned when news broke of the Typhoon’s devastation, speculating its impact on our two partner factories and their staffs.

We were enormously grateful to receive an e-mail from the president of Ta Shing Yacht Building Co., Tim Juan, who let us know that all – boats and employees alike – was OK. Tim called Morakot “the most terrifying typhoon I have seen in my life” with hurricane-like wind gusts and enough rain to submerge entire towns. The impact of the storm was centered around southern Taiwan. Despite this, Ta Shing’s location in Tainan near An Ping Harbor is ideally protected and was spared from major destruction having suffered only minor damage. Ta Shing, which has been a partner of PAE for more than 30 years, currently builds the Nordhavn 62, 64, 68, 72, 76, and 56 Motorsailer. Tim was pleased to report that all molds and Nordhavns currently under construction were safe and sound.

The typhoon’s path extended from the Philippines to China, leaving an enormous trail of destruction in its wake. A check into our China-based facility, South Coast Marine, revealed only residual effects from the storm whose track was several hundred miles due north.

“Our hearts go out to the people who have been affected by this terrible storm,” said PAE president Dan Streech. “And we are so thankful that all of our extended family at Ta Shing and South Coast Marine are well.”