The PAE 40TH Anniversary and Nordhavn Rendezvous came to a close late Sunday afternoon, with smiles and maybe faint traces of exhaustion spread across the faces of all those who had the good fortune of being able to attend the spectacular, activity-packed, three-day event.

About 100 boat owners and 100 more guests attended the event that not only served to commemorate Pacific Asian Enterprises’ four decades of business but also to celebrate the wonderful, adventurous and inspirational boat owners who have helped shape the Nordhavn brand into what it is today.

“At some point since the first Nordhavn 46 was built, there emerged this Nordhavn ‘thing’,” said PAE President Dan Streech. “It is a cult-like buzz that surrounds Nordhavns that was generated by the boat owners. And it’s better than any marketing idea or PR we could ever produce ourselves. Like all Rendezvous we put on, this one paid homage to the owners. Without them, we are just a company that builds great boats.”

The 2018 Rendezvous was one for the ages that included the biggest guest list of any Nordhavn event on record. At its apex – during the Gala dinner-dance Saturday night, more than 225 people were in attendance to mix, mingle, dance, clamor for the photo booth, and enjoy incredible food.

New to the Nordhavn Rendezvous this year, PAE designated a charity to partner with. The Ocean Institute, located in the Dana Point Harbor was an obvious choice – not only because they are a neighbor to PAE’s headquarters, but their objective of promoting ocean conservancy and marine education is a mission that resonates withevery Nordhavn owner. Through a variety of raffles, $2,500 was generously donated on behalf of the Ocean Institute.

The 2018 Rendezvous kicked off on Friday afternoon with a cocktail party and barbecue. Later, guests flocked to poker and blackjack tables at the mini-casino set up in the main tent.

Attendees spent Saturday attending a wide variety of seminars and visiting the Vendors Exhibition Tent made up of our key sponsors who came to display the latest and greatest products, provide info and answer questions. While this was ongoing, the Nordhavn sales staff hosted an Open House for around 100 prospects who came to check out Nordhavns with  hopes of someday getting to attend a future Rendezvous with other owners.

The festivities were rounded out Sunday with a few more morning seminars followed by an extensive awards ceremony. Owners from nine boats who were in attendance received their Distance Pennants for various mileage milestones accomplished. (See list below). The pennant ceremony gave way to some not-your-average “Cruiser Superlative” achievements, including the Ocean Navigator Magazine prize for the couple who traveled the furthest to purchase their Nordhavn.

“Our goal was to present a classy and fun experience and share in celebrating what brings us all together – our love of cruising and Nordhavns,” said Dan Streech. “I think with this Rendezvous, we hit that mark on the head. I also think we won’t wait so long until the next one.”

To be continued…