Yesterday was a great day and saw the delivery of our new N40. Having decided a couple of months ago to ‘move to the dark side’ and leave a lifetime of sailing for the comfort and utility of a passagemaking trawler, we met with Ted Robie – a senior broker with Nordhavn in Stuart, Florida. Ted has a hugely impressive background in yachting, including tenure with Hinckley (our current boat – now for sale – is a lovely Hinckley Bermuda 40) and many years of bluewater racing. He also has encyclopedic knowledge of the Nordhavn line and helped steer us to the N40. Listening to me, he got a good idea of my goals and expectations for an offshore trawler. Importantly, he also spent time with my wife and got the ‘other side’ of what would make us happy as a couple.
While it hadn’t registered with me, Ted picked up from Claudia that a flybridge was an important feature for her. In her mind, this would be a gathering place for family and friends, and Ted realized that for this to be a successful boat for us, a flybridge would be important. As it turned out, there were no N40’s with a flybridge that met our other specifications on the open market. Using his extensive contacts, Ted located an owner who at one time had expressed a possible interest in selling one day. After a number of phone calls, arrangements were made, a visit to the boat scheduled, and inside of two weeks a deal completed for an N40 that has everything both of us wanted. Ted took the time to really listen, and then work tirelessly to find the right boat at a price we were comfortable with. Even more remarkably, Ted attended to every conceivable detail, and spent many days ensuring that the boat was ready for our delivery day. And on the day he accompanied us on our delivery, he brought lunch, drinks, and snacks for everyone – and even repaired a blown high-pressure hose that ruptured halfway to the new marina. That kind of above-and-beyond service is extremely rare these days. Having owned a number of boats in my life, never have I had the kind of positive experience that Nordhavn’s Ted Robie provided us. No matter where you are in the US or overseas, if you’re thinking about a new or used Nordhavn, I strongly recommend you talk to Ted. His office number is (772) 419-0862.
This experience shows us that not only are their boats very special, but so are Nordhavn’s people!
Kim Petersen
Nordhavn 40 m/v “Tropic Explorer”