After three Motorsailers, the Elliotts finally get to baptize their yacht

By Amy Zahra

Tokkie Elliott proved to be the ideal Nordhavn customer from the very start. Let’s first go back to July 2009 when Elliott was anxiously awaiting the arrival of his brand new Nordhavn Motorsailer, hull 5. The sad tale has been recounted many times about the beautiful new yacht’s early and tragic demiseas it was being offloaded from a freighter in San Diego. The crane operators were not in sync when releasing the boat and it tipped to one side and went crashing into the freighter beneath it before sinking into the bay. It was a total loss, and Elliott’s dream was shattered…for a day, anyway, because a very fortunate turn of events came into play: There happened to be an available Motorsailer at our docks, hull #2, that was ready for the taking! Granted, it was not the layout that Tokkie desired; hull #2 had the optional sailing cockpit and his did not. But

Elliott wanted to go exploring in a new motorsailer, and here was a new motorsailer in which to go exploring. It would allow him to continue his cruising plans while another new boat – once again built to his exact specifications – was constructed. Elliott graciously accepted our offer to “borrow” hull #2 while his new boat was in production, which would take about a year. He had a wonderful time with the boat, traveling to Mexico with his wife Jackie and their family, learning the ins-and-outs of the Motorsailer, just in time for when his new hull arrived.

Elliott, now a retired farmer from Central California, grew up sailing small boats. Prior to his Nordhavn, he owned a 55-foot Oyster which he cruised extensively for almost nine years in Europe, the Caribbean and up and down the U.S. east and west coasts. He came upon an article in a magazine about the new Motorsailer about four years ago, and was instantly intrigued – this model seemed like the best of both worlds.

Now that the Elliotts have their new boat, they plan to head north for the remainder of the summer, with their first stop at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco to celebrate their son’s wedding engagement. Then they will travel to Seattle and cruise the San Juan Islands and surrounding areas. By winter, they will head south back into Mexico, and summer 2011 will probably be spent in Alaska. Elliot’s goal is to eventually travel around the world…

So a proper “boat christening” celebration on the docks was in order, because it’s not so often that you come across owners like the Elliotts. Their patience, understanding and kindness were more than we could have asked for. We are just so relieved that everything worked out under the circumstances, and in the end, we have another set of happy owners who are out there pursuing their dream…