The parade that accompanies every new boat that’s launched from the Ta Shing factory and brought to the shipping port is an inadvertent ceremony celebrating the master achievement that has just occurred. In this past weekend’s case, it was the birth of Nordhavn 68#45, SOLO, a boat so magnificent that it vies for top honors in the Nordhavn 68 beauty contest (something that is almost impossible to even comprehend given that every N68 produced is a gorgeous triumph.)
The procession of SOLO meant the culmination of two years of patience, cooperation, collaboration and expectations for her happy new owners, Christoph and Sandra. The German couple had completed a circumnavigation in their sailboat and wanted a motoryacht that could reliably and comfortably carry them to similar far-flung reaches of the globe. They worked with Project Manager Justin Zumwalt and the gifted artisans at Ta Shing to customize a modern Nordhavn 68 that hit every mark on their dream boat’s list of must-haves and in the process created a yacht that’s poised to be one of those iconic Nordhavns that buyers and dreamers tend to always reference.
The lighting of whippersnapper fireworks tied to long cords off the back of the truck announced the start of the motorcade and then traffic was stopped – as it always is – to make way for the flatbed carrying the 91-ton yacht (NOTE: The weight of a Nordhavn is measured in long tons at a ratio of 1 lt = 2,240 lbs.). Following behind on foot was PAE president Dan Streech along with Sandra and Christoph taking photos of the procession. Even the city’s residents who have experienced this ballyhoo time and time again stopped to gawk at the marvelous SOLO.
The pomp and circumstance of the important “bridging ceremony” as the hull succeeds from factory to shipping prep, is an ideal opportunity for owners who are there in person to celebrate and christen their new boat. The craftspeople and staff at Ta Shing understand the magnitude of the moment, and even though it is a process that repeats for them, they buy into it each time with 100 percent investment as if it were a singular occurrence. “It’s actually a very emotional moment,” says Dan Streech. “What most [buyers] don’t realize is that they wind up forming wonderful friendships with PAE staff, and especially with those at Ta Shing. When you purchase a Nordhavn, you are not just buying fiberglass, wood, machinery and systems; you are entering the Nordhavn family. And that is a very wonderful place to be.”
That message certainly was conveyed in Sandra’s poignant christening speech. She and Christoph climbed aboard after SOLO was launched into Anping Harbor, just before making its way to the shipping terminal. After 24 months of interacting with the design and build team, the celebratory moment took a bittersweet turn. “It’s very very emotional,” said Sandra, who called the moment “happy and sad” because it also marked the end to the couple’s regular factory check-ins. “I want to say thank you to everybody who took part to develop this boat into a beauty…I really admire and appreciate your skills, your knowledge, your experience. You work very hard and [are] very ambitious, very creative and very patient. This is incredible.” (See video for the entirety of Sandra’s toast.)
SOLO will spend the remainder of the week undergoing sea trials to test all her systems before being loaded onto the transport ship next Wednesday. She will offload soon after in the UK and be brought to Nordhavn Europe, where the final commissioning items will be tackled.
