We all know what “four-foot-itis” means, right? It’s the legendary fever that grips boat owners who, even though they may love the boat they have, are more than ready to move onward and upward to a new one that’s four-feet longer than their current model. Well, here’s a story about “four-foot-itis” in spades:
Lawrence and Penny Talbot, from Vancouver, British Columbia, like cruising; in fact, they’ve been cruising for about 40 years, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, throughout the San Juan Islands and even around Vancouver Island. They started with a 26-foot Tanzer sailboat and worked their up to a North Pacific 43 and then a Nordhavn 46, which they took south, to warmer waters, on the CUBAR (Cruise Underway to Baja Rally) in 2015.
On that trip, they remember seeing another Nordhavn, a 50-footer, named Worknot, that caught their fancy. Fast forward to this year’s CUBAR, which the Talbots entered on Northern Ranger, their 1999 Nordhavn 46. They made it down to La Paz and the Sea of Cortez, when they learned that Worknot, a 2001 model, was for sale up in Ensenada. It was four feet larger, giving them more room, and it also was a few knots faster. The Talbots fell in love, and bought it. (Worknot’s owners also fell victim to a heavier version of “four-foot-itis” and moved up to a Nordhavn 57 in Florida).
“Just like that,” Penny wrote on their blog recently, “We were two boat owners.” The Talbots plan to bring the original 46-footer, now named Northern Ranger 1, up to Ensenada, a bash against the prevailing winds and current, and put it up for sale.
Then they’ll keep cruising on their new Nordhavn 50, renamed Northern Ranger 2 (pictured above). “We have become very smitten with the Sea of Cortez and are looking forward to another season of exploring,” they wrote. “After that, we are not sure which direction we will be heading.” Read more: http://northernrangeradventures.com http://nordhavn.com
