Browsing: James Hamilton

Cruising Life
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The Best-Laid Plans: Dirona Changes Course

Ever since they bought Dirona, their Nordhavn 52 in 2009, James and Jennifer Hamilton, a high-tech couple from Seattle, have been cruising. At first they concentrated on the Pacific Northwest while still working in shore, but in 2012 they started cruising full time. Since then they’ve completed a circumnavigation and much more. Indeed, they’ve put more than 74,000 miles under their hull. The Hamiltons know how to plan, and to plan well. But now, in a time of the coronavirus, even the best-laid plans go by the wayside. Last summer and fall the Hamiltons cruised through Scandinavia, and ended up…

Cruising Life
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Cruising With a Cat – Around the World

Long-range cruising is one thing; long-range cruising with a pet is another. But James and Jennifer Hamilton have managed to make all this seem easy, as they’ve been cruising – literally around the world – with their cat Spitfire ever since they left Seattle on their Nordhavn 52 Dirona in 2012. The Hamiltons, who now are in Amsterdam, have written an account of life on board with Spitfire on their blog, MVDirona.com. Here’s how they – and Spitfire – have managed so far: When we first started planning our boat trip around the world, we expected that cruising internationally with…

Cruising Life
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Dirona, a Nordhavn 52, Is One of the First American Boats To Cruise the Saimaa Canal in Russia and Finland

Very few Americans make it to the Saimaa Canal, a 26-mile body of water starting near Vyborg, Russia, and ending in Finland’s lake country, with a series of 120 interconnected lakes and canals. Indeed, one local told James and Jennifer Hamilton on Dirona, their Nordhavn 52, that it was the first American boat there in the past 48 years. The Hamiltons, from Seattle, have been cruising since 2012 and already have one circumnavigation on Dirona under their belts. They plan to cruise in the Scandinavian countries this summer. Here is their log of cruising the Saimaa Canal: The Saimaa Canal, connecting Lake…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

At Sea Once More, the Hamiltons Are Halfway to Ireland on their Nordhavn 52 James and Jennifer Hamilton are at it again (or more accurately, are at it still). The Hamiltons, a high-tech couple from Seattle, have already cruised around the world on MV Dirona, their 52-foot Nordhavn. Last year they cruised 3,650 nm from St. Helena in the South Atlantic to Barbados, the longest nonstop voyage ever taken by a Nordhavn under 100 feet. Now, they’re in the middle of a 3,000-nm cruise from Newport, Rhode Island, to Ireland. After that, they plan to head for the Scottish Isles…