Friday, March 29

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Nordhavn Owners, Anxious to Cruise, Hold Their Own Rendezvous in Puget Sound

By Peter A. Janssen

It’s not news that a lot of boat companies have summer rendezvous for their owners, usually at sought-after resorts or marinas. But it is fairly unusual for owners to organize their own gatherings, just because they love cruising on their boats and want to spend time with like-minded people. That’s exactly what just happened at the first meeting of NAPS, or Nordhavns Around Puget Sound, when 15 sets of Nordhavn owners got together at Port Ludlow Marina, an upscale waterfront resort with 300 slips at the top of Puget Sound.

NAPS was the brainchild of Kevin and Alison Jeffries, who bought Red Rover, their 2005 Nordhavn 55, two years ago. They keep the boat at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle, and they’ve already cruised more than 5,600 nm, first bringing the boat up from San Diego to Seattle, then around the San Juans, and last summer up to Glacier Bay, Alaska, and back.

They got the idea for a Puget Sound gathering while flying home from the PAE (Nordhavn’s parent company) 40thanniversary gala in Dana Point, California, at the end of April. After they sent out word, they got replies from 15 separate owners; 11 who wanted to come on their own boats, and four who came via other transportation (including one who flew in from Hawaii).

Once the Nordhavns all got to Port Ludlow, they had the usual happy hour on the docks (which continued in Red Rover’s pilothouse), socializing, visiting each other’s boats, kayaking, and paddle boarding (with dogs). For Saturday night dinner, the Jeffries brought 50 pounds of pulled pork ribs up on their boat; they spread them out to cook in ovens on four other Nordhavns. By all accounts, everybody had a great time.

When it was over, Jeffries said it was “like spending the weekend with a group of good friends.” He and Alison knew some of the other owners before, but met others for the first time, including Dennis and Julie Fox. “We’d only seen Dennis on the 2004 Nordhavn Atlantic Rally video that we’ve watched, oh, a couple of dozen times,” Jeffries said.

Next year, with more time for planning, NAPS may involve a more distant location, giving the owners more of a cruise. For their own part, next week the Jeffries (with Zoe, their black Lab) will start a three-week cruise around the west coast of Vancouver Island, “poking in and out of the coast without much of an itinerary.” Read more:

http://comeonrover.com

 

 

 

 

 

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