A copy of a post from Nordhavn Dreamers
Hello everyone, once again I see the dreamers site a little quiet so I figured a short post and fix for those like myself who check their emails first thing everything morning for their daily Nordhavn update. It doesn't matter what the subject is, its just something about reading the email. So here you go this Monday morning. For those from my home state of NY hopefully this will bring thoughts of summer.
Today we woke to another sun-filled, promising 70 degree day with gentle on shore breezes. Living aboard requires an early rise for me since Daisy will not "go" on the boat. Even after three Nordhavn's she will not cooperate and knows we will give into her. So as 0630 hours arrives I'm up and out taking her for her walk. The marina was still quiet as the boat show being held here had not yet started. After the walk it was coffee time aboard. We found a great blend of beans at our local Trader Joe's which we save just for the boat. The aroma and taste of a fresh ground cup of coffee aboard is one of the little things I missed the past few years. Soon after the first cup Maria awakes and joins me in the salon. Daisy will sleep in for another couple of hours. We discussed todays plans which change as frequently as the wind speed. Nothing is fixed when spending time aboard, even if you are not out cruising the world. Just being aboard, away from work and the house allows you to escape from reality if not just for the weekend and in our opinion is priceless. Heck, none of us are getting any younger.
After coffee we decided a trip to West Marine followed by a three hour cruise was in order (replacing the electric horn is going to have to wait another day). The tach had stopped working a couple of weeks ago and my mechanic said he had it fixed. Last weekend we learned that wasn't the case, so after learning where the Tach gets its input (the aft transmittion housing) I went to work cleaning the terminals last night and behold, it worked today. Learned something new (again). As we motored pass the boat show we could see people ashore pointing out towards La Tempestad. A couple hour cruise around the bay, listening to the Coast Guard report every 30 minutes that a baby Blue Whale had gotten lost and entered the channel provided the fix I needed. We continue to keep the engine RPM's low since the stuffing box is still running a little warm after recent repacking. We did get her up to the low 2,000's RPM and were flying along at close to 8 knots. Wow, amazing how much faster 8 knots feels compared to 6 knots on the N40's. This little boat still pushes water like a FD and feels solid which Mary insists on. When we hit a large wake head-on we went up and down and took spray over the bow, cool. Reminded me of the time we took N4050 up from Mexico and faced the BaHa Bash on the bow. We took plenty of water over the bow and decided we didn't like head seas. With stabilizers we prefer beam seas any day. So far we have been impressed with the N35 soft motion (like the N40) and not missing the stabilizers (yet). After returning to the marina and washing down the boat I decided to walk back over to the boat show as Mary and Daisy rested. When we visited the show yesterday we spoke with representatives of a local yacht club who were offering a six month, no commitment trial and 50% off sign up fees. We had visited this specific club years ago with members for dinner and thought it may be fun to join but didn't pursue it. I called Jeff Merrill afterwards to get his thoughts (Jeff is second generation members and his kids are third generation members at another club) and he thought it would be fun for Mary and I to join such a club. I think we will give a try for six months then make the final decision. Anything that adds to the boating experiences can not be that bad.
After returning from the show it was 5 o'clock (at least somewhere) and time for a margarita and a little music as we discussed dinner options. Last night we dinned out at the new Cheesecake Factory in downtown San Diego so tonight we decided to stay in and get ready for the Grammy Awards later this evening. In preparation for tonight's evening of music, we have Jimmy Buffett - Live in Antigua playing on the salon TV. Something about JB and boating, its just a natural combination. In fact we heard a song from JB today that we never heard before thinking it was new only to find out it was from 1995. The song was Blue Haven Rendezvous - ever hear it?
It looks like a pizza night tonight from our favorite place about a mile away so I'll have to make the drive. I'm not complaining since there is a N56 motorsailer docked behind the restaurant for sale which I can look at (again) and the pitcher of margaritas will still be 3/4 full when I return. We have been aboard the boat since Thursday evening (I worked Friday) and it feels like we have been on vacation for a week and need to go home and rest.
This is real reason for this post. I can not speak for others but for Mary and I, spending long weekends aboard is like vacation time for us. We just have a dang blast every time we visit the boat and can not wait to return. Granted we are in the "happiest city" in the US (San Diego) but I'm sure anyplace on a boat would feel like a vacation.. What a life style! Come on dreamers, what are you waiting for? Signing off for this weekend. Wow, Jimmy is done already, time for the Eagles Live in Australia.
John T
N3522
Hello everyone, once again I see the dreamers site a little quiet so I figured a short post and fix for those like myself who check their emails first thing everything morning for their daily Nordhavn update. It doesn't matter what the subject is, its just something about reading the email. So here you go this Monday morning. For those from my home state of NY hopefully this will bring thoughts of summer.
Today we woke to another sun-filled, promising 70 degree day with gentle on shore breezes. Living aboard requires an early rise for me since Daisy will not "go" on the boat. Even after three Nordhavn's she will not cooperate and knows we will give into her. So as 0630 hours arrives I'm up and out taking her for her walk. The marina was still quiet as the boat show being held here had not yet started. After the walk it was coffee time aboard. We found a great blend of beans at our local Trader Joe's which we save just for the boat. The aroma and taste of a fresh ground cup of coffee aboard is one of the little things I missed the past few years. Soon after the first cup Maria awakes and joins me in the salon. Daisy will sleep in for another couple of hours. We discussed todays plans which change as frequently as the wind speed. Nothing is fixed when spending time aboard, even if you are not out cruising the world. Just being aboard, away from work and the house allows you to escape from reality if not just for the weekend and in our opinion is priceless. Heck, none of us are getting any younger.
After coffee we decided a trip to West Marine followed by a three hour cruise was in order (replacing the electric horn is going to have to wait another day). The tach had stopped working a couple of weeks ago and my mechanic said he had it fixed. Last weekend we learned that wasn't the case, so after learning where the Tach gets its input (the aft transmittion housing) I went to work cleaning the terminals last night and behold, it worked today. Learned something new (again). As we motored pass the boat show we could see people ashore pointing out towards La Tempestad. A couple hour cruise around the bay, listening to the Coast Guard report every 30 minutes that a baby Blue Whale had gotten lost and entered the channel provided the fix I needed. We continue to keep the engine RPM's low since the stuffing box is still running a little warm after recent repacking. We did get her up to the low 2,000's RPM and were flying along at close to 8 knots. Wow, amazing how much faster 8 knots feels compared to 6 knots on the N40's. This little boat still pushes water like a FD and feels solid which Mary insists on. When we hit a large wake head-on we went up and down and took spray over the bow, cool. Reminded me of the time we took N4050 up from Mexico and faced the BaHa Bash on the bow. We took plenty of water over the bow and decided we didn't like head seas. With stabilizers we prefer beam seas any day. So far we have been impressed with the N35 soft motion (like the N40) and not missing the stabilizers (yet). After returning to the marina and washing down the boat I decided to walk back over to the boat show as Mary and Daisy rested. When we visited the show yesterday we spoke with representatives of a local yacht club who were offering a six month, no commitment trial and 50% off sign up fees. We had visited this specific club years ago with members for dinner and thought it may be fun to join but didn't pursue it. I called Jeff Merrill afterwards to get his thoughts (Jeff is second generation members and his kids are third generation members at another club) and he thought it would be fun for Mary and I to join such a club. I think we will give a try for six months then make the final decision. Anything that adds to the boating experiences can not be that bad.
After returning from the show it was 5 o'clock (at least somewhere) and time for a margarita and a little music as we discussed dinner options. Last night we dinned out at the new Cheesecake Factory in downtown San Diego so tonight we decided to stay in and get ready for the Grammy Awards later this evening. In preparation for tonight's evening of music, we have Jimmy Buffett - Live in Antigua playing on the salon TV. Something about JB and boating, its just a natural combination. In fact we heard a song from JB today that we never heard before thinking it was new only to find out it was from 1995. The song was Blue Haven Rendezvous - ever hear it?
It looks like a pizza night tonight from our favorite place about a mile away so I'll have to make the drive. I'm not complaining since there is a N56 motorsailer docked behind the restaurant for sale which I can look at (again) and the pitcher of margaritas will still be 3/4 full when I return. We have been aboard the boat since Thursday evening (I worked Friday) and it feels like we have been on vacation for a week and need to go home and rest.
This is real reason for this post. I can not speak for others but for Mary and I, spending long weekends aboard is like vacation time for us. We just have a dang blast every time we visit the boat and can not wait to return. Granted we are in the "happiest city" in the US (San Diego) but I'm sure anyplace on a boat would feel like a vacation.. What a life style! Come on dreamers, what are you waiting for? Signing off for this weekend. Wow, Jimmy is done already, time for the Eagles Live in Australia.
John T
N3522
