Nordhavn 68

Message	Author	Post Date
Patrick: Thank you for the link! That's great news. I'm happy for Rip. I feel really bad about how it ended with him. He's a very competent captain, and did a great job for many years maintaining Sans Souci when I had the boat in Seattle. His long-term goal was that he would impress me enough on the Atlantic crossing that I'd want to hire him as permanent captain. Instead, the plan backfired. Rip did his part just fine, and Phil (our Chef) was better than I could have hoped. But, the trip really cemented in Roberta's and my minds that we didn't like having anyone on board except ourselves, and occasional (infrequent) guests. Don't ask me to justify why it bugs us to have staff around us all the time, but it does... I do think we're somewhat unusual in this. We just like to do our own thing, and wanted a boat we could run ourselves (and, hopefully have one!) -Ken W PS I have also met Wolfgang, Rip's captain. I enjoyed his company. He was on a delivery along with Rip and stopped here in Cabo many years ago. We played golf...	Williams, Ken	2007-03-07 00:32:52
Hi Ken, If I recall correctly, Rip Knot was your captain for the NAR. Did you happen to see that he is first mate on the N55 Global Adventure? They should be departing April 1 (although they have had at least two earlier departure dates) for their extended cruise. http://www.theglobaladventure.com/the-crew/ The new photos of your boat look great. Regards, --Patrick	Dray, Patrick	2007-03-06 22:31:26
Edward: Thank you for the question. As boats get larger, the percentage with professional crew rises. Virtually all Nordhavns 62' and smaller are captained by the owner. Virtually all Nordhavns 76' and larger have professional captains. The 64 and 68 are probably going to be 50/50. I remember Roberta and Dan Streech (Nordhavn's CEO) having a long discussion on this topic. Dan couldn't understand Roberta's insistance that the 76 was too large for us. The systems on the 68 and the 76 are virtually identical. In fact, I've so over-killed all the systems and electronics on my boat, that there is a good argument that it is the most complex Nordhavn ever built. Probably cleaning is the bigger issue. Without professional crew, the work to keep a boat clean rises exponentially with its' size. Just this past week, we were working with the canvas guys to have custom covers made for the exterior teak. As we were talking about how many different things need covered, I was starting to get nervous. Between the floors, decks, tables, chairs, settees, etc -- it can be a full day project just to put on or off the various covers. My guess is that I could have been sold on the 76. I agreed with Dan that the systems are essentially the same. Roberta though was absolutely convinced that it was too large for us to keep clean and properly maintained. One other thought in this area -- different people have different goals. Some people like having crew around, and others don't. We're in the latter category. Our goal has always been to find the largest boat that Roberta and I could operate ALONE. We've tried having professional crew on board, and confess that when the toilets jam, there is no greater feeling than being able to say 'Please fix that, I'm going ashore for lunch now.' That said, our biggest issue is the loss of privacy. We've been fortunate enough to have had some great people on board as crew, but no matter who they are, we've always looked forward to when they leave the boat. Some people get used to living with strangers, but we're not amongst them. A last thought on this topic: whether or not a boat needs professional crew is also determined by the skillset of the owner, and how the boat is to be used, and of course whether or not the owner can afford to hire crew. Running this boat, and preparing myself to run the boat, has been a full-time job. I'm retired, so I can invest the time. Others aren't. I am a reasonably intelligent engineer, and yet I have really struggled to understand some of the systems on the boat. I still think that I am not where I need to be, and have a lot of reading and studying ahead before going offshore. Some owners don't have the skills, or the time to acquire them, required to run the boat themselves. Honestly, I doubt I'll ever get my skills to the same level as most professional crew. It's just not something I'm naturally good at. If it weren't for the privacy issues, I'd be the first person to want to hire a professional crew. I'm not sure this answers your question.... -Ken W	Williams, Ken	2007-03-06 15:42:58
Ken- It seems a week has passed without a new message or question to you, and I would hate for you to get bored so........Y You mentioned a bit about the decision for couples to go with a 68 or 76 on their own vs. the need for crew, and your own decisions on the matter which seemed fairly 50/50. What other factors come into play when deciding on whether to try to manage a 76 as a couple? (I personally favor the look of the 68, much more reminiscient of the timeless 62, while my wife likes the more 'yachty' look of the 76.) I am sure there are some other factors besides sheer size and displacement, cleaning, and docking? What do you know of the crew plans of the upcoming 86 owners? What a great site and project, thanks for including us fans :) Edward	doctor@pearsonwellnesscenter.com	2007-03-06 12:41:35