there we plan on going to the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia and islands in between that we decide we’d like to visit. Why Nordhavn: The ability of a couple to cross oceans in both comfort and safety and still have the room for another couple aboard on long passages. Also, the center stateroom is very comfortable, even in rough seas. Why cruising: The ability to get up and go from one adventure to another on the spur of the moment while still being in the comfort of our own home. Also, the camaraderie in the cruising community. It’s so fun to meet new cruisers everywhere we go and hear about their adventures and all the places they’ve been.
A Dream Well Lived
If you have a dream, chase it now before the opportunity slips away Fred Fish and Thor take a side trip at Turks. Below: DiveAdx anchored at Conception Island.
Mark and Peg Cheirrett Tenacity Nordhavn 46 #26 Nautical miles cruised: 1,750 since
August 2003. Cruising grounds: Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Canadian Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, Broughton Islands. Favorite destination: Broughton Islands. Cruising plans: This summer, northern British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. (We’ll fly back two or three times to check on the business.) Why Nordhavn: Sense of safety and comfort. As one of very few Nordhavns with twin diesels, we like the security and maneuverability of two engines. Our vessel is especially well suited for Pacific Northwest cruising. Why cruising: Changing from 18 knots to 7.5 knots has opened up a new world for us—less stress, fewer timetables, a greater ability to handle more adverse conditions and really enjoy the journey!
Andy Coverdale Mayayoni Nordhavn 46 #32
photos by michelle fish
Cruising grounds: Asia. Cruising plans: I still live on the boat in
Phuket, Thailand, and cannot think of anywhere else to go. Why? There’s good weather all year, good food, lovely people, and no taxes. . . plus really good medical at low cost for us old guys. I go to Langkawi in Malaysia, on the border with Thailand, a lovely island and dutywww.nordhavn.com
The Nordhavn cruising family lost one of its most avid members with the sudden passing of Fred Fish on April 20, 2007, at age 54. For close to three years, Fred and wife Michelle lived his dream of “cruising the oceans” aboard Diveadx, Nordhavn 40 #36. With their dogs Zeus and Thor, and from time to time with family and friends, they gloried in exploration and adventure on both U.S. coasts as they indulged themselves in their love of scuba diving and Fred’s enthusiasm for deep-sea fishing. The name of their boat is evidence of their enjoyment of diving, while Michelle’s blog at www.diveadx.com, chronicling their travels, provides an intimate look into their daily lives aboard ship. Laced with humor, she perfectly describes both the joys and the inevitable minor frustrations and inconvience that are part of the cruising life. As she says in the blog, “We’ve been
on board now for two years, having survived commissioning, open water crossings, the Panama Canal, night shifts, sleep deprivation, mechanical problems, supply problems, dog ‘issues,’ dinghy launchings and landings, 24/7 of ‘togetherness’ and various other daily challenges. Never has the term on-the-job training ever been more applicable. To be honest, I wasn’t sure we’d make it past the first 90 days.” But make it they did, and in a blog entry announcing Fred’s death, Michelle expresses both grief over his loss and delight in having made the necessary sacrifices to launch their new life together. “Some people wait for that ‘perfect’ time to chase their dreams,” she notes. “My advice is: don’t. I never realized how short time really is until last week. If you have a dream, chase it now before the opportunity slips away.” Michelle recounts how on the day they began their travels, she gave Fred a quotation attributed to Mark Twain, which he promptly placed above the helm in the wheelhouse. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your III sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
2008-2009 | circumnavigator
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