N86 powerful hydraulic stern and bow thrusters and so many strategically placed helm stations. From our notes: “Back in Victoria’s inner harbor, many more Swiftsure boats had arrived and, at first, it didn’t look like we would fit at the dock. Even Bob Conconi wasn’t sure he had enough room as he had just taken possession of Aurora, his third Nordhavn. It looked like we might have only a few feet, fore and aft. After some deliberation and judicious use of the thrusters, he parallel parked Aurora—literally—at the dock. I have more trouble parking the family van than Bob had putting Aurora into that tiny space.” Once under way, the Nordhavn 86, “with its impressive mass (displacement) and the stabilizers engaged, is as stable as a house. We only realized just how stable that was when we looked out at the 40-foot photo boat which was bobbing around like a cork.” Adds another editor: “As we exited the marina, I made my way up to the flying bridge for the best possible view. Immediately, I was struck by the silence. I could neither hear the MTU engines nor the conversations of the many people below me in the wheelhouse. We passed the headlands at the entrance to the harbor and headed into the open ocean. After years of coming out of this harbor and into the strong currents of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in every manner and size of boat, I made sure I had a hand hold as we encountered the ocean swells. On Aurora it seemed like the ocean was glass. I would not have believed I was out of the harbor except there was only ocean before me and the harbor now well behind. Her heft and her stabilizers were truly amazing. She just pushed gently through the swells like they didn’t exist.” The fit and finish of the Nordhavn 86 is at a royal level. The fiberglass work is absolutely flawless, with interior woodwork finished to the same world-class standard. There is nothing but quality wherever you look, yet it’s understated, elegant without being in your face. Kind of like the exterior doors which silently seal upon closing. The pilothouse is “fantastic, giving the Spaceship Enterprise a run for its money.” The engine room is “huge, bright, clean, with everything labeled and color-coded, with amazing access to all components.” In a word, the Nordhavn 86 is beautiful. She handles like a much smaller boat, and her beamy interior makes you think you are on a much larger boat. Nordhavn’s competitors in the up-market for larger yachts have every reason to be worried. Contributing editors Garrett Lambert and James H. Kirby, and Karen Easton, the magazine’s advertising director, pooled their comments for this report, which begins Circumnavigator’s extensive introduction to the Nordhavn 86. 12
CIRCUMNAVIGATOR I 2010
QUEEN of the FLEET A natural development of PAE’s successful formula: greater space, size, quality and innovation
www.circumnavigatormag.com