NORTH TO WHERE?

ABOUT THE BOAT

Our boat is a 2010 Nordic Tug 32, which is actually 34 feet long, bought by us in November of 2016 since, well, since we sold our other boat and didn't have one. How can one be without a boat? 

The previous owners had the boat made and commissioned for them, but found that it didn't meet their needs. It had seen very little use - the stove and oven had never been turned on, the shower had never been used, the refrigerator and freezer still had the tags on them - but the boat had seen regular, professional maintenance.

We bought, essentially, a new boat, just a few years old.

Although the length is the same as our previous boat (IMPROV, a PDQ power catamaran), it does have a smaller interior since it is a mono-hull with a beam (width) of just over 11 feet as opposed to the almost 17 foot width of our cat. It is still a very comfortable boat for two people, with a centerline queen-sized berth (plus a pull-out double guest bed in the salon), full head (bathroom) with separate shower, full galley (kitchen) with stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer and microwave. There is hot and cold running water, a heater and holding tanks for waste water and sewage. We can use 12V battery power to keep things going without shore power, but we also have a 120V electrical system that can hook up to a dock or be powered by a diesel generator if we are at anchor.

The electronics on this boat are pretty complete with dual chart-plotting displays, an autopilot, a weather station, a TV and external antenna, 4 VHF radios, a hailer (loudspeaker) system, a stereo, multiple exterior directional spotlights, an engine room camera and a remote night-vision infra-red camera. We carry back-up electronic charts on an I-pad and on a computer. We also have a satellite communication device for remote communication and emergencies.

This boat carries a little over 200 gallons of diesel fuel and at a cruising speed of 7-8 knots (a little less than 10 miles per hour) burns 1.8 gallons an hour, which would give over 1000

miles of range without reserve. It is not, however, a boat you would cross any oceans in. It is a sturdy and dependable coastal cruiser which will handle any ocean condition I would be willing to go out in, and probably a lot more.