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Nordic Tugs Production Re-Starting

Editor — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:44:24 +0000

Starboard running shot of the new Nordic Tugs 39

News this week from Nordic Tugs, Inc., that it has re-started production after a three-month hiatus during which most of the operational employees were laid off. Bob Shamek, who heads sales and marketing for Nordic Tugs, said workers were being recalled as the production processes ramp up.

View of the pilothouse and expanded helm of the new Nordic Tugs 39

The company has a number of boats on order from its dealer network, including some for its newest model, the NT-39, photos of which are shown in this piece. The Nordic Tugs line now includes the 26, 34, 39, 42, 49 and 54.

Salon aboard the new Nordic Tugs 39

A Bigger Motorsailer from Nordhavn?

Editor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:15:41 +0000

Partial Profile of a Possible Nordhavn 68 Motorsailer

Pacific Asian Enterprises, the company that builds the Nordhavn line of passagemaking boats, has spent some of the less-pressured time of the economic recession to finish work on a couple of new designs. Among them reportedly are a larger version of the 75 Expedition Yacht Fisher, a megayacht even bigger than the Nordhavn 120 currently under construction, and this one — a 68-foot motorsailer.

The 68MS is in official company drawings of layout and general arrangement that appeared on the Nordhavn Dreamers Group website this summer. The new motorsailer builds on the 56MS but, naturally, is significantly roomier and features twin engines. These drawings show a masthead sloop rig with a large foresail, but company sources indicate the boat could also be delivered as a ketch. You can download the profile drawings here; and the layout drawings here.

How long it takes before we see this boat probably has most to do with how long the recession lasts. While there are a handful of slightly positive economic measures out there, consumer (boat-buyer) uncertainty seems to be at an all-time high. Many boat-builders in the trawler/cruiser/passagemaker segment experienced a sharp drop-off in demand last April, in the midst of what was supposed to have been the recovery. Not only has that caused the untimely death of some companies (see our piece on Nordic Tugs here), but even some of those remaining are beginning to think it might be 2-3 years before demand recovers.

There is a tremendous amount of money out there, but between the “haves” who are worried about tax uncertainties and poor investment vehicles (the stock market); and the “have-nots” who can’t get loans from banks, that money is not being spent on new boats.

Nordic Tug Brand Could Revive Under Management Buyout

Editor — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:24:14 +0000

The Recently Launched Nordic Tug 39

The current management team at Nordic Tugs is looking for investors to help them acquire the brand and production capabilities from the current private owner of the company, according to a source familiar with the search. Late last week, the Washington state boatbuilder announced it was shutting down manufacturing operations. The company recently launched a new 42′ for the Seattle Boat Show, as well as a new 39′ for the Show, and has a couple of dozen pre-owned Nordic Tugs listed for sale on its website.

The current owner cited the economic recession as the underlying cause of the manufacturing shutdown. The shutdown is being attempted with the goal of keeping all parties involved as “whole” economically as possible. Employees who are being laid off are being paid for time worked up to the shutdown and for paid time-off that had been earned. Vendors and suppliers are also being paid, according to one company official.

There were two additional company-owned boats in early stages of construction. A quick check with some Nordic Tug dealers suggests a guarded optimism that the brand will survive and that manufacturing will resume as soon as consumer demand picks up whenever the recession is over. It’s pure speculation on my part, but Nordic Tugs fit into the mid- to upper-market niche and probably have a slightly higher percentage of financed buyers than the very high-end cruising and passagemaking boats. They may also have a buyer demographic that has been hit harder by unemployment. These factors could exacerbate the difficulties faced by the builder and dealers in finding buyers with either significant discretionary cash on-hand, or access to easy credit. Those last two are characteristics in extremely short supply right now.

In the end, the boats and brand will likely survive, in my opinion. They are high-quality boats, with a diverse and loyal ownership base out there that could move up through the larger models if economic conditions permit.

BREAKING NEWS – FLIR To Acquire Raymarine

Editor — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:29:01 +0000

Soundings Trade Only is reporting that FLIR has announced the purchase of Raymarine. Keep an eye out for Ben Ellison’s take on this development coming soon on Panbo, no doubt.

ActiveCaptain on the iPad – Wicked Cool

Editor — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:04:39 +0000

ActiveCaptain on the iPad - Screenshot Courtesy of Jeffrey Siegel, ActiveCaptain

I’ve been looking for a reason to have to get an iPad and I think now I’ve found it. In his latest on-the-road blog entry, Jeff Siegel of ActiveCaptain demonstrates how well the software works on the new tablet platform from Apple. Regular readers know I’m a big fan of ActiveCaptain — I use it on my Palm Centro with a Bluetooth GPS — but on the iPad it arrives at a whole new level.

As Siegel explains, ActiveCaptain will be included in an upcoming update for the Navimatics Charts and Tides software, and the app itself will work on both iPhone and iPad. He also notes that while offline, the iPad shows all of the ActiveCaptain data, and then, when Internet is available, can be re-synchronized with the live database so that you have the latest possible local information. Perfect.

He notes, as well, in a response to a reader comment, that Coastal Explorer, which ActiveCaptain now sells for a good price in its online store, will also do the synchronization. All we have to do now is get a PC maker to build a real-world tablet for us, maybe with an OLED screen and splash-proof case so we can use it on the flybridge. And no, I cannot afford a Panasonic Toughbook. If there was some real competition for that one, maybe Panasonic would lower those prices from the stratosphere.

No, I don’t get paid by ActiveCaptain. I’m just a Believer. Go get it.

Writers on the Water

Editor — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:36:37 +0000

Okay, so it’s not quite as memorable (yet?) as “Riders on the Storm,” the 1971 hit by The Doors, but a new blog by writers Christine Kling and Mike Jastrzebski called Write on the Water, is a place to talk about the intersection of writing and living and working on the water. I was the guest author there today and I’m thrilled and honored that they asked me to write something for them.

New Blog Write On The Water

Chris is already a famous (to me at least) author of a great mystery series featuring the fictional tug captain Seychelle Sullivan. And Mike is a full-time writer living on his 36′ sailboat, Roughdraft. OceanLines’ own guest author Victoria Allman, who writes our “Sea Fare” series of recipes for the cruiser and who wrote “Sea Fare: A Chef’s Journey Across the Ocean.”

I know from talking with readers of OceanLines that many of you are also writers. Remember, the definition of “a writer” is “someone who writes.” Don’t buy the stodgy nonsense that you have to have been published to be considered a true writer. Writers write. Period. And from what I’ve read, some of you are very good writers.

One definition of a good writer is someone who can tell a compelling story. Our community has those by the drove. People like Ken Williams, John and Maria Torelli, and others who have compiled their writings into books. And others, like Milt Baker and John Marshall and a host of other current cruisers, tell great stories in their blogs. Of course, there are also the classic “nautical writers” of the age of sail, like Melville, Conrad and Dana. They were all seamen before they were writers. Derek Lundy points that out in his great book “The Way of a Ship,” which is is a fantastic account of his ancestor’s passage aboard the Beara Head, an iron-hulled square-rigger, that took a load of coal around Cape Horn.

If you’ve written about your time on the water, we’d like to hear about it and share it with our other readers. Send us a link to your blog or a book you’ve written and we’ll put together a page with everyone’s links on it. I know you’re out there, typing away on some kind of keyboard. Let’s hear about it! And stop by Write On The Water when you get a chance.

Garmin Makes Huge Offer for Raymarine

Editor — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:09:35 +0000

Garmin-Proposed Helm for the Kadey-Krogen 55' Expedition

In an announcement made on the London Stock Exchange today, Garmin announced it is offering 15 pence (19.74 cents U.S.) per share for all the shares of Raymarine Plc. Raymarine lately has been discussing the various offers made for its shares but had not specifically mentioned Garmin since talks broke down between the two firms last December.

In its filing, Garmin says Raymarine initially approached it about making an offer to purchase the company back in June of 2009 and that subsequent to a recently announced offer of 3.6 pence per share of Raymarine, the company decided to make an offer.

In its announcement, Garmin notes that its offer is:

- a 436 per cent. premium to the average share price of 2.8 pence per Raymarine Share in the three-month period ending on the day prior to the announcement of a possible offer for Raymarine on 11 March 2010;

- a 366 per cent. premium to the share price of 3.22 pence per Raymarine Share on the day prior to the announcement of a possible offer for Raymarine on 11 March 2010;

- a 275 per cent. premium to the possible amount of approximately 4 pence per Raymarine Share that would be available for return to Raymarine Shareholders under the non-offer proposal referred to in Raymarine’s announcement dated 21 April 2010; and

- a 152 per cent. premium to the share price of 5.95 pence per Raymarine Share as at the close of business on 27 April 2010, the closing price on the day prior to the date of this announcement.

Total consideration of approximately £12.5 million would be payable by Garmin to Raymarine Shareholders, assuming that no Raymarine Shares are issued between the date of this Announcement and the closing date of the Offer.

Garmin says it expects the offer will receive the necessary regulatory approvals. As of mid-afternoon today there has been no official response from Raymarine.

I believe this announcement is the latest evidence of the aggressive posture Garmin has taken in recent years toward the marine electronics market. The company has pioneered a great deal of innovation in non-marine markets and has become the de-facto market leader in general aviation, as well as dominating the handheld and automotive aftermarket GPS segments. Garmin made an innovative proposal for outfitting the new Kadey-Krogen 55′ Expedition when we asked the leading marine electronics companies to do so.

USCG Photo Contest Winners for 2009

Editor — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:17:36 +0000

Instructors, crew and students of a Coast Guard National Motor Lifeboat School class train for heavy weather boat operations in the harsh environment of Cape Disappointment in the Pacific Northwest Nov. 12, 2009. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jamie E. Parsons)

Last month, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the winners of its “People’s Choice” photo contest, which we covered here. This month we have the winners of the in-house photo contest from the Coasties. These are great photos and although we’ve all seen similar photos before, we can’t seem to get enough of them. When you see this first photo of a motor lifeboat coming off the top of a wave, you know exactly the feeling in the pit of the stomach of everyone aboard that boat.

The Coast Guard Cutter Naushon conducts a familiarization patrol in Glacier Bay, Alaska, Oct. 21, 2008. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Logan Wright.)

These are the work of the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard and they represent, and reflect, the often dangerous and dramatic work these people do in the course of protecting us all. Remember that the next time you feel like groaning about a safety inspection or a request for a contribution to the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation.

A Coast Guard rescue swimmer hanging from a Coast Guard MH-60 Dolphin helicopter prepares to enter the water during high seas rescue training at Cape Disappointment, Wash., Nov. 15, 2008. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chuck Ferrante.)

Marinalife Members Get 20 Percent Discount on Beacon Wi-Fi

Editor — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:02:39 +0000

Marinalife, the online concierge and trip-planning service, recently partnered with Beacon Wi-Fi, the largest supplier of wireless Internet to marinas along the East Coast, to provide a 20% discount to its members. The new partnership extends to marinas as well, who will receive a 30% discount off the Beacon Wi-Fi wireless installation fee and 15% off monthly service fees for new installations.

Joy McPeters, president of Marinalife, said, “We polled our boating members and an overwhelming number responded that having Internet access was an important amenity at a marina. This partnership was critical for us as well as Beacon Wi-Fi because we both want to improve the experience of the boater at marinas. Beacon Wi-Fi is a very reputable company and it is ideal to be able to offer their Wi-Fi to our marina and boater clients at a better rate.”

“Beacon Wi-Fi provides service at hundreds of the finest marinas on the U.S. East Coast, all of which are focused on serving their customers well,” said Chris Reitz, Co-founder of Beacon Wi-Fi. “It makes perfect sense for us to partner with Marinalife so their boating members can benefit from our 20% discounts and securely surf the Internet. When Marinalife marina members add the Beacon Wi-Fi Network at their marina, their customers benefit from free roaming at over 200 marinas in the Beacon Wi-Fi Network.”

Marinalife said it currently has more than 8,600 marinas in its database. Beacon Wi-Fi said it has more than 200 marinas in its network, stretching from Maine to the Bahamas. There’s a good page with more technical information about the Beacon Wi-Fi service at this Marinalife webpage.

Fugawi Announces NavPlanner 2 and Updated Marine ENC

Editor — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:26:42 +0000

Screenshot of NavPlanner2 Showing Google Earth View

Fugawi recently announced the release of Navionics NavPlanner2, powered by Fugawi. The company also said it has released version 4.5.5 of its Fugawi Marine ENC.

NavPlanner2 is an atlas of U.S. coastal waters, navigable waterways, and more than 12,000 inland lakes for use on a home computer for map viewing, searching, printing, waypoint planning and GPS data managing. NavPlanner2 includes the 2010 edition of Navionics Gold U.S. marine charts and the HotMaps Premium U.S. lake maps for use on a PC. While you can’t use the charts themselves on another plotter, you can export and exchange routes, waypoints, etc., with such devices, so it can serve as a great planning tool away from the helm station. Recommended retail price is $129. The program is available directly from Fugawi or from any Navionics dealer.

Fugawi Marine ENC Version 4.5.5is software for navigation that can use many charts from many different sources, including many of the Navionics formats, S-57 format charts, S-63 encrypted ENC charts, BSB charts, NV. Digital charts, topographic maps, and your own scanned paper maps.

Screenshot of Fugawi Marine ENC with Navionics Platinum Charts

I will be evaluating this latest version of Fugawi Marine ENC during an upcoming offshore delivery from Florida to Annapolis aboard a new Kadey-Krogen 58′. We’ll have multiple computers running different nav programs so it should be a nice run. We’ll get a chance to check out Fugawi with a little travel in the ICW, out and in some popular inlets and during both near-shore and offshore navigation.

Do you use Fugawi Marine ENC for navigating? If so, drop us your thoughts about the program in the comments. We’ll keep them in mind while we evaluate the program and we may follow-up with you.