Thursday February 23rd
What happens when you find someone else that makes it possible for you to consider asking for a divorce and marrying another boat? Now, granted, we kind of consider ourselves serial boat owners… monogamy has not been our strong suit in past boat relationships.
Our first boat together… a Tanzer 26….. Pagoo… she was very… blue….
our Campion 30 Trawler.. home for several years and project boat of Philbrooks for many years…
North Pacific 43, a beautiful boat for cruising up and down the West coast…. our Malahide…
and of course Northern Ranger I… just about the perfect boat for our cruise down the coast to Mexico
Sail, small power, small trawler ( that marriage lasted a very long time!) then new trawler and then new older trawler that was going to be our forever boat. And now…. four foot-itus has taken hold.
Again.
Mind you, we both knew it was a possibility, as spending time with our friends and family on Northern Ranger has illustrated that sometimes less is … well, less.
Northern Ranger has been the boat of our dreams, and everything about her, for two of us, has been perfect. She was already well equipped and well taken care of when we bought her, and because of our plans to head south, we did a lot to make her off-shore ready. Outside and in, she is a beautiful, shippy, classic-style trawler with lots of additional toys to make her even better ( pop up television comes to mind!!!) The owners prior to us had never taken overnight guests out on her, so any spare accommodations had been removed. We remedied this right away, making it possible for us to entertain friends and also have long-range guests on board.
Two friends travelling with us is doable, and fun, and there are lots of places for people to disappear and get out of each other’s hair if the need arises … but our spare accommodation can only be called cozy… very cozy. And when your guests are six foot or over, cozy isn’t always a positive word. Not that anyone ever complained..but I had somewhat of a love/hate relationship with our stateroom. I remember our first look, when we were checking her out to buy. I fell in love with it, the warm teak, the beautiful bed, the hanging lockers and numerous drawers and cupboards – red and black cushions, white bedspread, it was as luxurious as they come. The bed turned out to be as comfy, soft, and “don’t want to get out of me do you?” as it looked… but for me, it was difficult to make. It was ALMOST a walkaround… except the last three feet is crawl around – and stripping and re-making it was always awkward. Sometimes even painful ( not as young as I once was! ) It seems as if every boat we have ever owned suffered from the same shortcoming – the bed was comfortable when you got into it, but it was never easy to make. (Mind you, once you got into it, I don’t think I have ever had a more comfortable mattress.)
So when a 50 foot Nordhavn that we knew cropped up on the market,, somewhere a neuron fired and a synapse was bridged and thoughts were redirected from “wonder when we will get back down to Mexico to play on Northern Ranger” to “I wonder if we can find a way to buy a bigger boat”….
And with us, if the timing is right, the rest ( following your thoughts down that path ) is easy.
Which means that tomorrow we hop on a plane and fly to San Diego, and from there drive to Ensenada, where N50 Worknot awaits us. We hope! There are two other 50’s in our fleet of friends on Nordies – so we know the design fairly well. She is bigger than the 46 by only four feet, so not too much more expensive to keep ( moorage, haulout fees all rise exponentially as the boat grows)…. but that four feet makes a noticeable difference in accommodation. And from all the info we have gleaned from the website, she is a lovely boat. Even her layout is perfect for us – just the one guest cabin with a double bed and a desk rather than two small cabins with small bunks ( perfect for families, not so good for grownup guests)
And the master – a WALKAROUND QUEEN BED… heaven! I poured over all the pics and the info last night for hours, but kept going back to that master stateroom. Only tiny negative is the use of white laminate in that room rather than teak walls – I had grown very fond of my glowing teak walls… however, the balance sheet was out and we were checking off boxes.
Everything decorative is neutral, perfect for making it our own in the future… nothing needs changing. And just an aside here.. anyone from that OTHER trawler company reading this?? take note…
Selling a vessel based on it being “SHE WORTHY…” meaning, I assume, it’s pretty and the galley works… that sucks as an advertising scheme. Just saying. I have spent lots of time in engine rooms, explored ways to add more fishing rods to a boat, and sat in the helm seat on overnight passages. SHE WORTHY is an embarrassing and condescending label. My opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I love those particular boats and we could easily have bought one before we went Nordhavn. Just.. not the ad campaign.
Back to Worknot – she comes with a paddleboard, and racks for our hard kayaks. Also there is room for the portaboat up top,where there is already a large rigid hull inflatable.
The inflatable kayaks we bought for Mexico can get tucked somewhere in the truck for the camper. Thoughts race forward… too many and too fast… pluses and minuses…
The logistics will be interesting, but very very exciting. One boat has to come up from La Paz to be sold, the other has to go back down to replace it. Two adventures.. big question is when… everything has to be done by the summer hurricane season… unless of course someone wants to buy NR1 as is where is. Pretty cool to have a boat already situated in the Sea of Cortez! and she is ready to roll… like Worknot, she was gone over thoroughly in preparation for heading south. New varnish work on the teak, fresh bottom paint, and NR1 is good to go!
now if you’ll excuse me I am going back on line to check out more pictures of my new forever boat!!!
Which I don’t have to do now as Lawrence has printed out the specs and we can pour over everything at our leisure.
I just found out that this weekend is Carnaval in Ensenada. It was not easy getting a hotel room – and I am super excited and not a bit nervous about being there at this time. But it will be totally an experience and I have wanted to be down south for Carnaval for a long time – so this is going to be good!
Friday, February 24 – 1315
We have arrived in San Diego after an uneventful flight – nice to leave early enough that we are able to enjoy the SUNSHINE! We left Vancouver prepping for more winter and have landed in sunny San Diego. The weather report may have said 15 but I am feeling 20!
Our hotel is in the centre of Liberty station, which is pretty nice for getting around and finding a place to eat. I am sitting in our little tiny balcony but it is facing both the water and the sun and it is glorious! Everything is green here, which indicates that they have indeed been getting some precipitation. I brought my raincoat just in case, and after watching Lawrence put a pair of shorts in his suitcase I threw in a pair myself – which I am happily wearing! However, I don’t have any other summer stuff, so this should be interesting. Maybe have to go shopping! More summer clothes!!!! and why oh why didn’t I put in my hat??
1622 – we have been fed, and we have walked – it’s pretty nice out, although the wind chill factor makes my shorts and flirty shirt a tad underdressed. Had a great lunch at a burger place called 50/50 . I believe the name comes from their burgers which are 50% beef and 50% bacon. Wowza. I had a yummy asian salad with grilled chicken and a glass of wine, Lawrence had a marvellous chicken burger with blue cheese and a rather lovely beer. The beer menu is spectacular. Hence the Burger and Beer during happy hour for $15.00.
After lunch we walked through Liberty Station checking out the shops ( artsy area full of galleries and schools and museums and such) and foody areas… also stopped for a coffee at Starbucks. Take the chill off.
We are being picked up between 0900 and 1000 tomorrow morning for our trip down to Ensenada. The owners are on their boat, and will give us a tour, the low-down, and hopefully a bit of a run out to sea. We know them from 2015 Cubar, having spent a while traveling from San Diego to San Jose Del Cabo, and we were moored next door to them in SJDC for a while. We have been picking the brains of our other N50-owning friends –
and they have given us a lot to think about. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the other 50 up in Anacortes that suddenly appeared now has an offer in and is probably off the market, pending survey etc. There is another one in Alaska, but the thought of bringing another boat all that way down the coast is not one we want to contemplate.
The big question is – will there be other 50’s coming on the market in the near future ? All of these boats are unique. Each build was done slightly differently, depending on the owner’s design or what Nordhavn changed through the years. Three staterooms, two staterooms. Fly bridge, no fly bridge. Full walkaround, only one side walk around ( that affects the size of the saloon). And so on and so on. The trick is to decide if there are any deal breakers, and what you can accept even if you’d rather have the other option. (Just heard a funny…..”you’ve seen one Nordhavn, you’ve seen one Nordhavn.”.. they are all so different)
This boat doesn’t have a davit up on top, she has a mast and boom. Nor does it have a fly bridge which could be a deal breaker for some people ( however the top deck is huge and there is plenty of room for a table and chairs if we feel like eating al fresco once we are anchored!)
It has full walk around – something some people really like and others really hate. It has two staterooms – that is a good thing in my mind. The trick is to balance what it has and what you want, vs what it doesn’t have and what you can’t live without.
When we walked onto Northern Ranger, we fell in love. Mind you, at that time ( not unlike now) the 46’s and 47’s were being snapped up as soon as we saw them.. so perhaps there was a teeny bit of urgency in our decision, but after the fact we never questioned whether or not she was the perfect boat for us. And she is still beautiful and perfect. It just feels as though now is a good opportunity to make an upgrade, while we can, and while there are some options on the market. Will another one come along with more of the “must haves” and “want to haves” and fewer of the “don’t wants”? Who knows. Only 27 of this model were built. They stopped production after that. It is still considered one of the classic and more seaworthy of the Nordhavns, not to mention the fleetest of foot (hull?) ( the 46 and the 62, both original designs from the inception of Nordhavn, are also considered two of the best designs as well, 46 arguably being the most seaworthy, so there was never any question about being able to follow our friends on their offshore jaunts… many 46’s have crossed oceans.)
Saturday February 25 – 0900…last night we had dinner with Jeff Merrill – our boat broker – at Village Green, a very fun restaurant full of yacht types close to our hotel.
Jeff is a Norhavn specialist, and so we are able to pick his brains about the boat, and others like her. He can’t be with us today as we view Worknot, unfortunately… although he would love to be. However, if this all goes through, he will certainly be there for us when it comes time to learn the ropes.
1506 – back in San Diego, Sunday February 26
Yesterday was a whirlwind, as we were picked up in SD by David, a friend of Gale and Mary’s who does double ( and very able) duty as a driver. We arrived in Ensenada and were dropped at the marina, where we renewed our acquaintance with the owners of Worknot and went aboard. They kept insisting they would leave us alone to get really nosy, but we all had so much to say that it took a while .. and honestly, it didn’t matter if they were there or not, it was nice to chat to them as we were looking around, opening cupboards and checking out the facilities.
What a great boat! I couldn’t hide my admiration for her, and there certainly wasn’t anything not to like. Eventually we wandered off to drop our luggage at the hotel ( hmmmm…. interesting place)… and then went for lunch.
Afterwards we walked back to the marina (watched a bit of the carnaval parade… had no choice as it was blocking our passage across the street that would take us to the Marina) for another in depth climb-around. So many great things about the boat, the drawbacks were getting less and le
ss important. In fact – I discovered it has a built in vacuum! How cool is that! (it’s in the engine room which is immaculate and spacious.) After a few hours of this, we headed back to our hotel, for dinner ( nice Italian spot) and bed.
Carnaval in Ensenada… I was a bit concerned but really it wasn’t that bad. The hotel – well, let’s just say it was …. spartan. I tried to use the tap but it fell off in my hand. The door looked as though it could be kicked in by a toddler. However, it was a place to stay and I wasn’t that worried about someone walking by and peeking in ( curtain didn’t close quite fully so if anyone really wanted to…) we were tired and were asleep in no time. Woke up around three to revellers wandering around outside, but quickly fell back to sleep. Can’t complain, we were lucky to get a room!
Next morning we wandered to a coffee shop for a pastry and a latte, then arrived at Worknot for a little “sea trial”. Unfortunately the person who had been hired to clean the interior had somehow managed to get water into the touch screen of the stabilizer controls so the unit wasn’t working. Gale was utilizing a hair dryer to no avail, which meant that when we went out we didn’t have the use of the stabilizers. No problem… there was a bit of a swell , but nothing untoward and it was nice to feel how the boat handled without them.
Everything else went well! it was fun, we enjoyed the way the boat felt and handled – then back to the dock, where David picked us up, and we drove back to San Diego.
Along with thousands of other people. However, we managed to get through fairly quickly, avoiding the sellers and hawkers and churros… yay David! and were home in good time.
We went for a walk and made the decision , via phone call, to put in an offer …. the start of something good! We walked some more, enjoyed the setting sun and then went back to the hotel, where we convened in the bar/restaurant at the hotel for a drink, a bit of dinner, and a lovely visit with Christy and her granddaughter Brooklyn….. absolutely delightful, and lots of information to trade back and forth. After they left, we watched the Oscars…… and talked about what we had done.
Monday February 27 – 1353
San Diego Airport…
1611 San Francisco Airport..
after a very bumpy ride!
OK…today we are heading home, obviously. This morning, in the pouring rain ( sideways!) Ken picked us up and took us out for breakfast, where we met Christy. Lovely b-fast and a conversation about the boat… lots to talk about, as they are not only knowledgeable but Christy is a broker. Ken gallantly drove us to the airport and our time in town was over.
The plan now is, unless something happens…. we will leave the new boat in SD ( hopefully at Chula Vista) where we can visit her during the summer and maybe even play a little. NR will come up from La Paz at some point before the hurricane season and get herself ready for sale – a new coat of varnish and some washing and waxing and new bottom paint and she will be good to go. That will probably get done in Ensenada, and then I guess wherever Jeff feels he can sell her the easiest, we will have her taken there.
In all this there are lots of other things happening, all the ins and outs of having a Canadian Boat and buying an American Boat. But we have people we trust and know well who can advise and aid us – so I am anticipating greater minds than mine will figure it all out.
Summer in San Diego – we have already started dreaming about driving down with the truck and camper, so we can play and putter in my favourite American city.
Other option is to use a weather window that may show up during an appropriate time and take her back south. But the more I think about it, the more fun we can have leaving her in SD.
And when Cubar 2017 rolls around, in November – we can tag along… Varnebank may be there too –
and Tanglewood… great friends of ours…so it’s actually very attractive.
OK time to sit back and review here.
In one week we have gone from being happy N46 owners to quite probably two boat owners.
Not anything we haven’t done before! But are we doing the right thing?
This is what happens when you own boats. You start to think about what else you may need, what else you can buy, to satisfy your two three four five foot itus.
Bottom line?
We absolutely adore Northern Ranger 1. She is a beautiful boat, we bought her as a forever boat – and we poured money into her to make her not just beautiful but also even more seaworthy than she already was. And don’t kid yourself – the 46 is probably the most seaworthy Nordhavn built. That being said…. going out to set the paravanes did get a bit old after a while. Did they work??? beautifully! and we learned to put them out well before we needed them. Problem solved.
And if you came into an anchorage, you just left them out and you had a wonderful set of flopper stoppers to stabilize you in a rolly anchorage. BONUS!!!!
Stable, beautiful, roomy – all teak, all warm, all set up for easy cruising – she was perfect.
And our galley – the previous owners installed a gorgeous Bertazonni gas stove before we bought her, and we took out the Perlick fridge/freezer drawers and put in Isotherm drawers that are very classy looking and energy efficient.
But somehow – when it comes to boating – more is more. And when you have an opportunity to move up – we all want to do it.
Unless, of course, you start up to begin with. Those of you who bought into Nordhavn at the 60 level… don’t need to read this! You are THERE!!!
But here we are. Planning to shoehorn buying and selling our boats somewhere into this spring while we are also planning to move from the Lower mainland to our interior country house … downsizing as we go.
crazy.
but hey…. that’s what makes it fun, mon!!!!!
Aaaaaand Feb 28th… offer accepted. We are going to be N5017’s new owner barring any unforeseen circumstances, of course…
Plans are now firmed up to go back down mid March, connect with Jeff, with the owners, with the surveyor, and Lugger expert Bob Senter,… throughout the time we are there… haul the boat, have the survey done… do a sea trial…I wonder what our kids REALLY think of us?? Crazy parents!!!
March 7 0847 The Naming Of Boats
well next week we head to SD – (Monday the 13th? ) and then drive to Ensenada on Tuesday to meet with the array of facilitators for this grand adventure. Lawrence is away in Toronto this week and Jeff is busy with the other Nordhavn sale (in Florida.. probably a lot warmer than we are here in the oddly still frozen Vancouver)… I hope that SD and Ensenada bring some spring to our lives! However, we are there for an important reason!!!! THE BOAT!
I was chatting via email to Jeff and used the word Smitten… as in we are smitten with this vessel. He suggested that was a good name for a boat. I have to agree with him! It is kind of cute!
I know boat names are the last thing we need to worry about but it has always been a big deal for us.
First boat, the 26 Tanzer, we christened Pagoo … a hermit crab featured in a beautiful picture book about hermit crabs by Hollings… gorgeous paintings.. Lawrence was a marine biologist when I met him and hermits were one of his favourite sea critters. It was a no brainer.
We traded in Pagoo for a 26 Campion offshore Toba so we had some room to live aboard while he went back to university for his second career. Because she was so fast and shiny and sleek
( we thought so anyway ) we called her Mithril, a most precious metal in Lord of the Rings.
Third boat was a slow Campion Trawler that we also lived on with our son, so we went back to the name Pagoo because we carried our house on our backs, so to speak. Twenty some odd years and two kids later, we had a North Pacific 43 built for us, and because she looked rather white and castle-y, we named her after the Talbot castle in Ireland – Malahide. It suited her pretty much, although I always had a bit of an issue with the Mal part of the word – maladroit, malicious, malevolent …
and then along came Northern Ranger. We both decided the name was perfect, it worked for both of us in a lot of ways, and so we kept it.
Now… a new boat – new old boat… and the owners will be taking their name with them.
What to call this one??? We really like “Northern Ranger”, although she won’t perhaps ever see the north with us, if we keep her south. ( Bringing an American boat up to Canada legally entails a lot of money. The government needs its cut, after all).
We have a much-loved dog, a cockapoo named Kona, who is in declining health right now and we aren’t sure he will be around to enjoy this new acquisition. Lots of people name their boats after beloved family pets, and I have been mulling over “Kona Bear” for a little while now.
It kind of suits the boat and is actually very nice. Other options are to go back to Malahide, but for reasons stated I am not leaning in that direction. Pagoo would be OK but when I was up in Juneau, there were two Pagoos on our dock alone. So it’s not that unique any more.
She is certainly not a Mithril.. although she is rather precious.
Pretty soon we will have to sit down and seriously think this through – and in our mind it is an important decision. If nothing else, you have to imagine yourself calling the coast guard … what does your name sound like over the radio?
Is it easy to interpret, easy to spell, easy to say? Or is it unpronounceable or worse, does it make you sound like a complete idiot.. we have seen a few names lately that just make you shake your head and wonder “what were they thinking?”. A sense of humour is a great thing, but for goodness sakes, these are beautiful boats. Sullying their dignity with a ridiculous potty-mouth name or double entendre smirk smirk nudge nudge name.. that is just… wrong!
And… cue the snow. March 7 in Vancouver. Will winter ever end??? Time to head south and find some sun!
March 9
more rain .. it’s just about as dreary as it can be… I just checked the weather for Ensenada and San Diego next week…
hooray! sun! hot! I can hardly wait! I have been thinking about this non-stop… and going online and looking at other 50s to see if there is another one out there. There may be, but this one is going to be ours! Also checking the 46’s… just to get an idea about what’s out there. Hopefully all the work we have done to Northern Ranger will reflect well when it comes time to show her off.
I get the feeling that this is the calm before the storm – so I guess I should relax and not worry too much. There will be enough to worry about and to do when we become the owners of Worknot, and we have to start planning Northern Ranger’s trip back up from La Paz.. a trip boaters curiously refer to as the Baja Bash!
April 13th, YVR
We are preparing to fly down to San Diego tonight and spend three days in Ensenada, while the boat gets hauled and a survey is performed.. looking forward to getting way from the crazy weather we have been having. Well, not so crazy now, just crappy. Wx report from south indicates warm and sun, so we are more than happy to spend a few days down here.
glitch…snafu…fubar.. well, maybe not the last one… we arrived safe and sound in San Fran, had a wonderful dinner, and then boarded our plane and waited to leave. and waited. and waited. And then the captain announced over the PA that San Diego was socked in and they couldn’t land, so everybody, off the plane!
Pandemonium! well, sort of, lots of disgruntled passengers ourselves included. OK United, this is where you show us how well you handle adversity. It wasn’t great… could have been worse.. but still…. after a lot of confusion we were told that flight would leave at 8:00 the following morning.
So rather than join the hordes sleeping on the floor at gate 64, we hopped on a shuttle that took us to whatever hotel was close. Turned out just fine, we had a little suite with a little bed, crashed ( well I did)… woke up every hour to check the time so we didn’t miss the 545 shuttle back to the airport. Best thing we ever did – I actually had a good sleep, when you added it all up.
Back at the airport, our first priority was to get me a boarding pass, as I had left mine on the plane. After a little confusion, it all worked out perfectly, and our United Agent could not have been more helpful! Through security and down to our gate – and found almost everyone from last night’s flight, bleary eyed and a bit dopy, so obviously they had had one big sleep over. Aside from the fact that we have no toothpaste and I have no makeup, we at least have had showers and a good night’s sleep.
Kind of feel sad that we missed the party – although … no. Not sad at all. Very rested.
We had to give up our room last night in San Diego, so we didn’t have a room to hang out in and clean up when we arrived at the hotel – and our driver who will take us down to Ensenada wasn’t expected to come until 1? But it all worked out, as we had about enough time to change shirts and sit for a minute and then Jeff Merrill showed up, ready and raring to go. The driver from the hotel Coral , Israel, showed up shortly after and we were on our way. Whisked through the border and down the freeway, we got to Ensenada in good time, and were able to get ourselves settled into our beautiful rooms, and then we headed to the boat for a quick visit, so Kells Christian, the surveryor, could get a head start on his inspection.
It was great to see Worknot again, and to catch up with Mary who has been staying on the boat, and Gale, who had flown back in from Florida ( where their new boat resides) in order to take part in the survey.
The next day we spent on Worknot with all participants, going over every part of the boat imaginable and also getting some hands on time with Gale. We also ran her over to the Cruiseport shipyard to be hauled out, which is always an exciting and nerve wracking experience. Seeing a vessel out of the water really impresses on you just how big she is! And that bulbous bow!!! She’s like a ship!
Safely back in the water, Gale managed to maneuver us out in spite of the winds that tried to blow us back into the concrete pilings – good job! amazing! and then we were tied up back at her slip and it was time to regroup and debrief.
Isn’t she lovely! Nice bulbous bow, too – she’s a small ship!
Lawrence and Bob Senter…. deep in conversation about the lifting of boats
Lunch break – and a very good lunch it was !
Surveyor Christian Kells doing what he does… banging the boat with a small hammer.
Not at all surprisingly, no one found anything even remotely worrisome about Worknot. A few tiny issues that were easily remedied – a few more things to deal with.. and then Lawrence, Bob Senter, ( Lugger Bob!) Jeff and myself wandered into town for dinner. Found an amazingly great place ( something about cruise ships coming into Ensenada … the restaurants kind of have to be pretty good!) then taxi back to Hotel Coral and to bed, exhausted.
Next day we opted to spend a few more hours with Gale and Mary, and reviewed some of the procedures. We also let them know that yes, we wanted the boat. This meant coming up with a firm time line and list of commitments – who has to do what. Having Gale and Mary moving over to Florida, we live in Vancouver BC, and the boat is in Ensenada Mexico,… does confuse the issue somewhat. But thankfully with the help of Jeff, we managed to come up with a smooth plan for transition, and we think that by the first week of April , the boat will be in San Diego, we will be coming down, and she will belong to us.
Pretty exciting!
Pretty exhilarating, in fact!
Through it all we have come to know the Plummers better, and I look forward to meeting up again with them when they bring the new Worknot around to this side of the continent. We worked closely with Jeff and with Bob, both of whom we have known for a while through Trawlerfests and Boat Shows and buying Northern Ranger I- and we couldn’t have been happier. Hiring Kells Christian as our surveyor turned out to be a good move, as he was thorough and professional without being intimidating.. In fact, for a working holiday, the whole week was actually a lot of fun.. which, when you are doing something like buying a new-for-you boat, and all the stress and such that entails – having a little fun while you do it is pretty important.
Gale and Mary Plummer, former owners of Worknot ( N5017), new owners of Worknot ( an N57)
March 28 –
We are a week away from flying down to San Diego and becoming the legal owners of N5017.
It couldn’t be more miserable up here in Vancouver if it tried, so a week down south in (hopefully) sunshine will be welcome… everything is organized for the transfer, including plans for the offshore hand-off. Everyone asks me why we have to do that, I don’t have a good response, guess I should ask Lawrence the Legal Beagle… I just say it’s tradition… after all, it is a boat…. an American boat.. and we are Canadians. She will be registered as a Canadian boat after this, and will stay in San Diego until early fall, when we will probably take her down to Ensenada again.
Lawrence loves going online and looking up interesting and fairly obscure things.. this weekend, he discovered the RIGHT way to rename a boat. Interestingly enough, historically it doesn’t involve champagne, though that is acceptable as an alternative. It’s red wine you need, and several bottles of it. I think we will probably err on the side of caution and do both. And then there’s some important mumbo-jumbo that has to be spoken over the bow and such – with witnesses and everything … sounds like a good time to me… I can hardly wait. And at this point, we are decided on the name – Northern Ranger II….
it just feels right.
Although it will be very hard to say goodbye to Northern Ranger I… she really is a lovely lady!