Nordhavn didn't even think "compromise" when they equipped the N72. On the foredeck, you'll find two 300-pound Airtex plow anchors sitting in a massive custom double anchor roller, each equipped with 400 feet of 1/2-inch high-test chain linked to dual Maxwell VWC 4500 hydraulic winches. Chain lockers are accessible through watertight Freeman storm hatches on deck, and include plenty of stowage for more ground tackle, lines and fenders.
In the massive Portuguese bridge bulwark protecting the pilothouse you'll find the expected storage lockers, plus two wing stations with complete controls for the main engines and the American Bow Thruster units bow and stern. An identical control station can be found in a covered locker on the aft deck. A sheltered starboard side deck leads aft past one of two Freeman watertight doors serving the pilothouse (the other is to port), down a flight of stairs to the main deck level where you pass another Freeman door leading to the electrical control board and galley, and on to the after deck. For easier docking, twin Maxwell VC2200 capstan winches port and starboard are standard, a feature that will come in handy when The Good Life begins to tie stern-to in the Med or other overseas ports.
A 345-square-foot boat deck aft of the flying bridge will accommodate tenders up to 17 feet in length, and it includes as standard equipment a Marquip 2,500-pound Hydraulic/240-volt davit that will extend outward up to 21 feet and is capable of launching or retrieving tenders on the port side or off the stern. Notably, Nordhavn's designers have included an 80-gallon gasoline storage tank with its own electric pump to replenish the tender's tank.
If this all sounds a bit too ship-like for you, I should mention that the N72 is elegantly finished, particularly inside where the talents of Scott Cole from Ardeo Design in Bainbridge Island, Wash., are thoughtfully applied to blend gorgeous teak woodwork, crown moldings and cabinetry with comfortable furniture, leather upholstery and stunning granite surfaces. The ultra-wide main saloon derives its spaciousness from the sheer volume and 21-foot beam of this design, which also allows enough floor space in the galley to accommodate topnotch appliances and a stand-alone cabinet with cutting board top.
Accommodations are luxurious by any definition, with a full-beam master set low beneath the pilothouse, a guest cabin just off the companionway leading up to the pilothouse, plus two spacious guest cabins in the bow. All have private head compartments, lined hanging lockers and abundant drawer storage. I passed two peaceful nights in the starboard forward stateroom, and only regretted that my time aboard was abbreviated. There is so much to see and understand about this yacht, I could have stayed a week.
Before we ended our cruise to Newport, R.I., we passed a pleasant afternoon in the heated, commercial-sized pilothouse watching for down-bound and up-bound traffic in and around Narragansett Bay. Ken chatted with the captain of a 450-foot freighter emerging from the Bay about the same time we were making our approach. The freighter passed us starboard to starboard, one-half mile away according to our radar-and we never saw it. If you're thinking about voyaging, and you'd like to make that cruise with great confidence in your yacht and in luxurious style that makes you feel more than comfortable, you owe it to yourself to investigate the Nordhavn 72.
Contact: Nordhavn, (949) 496-4848; www.nordhavn.com.
