Whats-New


	So what’s new for you in 2008 ....

So do you think your wife knows more about “housekeeping” than you do?

Then you better give her the keys to the boat and ask when you can visit!

Here are two good examples of paying attention to the details but in different ways.

You can click on either of the photos and see a larger view that will show what’s basically good and then “not so good” about both views. In the case of the “battery wiring issues” - this is an obvious detail your marine surveyor should point out to you as it represents multiple violations of not only good common sense practices, it’s in violation of USCG recommendations and would likely have a serious impact as well with your local insurance agency.

The rules and regulations are created to try to help “save your bacon” whether you’re comfortable at the dock or in the middle of the worst storm you’ve seen!


	Check the N-16 page for some new photos of rigging on the N-16’s - there’s also a web address for the “Yahoo groups” for N-16’s and N-20’s - It’s a good opportunity to learn something new about your boat... there is a chance for that isn’t there?

Quite a few new photos added - Check out the nice Halman-27 photos (Halmans page) plus some other “mystery boat” details that you might help to solve.

If you check the “Q&A” section, there’s a link to a bit more of the background on the “Tilsynbog” boat that was shown there. It’s a real treat to have heard from the new owner and to know that the boat is being “reborn again” for another generation of sailing.

User ads have been listed, sold, removed, replaced and if you’re buying or selling, it’s a good place to see if one of those listings has your name on it. Sometimes you can’t really tell until you stand right next to the boat and absorb some of the “nautical karma!”

A great question came in recently asking for some good information on what kind of “car, truck, tractor, semi or other apparatus” worked the best for towing your Halman 20 (or your Nordica 20) across the landscape! Most everyone that looks at a car towing the family boat tends to think it’s the right vehicle because they already had the car and it has a trailer hitch! That’s just the start of it!

If you’ve got some experience in this subject and especially if you’ve got some great “boat towing stories” that we can all learn something from, then send them to me. Cap’n “E” might get some good reference points before he buys his White Freightliner and the rest of us will too.

We’re looking for the “more than serious, die-hard, loves to spend money on gas” type towing person and you can send along all of the details you used to justify why you do what you do! Thanks. [Lmay@nordicaboats.com]


	Here’s an interesting story from a former Nordica Dealer who still sails today in a boat called “Hagar.” Dave was kind enough to take the time to write and tell me about his past, his boat and after 30+ years, his love of sailing the same boat that he rescued earlier!


	Click on this one ----------------------->

Here’s two photos that you might take a casual glance at and ask “what’s unique about these?” If you’re a Nordica 20 owner, you might notice the oval hatch and lock in the photo on the left and if you’re a Halman owner, you might also notice the profile of the leading edge and the slope of the ports in the photo below.

If you’re a reasonably good detective, you might ask if this is the same boat, but I doubt it! This has come as a bit of a surprise to the new owners but yes, it is the same boat and these aren’t the only two differences found. There is a tag in the aft locker that defies ownership by either of the two companies and says it’s a “1978 Nordic - built in Hamilton, Ontario!

So this didn’t come from the factory in Beamsville or the one in Exeter and she’s apparently a bit of a cross-built from both the Nordica deck and cabin shapes but with the Halman hull.

There’s a story somewhere behind this but right now it’s a puzzle to Cap’n James and his crew. She’s got Nordica sails and the Cap’n is still working on trying to track some of the history via the registration data but doesn’t have much else to go on right now.

If you know anything about a few hulls that escaped to the Nordica factory or a few decks that made their way to the Halman facility... let’s hear from you. The boat floats and sails nicely and the final name is pending.....

Thanks to a simple email from waaaaaaay across the globe (from Roy and Sandra) in the Netherlands, I have now found that there’s someone else who believes in “love at first sight”.... or maybe within the first 30 or 40 minutes at least! Picking your next life long project isn’t difficult if you know what you’re looking for. I certainly did it when I decided to save my own N-30 from the depths of Neptunes curse and it gives me great pleasure to know now that I’m not the only crazy person on earth!

After receiving the email with a link to their own site [http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/r.doorenspleet] for their beloved “Midget 15” (and other boats as well) I found what I considered to be the most important phrase you will ever have to remember. When you’re making your best efforts to convince the boss (or your wife - as is the case many times) that you not only know what you’re doing, but that in comparison to almost all other people on the earth, you alone are experienced enough and have the necessary foresight and training to make this claim when showing her the boat of your dreams!

“She’s not pretty, but you can see the potential!

That’s not a lot to learn, but practice it when there’s no one around and you’ll probably master the most effective inflection that is possible and the one that will gain you the highest possible chance of convincing your other half that this is really a good deal!.

My sincere appreciation goes to Roy and Sandra for sharing their web site and many photos of their “Midget-15” which is what we’re calling the N-16 version. They have some good close up photos for comparison and they even have their sights set on yet another Midget-15 that could be brought back from the “edge” with a little more love and elbow grease.

Roy was able to get some enlightening photos of a boat that he’s willing to put the effort into to make her the boat he envisions, and isn’t that pretty much what we all find ourselves doing? We can picture the end result before we even start! My hat’s off to anyone with that much enthusiasm and interest in solving hundreds of small problems (probably thousands) just to see that boat gliding smoothly across the calm evening waters and know that you’re both here because you made the right call!

Check out the new mystery boat - photo at the bottom of the “Q & A” page. She’s not necessarily from the Nordica or Halman factory, but she’s got some lines that are familiar to most of us. In spite of that, it seems that no one can identify the manufacturer of this boat. She’s in the process of being restored and the new owner (and myself) would really appreciate your help in finding out more about her.

Seems that most lately, she came from Venice Italy - and was being used (without the bilge keels attached) as a “motor yacht” and without the keels, she was a bit “unruly” in her maneuvering capabilities! So now she’s on the “straight and narrow” path to returning to life as a sailing vessel and we will have some restoration photos in the future to share with you.

If you believe you know who built this boat... send me an email - Thanks. [Lmay@nordicaboats.com]

Sometimes it’s easier to define “what’s new” more effectively by showing “what’s not so new!” This attractive piece (mix) of technology (and yes, it was the latest and greatest at one time.. just not now) is a part of a boat of “elderly vintage” that was listed for sale.

The most interesting notes to read would be those of a well informed marine surveyor when he wrote the report on this one. Do you think the company providing the glass handled brass knifeblade switches ever expected they would see their products in use so many years later.

I suspect almost everything actually works sort of and who’s to say that a new shiny plastic panel with a bunch of idiot lights does the job any differently! I especially like the attention given to the bilge pump... at least we know where to look for it now.

From M. Webster’s dictionary - we find the word “yore” - which in some parts of the country could be used in a sentence like - “Is that tobacco juice on “yore” shoes or did you just get a shine?” - In other parts, you might hear “Why “yore” an absolute @#$%&* for droppin’ anchor in that spot!.... but that’s not it yet. Maybe something more like “Yore ship, sir, she is a sinkin!” could be the way to use it, but I don’t think so. So we’ll do some official consulting like the dictionary....

Main Entry: “YORE”
Pronunciation: 'yor
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from yore, adverb, long ago, from Old English gEara, from gEar year -- more at YEAR
: time past and especially long past -- usually used in the phrase of yore

So I figured that most of what we’re going to read here is older than 6 weeks anyway, so “Stories of yore” it is......

And if you be the one with some har raisin “stories of yore” own... send them to me and we’ll find a spot to store them on the site.


	Did someone tell you about “Cap’n Paul’s” story of working at Exe Fibercraft - and now you’ve got time to read it... well, it’s moved to another page called “Stories” - click on the icon to the right and enjoy.


	Storiesof yore’

If you’re internet connection is just a bit faster than your hull speed thru the water, this might be a problem but you should try it anyway..... There’s a really neat video of Cap’n Andrew sailing - rail down - in his Nordica 20. Turn the lights down, spray ice cold water all over yourself and turn up the volume for the ride.

It’s at [http://ochaye.strangepics.net/supersailing.wmv] - nothing strange about it for a sailor! Turns out that I couldn’t remember if both of my socks matched on a daily basis, but did remember the name of this boat “Ochaye” and that it was owned by Cap’n Andrew who had exchanged several emails with me in March of 2006 (actually I only remembered the boat name, the rest came thru saved records on the computer!)

Andrew said he was sailing “full and by” in the Strait of Juan De Fuca in about 25 kts of wind with a working jib (100%) and a single reefed main. He said the only thing he had wished for was a dodger for a bit of spray protection but otherwise, he could probably have made it to Anchorage in few more days!

He has now passed “Ochaye” on to other hands to enjoy but he remembers how well she sailed and how solidly the Nordicas were built. He thinks of that often when he has had opportunities to sail other boats in the same range of size and can easily tell the difference. Andrew has found a different way to satisfy is boating appetite for now... and you can see more details at his website - [http://ochaye.strangepics.net/coble/] - Something tells me we’ll hear from Cap’n Andrew again. Thanks.

A reader we’ll call “Cap’n Scott” enjoyed the story about all of Cap’n Paul’s experiences so much that he fessed up to some of his own rememberances... Seems that when he was 13 and had an 8 foot punkinseed hydroplane that he thought would benefit from a hard bottom coat, he went to work! After mixing the hardener he was a bit slow about applying it. In a moment of “fast hardening confusion” he quickly dumped the entire can on the bottom of the hull and then tried to lay it down with a spatula from his mothers kitchen drawer. He ended up with a big lumpy mess which took him a few hard weeks to remove. He lost his allowance for 3 weeks to replace the custom hardened spatula, pants and sneakers. He does admit to learning a good lesson about hardeners... less is better when in doubt and NEVER apply it in the direct sun! thanks Scott


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