Nordic Tug Rendezvous 2013

This year's Rendezvous was held in Anacortes which was the perfect place for a getaway. They have a beautiful new marina, a small fun town to go antiquing and look for a special art piece. There were also two grocery stores very near by so it is perfect for boaters who often find they need to pick up something.

We arrived on Thursday evening for appetizers on the dock and we had a great time visiting with other Nordic Tug owners. Our slip was in a perfect location - right across from the tent we used for a gathering place and for our continental breakfasts. These pictures are from the top of our boat.

On Friday, we had an opportunity to tour the facility where the Tugs are built. They gave us a tour and then treated us to a hamburger lunch.  Following are a few photos showing different stages of production and how the buildings are laid out. 1) Before any boat is built, a mock-up is created to be sure that all details have been addressed. This shows an Aspen 39, another line that is going to be built using the Nordic Tug factory. 2) This building is where the molds are used to begin the construction of the boats. 3) This is the hull of a 32' Nordic Tug. At this stage, the gel coat will soon be sprayed over the mold. 4) One of the employees demonstrated the process of adding the fiberglass and resin after the gel coat has set. 5) This area is used for creating beautiful Corian countertops. 6) This is the sub-assembly building and woodworking shop where the interior components  such as the wood trim and cabinets are built. 7) This is the final assembly building where all the modules come together. The building is huge. This is a 49' in final assembly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, we thoroughly enjoyed a talk given by Betty Wright, a woman who, with her husband, took their 16' boat and traveled up to Princess Louisa Inlet in 1957. Since that time she has returned several times and is active in preserving the Princess Louisa and Chatterbox Falls areas so that others can enjoy the beauty for generations to come. We were especially excited about her talking because we will be heading up to the exact location in about 2-1/2 weeks. We will be traveling with two other Nordic Tugs (Al & Sue Smith and Jack & Moon Cannon) and a Californian (Larry & Cheryl Martin).

The afternoon was spent relaxing on the boat and doing some geocaching. We had a great prime rib and salmon dinner followed by a few announcements and raffle. We had a wonderful weekend and learned that next year's Rendezvous will probably be at Roche Harbor - one of our favorite spots!