As some of you know, we sold Duet in March. While it may seem abrupt, this decision has been percolating for some time. We began, last summer, to talk about what we wanted to do with the boat in ’22. One of the advantages, or disadvantages, depending on your perspective, to owning a boat like Duet, is you can take her almost anywhere. We, for example, have traveled more than 20,000 miles aboard her, from Anacortes, WA to Brisbane, Australia, and many points in-between. We’ve had some amazing experiences, met some marvelous people, and fixed a lot of equipment along the way.
Cruising a boat like Duet, in remote places, is time consuming and expensive. It is a truly rewarding experience, but it does tend to suck all the air out of the room, namely you don’t do much else. Over the decade we’ve owned her, we’ve talked a lot about what else we would like to do, once we had more time when Ron retired in June of ‘20.
The initial idea was to keep the boat and also do some land travel, we had already scheduled a trip to Kenya in May of ’22. The big problem with this idea is that it leaves little time to spend at home, or with family and friends. To visit all the places we want to visit, and can’t take the boat, like the interiors of India and Africa, plus cruise the boat, is more than a full time job. We eventually figured this out by trying to make it all fit on a calendar.
Something had to give. For the last ten years, it’s been the land travel. Now that we’ve achieved our dream of crossing the Pacific on our own boat, we had some trouble prioritizing the boat versus other dreams. So we began to talk about selling the boat. This was not an easy decision. Duet has been a big part of our lives for a long time, as has the cruising life. We have, as some readers may remember, made this decision before, with the previous Duet, Nordhavn 46 hull #50, which we cruised from ’00-‘07. So this wasn’t a new debate.
By the time we arrived in Puerto Vallarta in January of ’22 this topic dominated our conversations. We did a little cruising, hauled Duet out for her bi-annual bottom paint and fin service and then took a serious step, we called our PAE broker, Larry Gieselman. We’ve know Larry since around ’93, when we first visited PAE, well before we bought our 46. We trust his judgement. He said, if you get the boat to Dana Point, I can probably sell her before she arrives.
So we called the delivery crew he recommended and off she went. Actually, it took more time than that, there were long evenings of emotional discussion about giving up cruising, and the changes it would mean for both of us. But, in the end, we concluded that nothing is irreversible, we’ve sold boats before and never had a problem buying another one, if that fit our goals at the time.
Prior to the crew’s arrival in Puerto Vallarta, Ron wrote pages of instructions, we fueled her up, and prepared her as if we were going to be aboard. We paid for an insurance waiver, Larry arranged for a brokerage slip, and we accepted an offer for her, sight unseen, with a backup offer in the wings. Ron also spent time on the phone with OMNI Bob, our weather router, and, fortunately, also the one Captain Colin uses. A window was identified, the crew grabbed a flight from Los Angeles, and off she went. Nancy avoided seeing her off, as she cried when the 46 left the dock without us and she didn’t want to go through that again. Neither did Ron.
We followed her track anxiously, and Ron spoke with Captain Colin every day. The crew of three ran nonstop from Puerto Vallarta to Ensenada, with two rough nights, but overall excellent weather, especially for February. Duet operated flawlessly throughout, which apparently is not the norm for delivery crews. We hoped she would, although Ron was a little concerned, as she hadn’t done much cruising since the previous summer. We did do a lot of testing before the crew arrived, and that paid off.
We flew north to meet her in Dana Point, where the new owners inspected her, surveyed her and closed the deal. Funnily enough, they are folks that we know and who live about 35 miles from our home.
The new owners will live aboard most of the time and will be based in Anacortes, WA. So Duet is going full circle, returning to familiar waters. They wanted to get her north as soon as they could, so they could begin to get to know her. The owner, a captain and a mate took her from Dana Point to Seattle, with several brief weather stops, in early April. Duet again performed flawlessly, in rough weather. She is a superb sea boat, no question, and we will miss her. As one of our friends once said, however, you are merely a caretaker of these boats, they will long outlast your cruising dreams. So Duet is off to a new life, initially in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, after that who knows?
We appreciate our readers’ time and interest. This blog will be monitored but, now that we are no longer cruising, we will not update it.
Our first day with Duet, August, 2012.

Crossing the Equator, April, 2017.

Starting a new chapter planting a tree in Kenya, May, 2022.

What a great read! Thank you for sharing. Though you new adventures may not include fair winds and following seas, may you have an enjoyable, rewarding, fulfilling and safe time. Stay well.
Harry
Thanks so much for your kind comments. We are planning to do a cruise or two, but it’ll be with someone else at the wheel!
Best
Nancy and Ron
Ron and Nancy
Thanks again for taking the time to show us your boat while it was in Dana Point. It is certainly a beautiful boat and shows the care and attention to detail you both out into her. My wife, Debbie, and I really appreciated the time you both took showing us the boat, even though it was already sold, and discussing cruising in general with us both.
We continue to look for the boat we will be care takers of for a few years.
Wishing you all the best going forward. Nice tree by the way..
Sincerely Harold and Debbie.
Harold and Debbie
Glad to have helped in your search. We look forward to hearing about your new boat.
Best
Ron and Nancy
Not sure if you remember meeting me in Seattle a few years back at the Nordhavn party but our ‘76 Nordy Tugnacious now has over 16,000 miles under her keel..
If you ever get the bug to cruise again drop me a line great crew is always welcome.
Chris & Eileen Roehrig
Chris
Of course we remember you. Tugnacious is a beautiful boat! Thanks for the kind invite, we appreciate it. Never say never, we may take you up on it 😉 In the meantime, if we can help in any way don’t hesitate to get in touch. Travel safely out there.
Best
Nancy and Ron
Nancy and Ron
Really enjoyed your blog posts, thanks for sharing your travels and information, all the best for the future.
Kelly
Kelly
We appreciate you following our journey
Best
Nancy and Ron
Devastating news! Will miss the content and humour in your blog.
Happy travels to you both. Please look me up if you are ever in the South of France.
Paul Nelson
Paul
Thanks for your good wishes 😉
Best
Nancy and Ron
Hey Guys. Great post. Felt a bit teary-eyed reading it! Sorry I missed you over the 4th when visiting with the H-bergs. I am planning on Vancouver Island next month and looking forward to connecting then!
Fair winds and calm seas! Er, wait, maybe Sunny skies and smooth roads is more appropriate???
~Christopher
Christopher
See you in BC!
Best
Nancy and Ron
Thanks for taking us along on your journey, we will anxiously await Duet 3.0
John
Thanks, although I wouldn’t hold your breath on Duet 3.0 😉 Never say never though…
Best
Nancy and Ron
Nancy and Ron, Thank you for sharing your adventures with us via your blog. We have enjoyed and learned a lot from you over the years. Best wishes for your next adventure.
Suz and Peter
‘Opal Lady’
Suz and Peter
Thanks for the kind comments. We enjoy your blog too and will keep living vicariously through you guys 😉
Best
Nancy and Ron
Thank you for sharing your adventures, I have been following since your first Pacific crossing blog, “Duet Departs”. Very inspiring, you show that adventure is achievable. Does Nancy still have your list of Nordhavn 50’s,if it’s no trouble, I would really appreciate a copy.
Best Wishes
Santa.
Hey Santa 😉
Thanks for following. Unfortunately, I do not give out the 50 Owners list to anyone but Owners and previous Owners, it preserves everyone’s privacy. That said, I am happy to talk about 50’s in general and provide info on various builds, etc.
Best
Nancy