Our Bubble

One part that resonates so strongly with us is the "escape vehicle" aspect a Nordhavn brings. We call it our "bubble". 

From the glaciers of Alaska

 We're currently in Costa Rica, and a few days ago Di looked up from her phone after doing her morning reading and reminded me "It's your 5 year life anniversary", to which I reminded her that it was also pretty much the 10th anniversary of my retirement, aged 52 back then. Quick maths will therefore tell you I'm currently 29 years old.

That very night she procured our last bottle of champagne, a tiny one as regular ones don't fit in our fridge -small boat problems- and we shared an aperitif on the bow listening to the howler monkeys grunting in the distance. The only boat in a huge bay, warm air in the night, but cold AC inside together with all mods and comforts. 

to the jungle of Costa Rica

We -once again- thanked our luck and our decision a long time ago to sell everything and embark on a new chapter.

Almost 8 years ago we bought Enfin, and since then we've seen her as "our bubble". Whether in Alaska surrounded by gorgeous but inhospitable nature, or in a posh marina along the way, Enfin is our little bubble of comfort, survival and escape. 

Right when "the events" started recently, I quickly checked our diesel tanks: Over 660 gallons, which at our current very slow pace, hopping from one anchorage to the next we'll last a long time before we have to refill. We could also reduce our speed drastically, like N40 "Epic" currently on its way to French Polynesia sipping an amazingly low 0.9 gph. So right now, we could escape over 2,000 miles away if we felt like it.

and the desert of Baja, Mexico

 We might live in a tiny space, but we can have a 4km long beach with no cruising neighbor, and have the whole bay as as backyard. The whole world as our playground if we want. Life threw us a few curved balls along the way, but Enfin remained the right decision all along. Today, with bombs and missiles flying around in parts of the world, we're even happier on board.

If Di and I were still dreamers, the current events would trigger our decision in no time. We like being able to chose our surroundings whenever we want. Costa Rica for now. Who knows tomorrow?!

One of the many beaches along the way

 I'm not saying every day is champagne at sunset. The boat needs constant and normal upkeep: A lot more than any apartment dwellers like us would do ashore. Oil changes, minor repairs of all kinds, filter and strainer cleaning and changes, the job part of the adventure never ends. But then, we're still too young to sit in a lazy-boy and do nothing, and keeping Enfin ship shape is fun. 2 days ago, I scrubbed half the hull underwater surrounded by curious multicolored fish. Hard work, but fun.

The further away from large yachting centers we venture the more we have to do ourselves, the more spares we need to carry, and the more complicated getting them gets. 

Living in a tiny space isn't always easy and comes with its own challenges. Packing all your "stuff" in a tiny boat isn't easy, especially when you add months of food to the equation, since we rarely plan anything and never know how long we'll stay in one place or one anchorage.

Snug in our bubble

 All worth it in our opinion.

For the amazing freedom it brings. We can (and in may ways do) escape anytime and anywhere we want. It's just an incredible feeling. 

With all that, thanks to modern technology and Starlink, we're always connected to the world and our friends and families wherever we all are. We can stream news services from around the world, and never feel that on that front we're isolated in our bubble. The best of both world in a way.

Doing it on a Nordhavn, even little N40 Enfin, means unbeatable range for a power boat, and amazing redundancies and incredible comforts for our size. I recently added a gizmo to our generator auto-start, so now it starts whenever the cabins get hotter than 80f and runs 30 minutes to cool the boat down. How decadent is that?! Small boat. Large comfort.

With a solid upgraded watermaker, ice maker, always on internet, our escape pod is a lot more than those underground bunkers in a backyard. For us it's freedom, peace of mind and fun in one tiny but powerful package.