Marine PowerSource Vol 1, 2010 - Recreational - John Deere - #14

Addicted to adventure

The Hamiltons will fulfill their passion for passagemaking

aboard a John Deere-powered Nordhavn 52

The Hamiltons are frequent contributors to

PassageMaker and Pacific yachting magazines,

and authors of Waggoner Cruising Guide's

Cruising the Secret Coast: Unexplored on British

Columbia's Inside Passage. The Hamiltons

welcome readers to learn more about their new

John Deere-powered Nordhavn 52 by visiting

their blog at http://blog.mvdirona.com.

Freedom to cruise at a moment's notice holds great appeal for

boating authors and explorers James and Jennifer Hamilton of

Seattle, Washington.

"Our long-term desire and dream is complete flexibility," says

James. "We are adventurers. What we love more than anything is

going off the beaten path and traveling to unusual places."

The couple is finding that freedom on the M/VDirona, a new

15.8-meter (52 ft.) Nordhavn yacht that they will permanently live

on — and leave whenever the mood strikes. And that's pretty often.

"Both of us have time-intensive jobs, but when we're not working,

we're on the boat and traveling three weekends out of four," says

James. "We boat very heavily."

After living on a 12-meter (40 ft.) trawler in Bell Harbor, Washington,

forthe past year, the couple grew to enjoythe liveaboard lifestyle.

So they sold their house and car, and decided to take permanent

residence on a Nordhavn 52. Its functional design not only offers

the comforts of home, but it also offers the safety, security, and

range to travel far and wide. "Since this is our only home, having a

washer, dryer, and dishwasher is important to us," says James. Also,

we love cruising secluded locations, so having sufficient space for

items like a generator, large freezer, and life raft matters to us."

The Nordhavn will also take them the distance. "The Nordhavn 52 is

very seaworthy, carries a lot of fuel, and is a proven world cruiser,"

says James. "Nordhavns can, and frequently do, cross oceans and

many have circled the globe."

Wanting to do some passagemaking of their own, the Hamiltons

wanted a marine diesel with the best longevity, efficiency, and

range. That all came packaged in a PowerTech 6068AFM engine —

John Deere's latest marine engine.

"Rather than opting forthe standard engine on the Nordhavn 52, we

specified the John Deere 6068AFM to achieve a bit more horsepower, a

closerto continuous rating, and increased fuel efficiency," says James.