Just in from Peter Nordlie, ex Fairwind 41LN10 -- Those Were the Days

Peter Nordlie, 2009
ex Fairwind, 47LN10 &
ex Last Call, 37VT47

[I can't post the following email without properly introducing its author, Peter Nordlie. He is the only Lord Nelson owner (other than the Harts) to have owned both a 41LN and a 37VT. Peter was so impressed with his 41LN that when it came time to make the geriatric jump into a stink pot, Lord Nelson Victory Tugs were the only boats he looked at. Peter's other claim to fame is making it halfway across the Atlantic in his Cheoy Lee Clipper 36 Ketch.  Yea, there's a story there and you can read it here.  All the pictures Peter shared are available on Fair Wind's LNOA album.  Posted by Dave Howell]

The following was excerpted from an email dated 3 August '14 and a subsequent undated snail mail from around 5 August '14.

I bought Fairwind in Feb. 1992 in Marathon Fl. from an owner with a last name of Beck who had a cement business in Baltimore. Unfortunately, after two moves, I've been unable to locate my file and so can't establish exactly when I sold her. I think she was sold to the Dosses in '98 or possibly '99. I would call the yacht brokers that sold her, Wagner and Stevens in Annapolis, but they apparently are no longer in business.

Peter Nordlie in the Middle of the Atlantic

Your request for pictures led to a most interesting afternoon of reviewing hundreds of photos especially of the transatlantic trip which left me overwhelmed with nostalgia. Selecting photos for your purposes left me uncertain so, unless you say, "don't", I'll send you a packet of a couple dozen. These include a set of very good, detailed interior shots that the brokers took that provide extensive detail on the 41's interior. Many of the other pics are of Fairwind on her adventures which will give a pretty good idea of what cruising on a 41 could be. Of all the boats I've ever been on, I always felt she was the most seaworthy and, no matter how raucous and tempestuous ( we went through 7 gales going to Europe) it got, I felt safe, secure, and comfortable.

A gale in the Atlantic

While I had her, in addition to the three year European trip, I sailed her twice to Nova Scotia, once to Florida, and throughout the Chesapeake.  Maybe the pics also show why, after cruising in this boat, when I had to go to power, I only considered Lord Nelson tugs.  The LN 41 s are heavy boats, built extraordinarily sturdy but they carry enough sail to handle the weight. They balance very well under sail; the wind vane steered 95% of the time trans Atlantic and performed flawlessly.  The boat is set up thoughtfully for easy sail handling. My 95 pound female crew could reef down in 35 knots of wind by herself - slowly, to be sure, but unaided. ( We did try to discourage her from doing it on her 3:00 am watch when everyone else was asleep).