We started discussing a new boat built to our specifications in late 2020. Like building a house, there are a lot of decisions to be made and a certain amount of financial negotiation. After several years aboard Fiona Bean, a Nordic 26 and Impromptu, a Nordic 32, we had a pretty good idea of what would be ideal for us.
Étude will be a Nordic Tug 40, the eighth and most recent of that model. She will have a similar layout to Fiona Bean and Impromptu but with more room. One essential feature: a guest berth with a double bed.
Why Étude? Because études are a musical form intended to teach. The word literally means “study”. In boating, we study a lot. We study the weather, the tides and currents, and our charts. We also study our boat and ourselves.
One could say that the process of mastering an étude is “taking on a difficult task and sticking with it until a desired outcome is achieved.” That pretty much sums up the long weeks of planning and negotiation that will result in a new boat on the water in April 2022.
Mary Anne and I will be making trips to the factory near Anacortes at key construction milestones. I’ll post photos. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing Étude take shape.
Next: Première Étude