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• By Gordon Meigs
• Updated: March 3, 2009

When, in the early 1980s, Nordic Yachts launched the Robert H. Perry-designed Nordic 44 and, shortly thereafter, the Nordic 40, the boats caught my eye. Ten years later, I began my quest for a new sailboat and, after a lengthy search, found a 1984 Nordic 40. My surveyor commented, “When these were built, nobody in the United States was building a better boat.”

Indeed, the standard Nordic equipment was top-notch: Navtec rod rigging, a Navtec hydraulic vang and backstay adjuster, and full hull insulation throughout the interior. By 1987, market pressure had forced cutbacks (from rod to wire rigging, for example), and around 1992 or so, the Bellingham, Washington, company closed, a casualty of the luxury tax.

I quickly realized that I had both a great sailing boat and a great cruising boat. Impulse is roomy and fast, the deep-draft fin keel gives her superior windward ability, she carries ample water and fuel, and she has lots of storage space throughout the interior.

The cockpit is just about perfect, with high seatbacks, wide coamings all around, and large primary winches within easy reach of the helm. All halyards and reefing lines run aft to the cabin top. The raised bridgedeck is a significant safety feature offshore, as are the numerous padeyes for attaching safety harnesses. On Impulse, the instruments, located on the bulkhead beside the companionway, and the radar, mounted at the navigation station, are viewable from the forward corner of the cockpit. When offshore, we can monitor them from the shelter of the dodger while the autopilot steers.

Interior layouts in the Nordic 40 varied. On Impulse, at the base of the companionway to starboard and open to the saloon are the nav station, a hanging locker, and a comfortable quarter berth. Opposite, to port, is a U-shaped galley with a pair of deep stainless-steel sinks, plenty of counter space, and a three-burner propane stove and oven. The huge icebox is very well insulated. (On Impulse, it’s equipped with an excellent Seafrost engine-driven/110-volt refrigerator/freezer.) Forward of the galley is an L-shaped settee with a bulkhead-mounted fold-down table, a leaf of which extends to meet the starboard-side settee. Both settees make excellent sea berths and have large storage spaces outboard. Forward of the saloon, to port, is a large head. At sea, we use its separate stall shower as a wet locker. Opposite the head are more cabinets and storage, and in the bow there’s a conventional V-berth cabin.

Ventilation is plentiful, with two large opening hatches, four dorade vents, and 10 opening ports; the insulated hull really helps when trying to heat the boat in cool weather.

The hull of the Nordic 40 is solid fiberglass. The deck is balsa cored, with solid glass under deck hardware, which is through-bolted with backing plates. It’s bedded and through-bolted to an inward-turning hull flange. The rudder is hung on a stout skeg that’s built around a stiffening plate through-bolted to the hull.

In 1999, we discovered a partial delamination of the rudder and had it rebuilt. Recently, because of a leak at a welded-on bracket, we replaced the 24-year-old aluminum fuel tank.

In 2000, to change the antifouling, we had the bottom stripped. When tested with a moisture meter, it proved to be completely dry-a good sign in a boat that was then 16 years old.

Nordic Yachts built about 40 Nordic 40s, and they appear on the market at prices from $120,000 to $150,000.

Gordon F. Meigs and his wife, Darlene, have cruised Impulse extensively on Chesapeake Bay and sailed her to the Caribbean for the 1999/2000 winter.

LOA 39′ 9″ (12.11 m.) LWL 32′ 6″ (9.91 m.) Beam 12′ 5″ (3.79 m.) Draft 6′ 4″ (1.93 m.) Sail Area (100%) 756 sq. ft. (70.23 sq. m.) Ballast 7,091 lb. (3,216 kg.) Displacement 18,000 lb. (8,163 kg.) Ballast/D .39 D/L 234 SA/D 17.6 Water 120 gal. (455 l.) Fuel 56 gal. (212 l.) Engine 44-hp. Universal 5444 Designer Robert H. Perry

• More: 31 - 40 ft , before 2000 , Bluewater Cruising , Coastal Cruising , keelboat , monohull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats , sailboats classic plastic
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Six Things We Love About Our Norseman 447

Ben Eriksen Carey February 7, 2016 Words 15 Comments

We are just about 2 years into ownership of Rocinante our Norseman 447. In that time we’ve sailed her just about 8,000 nm and we’ve gotten to know her a bit better. She’s a lot different than our previous boats, but still considered a classic… one of Bob Perry’s best designs. She sails and handles wonderfully in all conditions we’ve experienced so far. The following is a list of features that are either part of Bob’s design or came with the boat when we purchased her… things we didn’t have or know of before owning this fine vessel, but things we have come to love. In the next post I’ll write about a few things we’ve added to Rocinante that we felt were worthwhile.

Granny Bars

We prefer our lines left at the mast rather than led to the cockpit. I have discussed why in greater detail here . But the way I like to think of it is… if lines at the mast are the chocolate, then the granny bars are the peanut butter. And in my opinion, you really shouldn’t have one without the other. They just work so well together. Once you make the effort to get to the mast, let’s make sure you stay there, and get the job done safely and efficiently. Granny Bars help you do that. But they need to be stout.   On our Norseman 447, we’ve got a three legged 2” OD granny bar with a slight curve to hold you in tight even when the bucking bronco gets-a-buckin’. We lean on them, we stand on them, and we secure our tethers to them. My thoughts…take the money you would spend on leading lines aft and put it towards granny bars.

Continuous Main Traveler

Funnily enough, my two previous boats didn’t have mainsheet travelers. Both were Lyle Hess designs, based on a more traditional lines and systems. They were definitely nothing like this Bob Perry performance-cruiser. So mains’l travelers, although familiar were never something I owned, and most of my previous interactions with them reminded me of something called spaghetti. Lots of line… “You pull, I’ll ease” is how it usually goes I think. But not with our continuous line traveler that leaves our cockpit clean and free of extra line piles. I love this idea. A two-way winch with a locking position in the middle makes tending and adjusting the traveller a simple, clean operation for one… even a tired one. This design allows you to easily winch the traveler to windward if necessary. A major bonus.

Accessible Chainplates

This terminology I saw in the   Yachtworld listing, but couldn’t wrap my head around. “Accessible”? Are they kidding me? What could be more accessible than external mounted chainplates like the BCC or the Nor’sea? This Norseman has internal chainplates, that run right through the deck. What the dickens are these people taking about? Well it took me a little while to fully understand the “accessibility” of these chainplates. While they are hidden behind some paneling inside the salon lockers… they are at the same time accessible. What that means is that you don’t have to grind out fiberglass to get to them! Yikes, I had no idea that some boats actually glassed in the chainplates… sandwiched between layers of cloth and resin… where any water intrusion will surely corrode them! Many other Taiwanese boats suffer from this problem…   I know of a few like the Kelly Peterson, and the Hans Christian knock offs… like Young Sun (edit: comment below revealed many more Taiwanese boats suffered including Hans Christian, Tayana, and CT). I’m sure there are more… It was a crazy boat building frenzy in Taiwan during the 80’s.

This is a pretty rad Bobby P. design idea. Fold up a seat back, hang some support bars from the ceiling and voila you’ve got a bunk bed.   Yes, it makes accessing the lockers behind a bit more challenging, but the benefits far outweigh the annoyances. This bunk bed without the mattress (backrest) make for an awesome work bench when it’s project time. It’s a place to put the epoxy, the tools, mix paint, rebuild pumps, set up jigs, etc, etc, etc. But back to the bunk part… it’s Teresa’s favorite place to sleep! I think it reminds her of being a little kid again. We use it anchor often. It requires a lee cloth underway on a starboard tack, and the bars help you feel secure too.

This has always been an important feature of a boat for me. I think it’s because of all the time I spent sailing on schooners that had lots of flat deck space to walk about, line up and pull on lines. I wrote about it here with regards to the BCC . You can’t beat a low flat stable platform for working. While the Norseman 447 is considered a flush deck boat, it does have a small raised section to be stepped over, but not up onto like a cabin house. If you work the mast from deck level, than for me that counts as flush deck.  And once that dinghy is off the foredeck… wow it’s big up there, and pretty flat… flat enough for some yoga at least.

Simple Reefing & Outhaul Winch on Mast

A good reefing system is paramount. Keep it simple and make it easy. We teach so many students how easy it can be to reef. How often we see boats totally overpowered and   the helmsman struggling to keep control of his vessel. Even I have been guilty of not knowing I should have reefed. In my very early days of sailing, I borrowed a friends Catalina 22 and sailed my girlfriend of the time to a nearby anchorage for a seemingly romantic sailing adventure. The wind was a steady 15, gusting to 20. I didn’t know why it was so hard to steer and I thought I was going to break that little tiller. Thinking back on it now, I’m not even sure the sail had any reef points! But it didn’t matter I would have had no idea how to use them anyway! Maybe I was the fool and not the superstar I thought I was ! But back to our current set up. I never knew how sweet a winch on the back of mast could be. Elizabeth had her reef outhaul winch on the boom. Not a bad place, but sometimes I’d find myself leaning precariously over the side to tuck a reef, or worse yet, on the leeward side, drowning under a pile of sail as I tried to tug on that outhaul. Now, moving that winch to the mast amidships eliminates all those issues and we like that!

You can join us aboard Rocinante for a Morse Alpha Expedition… coastal or offshore sail training. We specialize in patience, communication, couples sailing, traditional navigation and maximizing fun while minimizing stress. We’ve been teaching people to sail for two decades. We are both USCG licensed captains with over 30 years of combined sail-training experience. We help people sail farther, safer and with more confidence. Our schedule can be found at MorseAlpha.com .

What are some of your favorites?

Comments 15

Pingback: Six Things We Love About Our Norseman 447 | Michelle Rodas

Good read, thanks!

I too love Perry’s designs, the lines always look “right”…

One quibble. Hans Christian and Tayana and CTs were Taiwanese built and also very much victims of internal, glassed-in chainplates. That practice was not reserved to so-called “knock-offs”

Fair winds & a following sea.

Cheers, Allan SV “Macubah”

Good to know about the HCs, Tayanas and CTs … didn’t realize it was so prevalent!

Those are some good points and a lot of these features you talk about make it safer and easier to get the job done to further enjoy your sailing. You are correct and there were a ton of Taiwanese boats built back in the day. Some had stainless steel issues, others electrical, welding problems, or the use of steel fuel tanks, but overall these boats have a ton of miles on them and for the owners that own them most have corrected those issues. These boats are good heavy blue water cruising boats that can probably take more punishment than the crew and they’ll still keep going as long as they are maintained well. As for chainplates some manufactures probably did glass them in, which makes no sense at all, but on our Tayana they are not glassed in and are very easily accessible for rebedding or replacement.

Great info from a Tayana owner that the chainplates aren’t glassed in. Good to know! I’ll agree with you that most boats will out perform their crew 😉

Great article and I enjoy following your writings. My current boat (since 2000) is a Bob Perry Nordic 40 and I agree completely about the quality of his designs. One small disagreement – my boat also came with the back rests that turn into bunk beds. They are great for a Bermuda Race where you have a bunch of crew. But for regular cruising, easy access to the spacious lockers behind the backrest trumps the bunks. I removed them and am am glad I did – we probably go into those lockers a dozen times a day. Keep up the great sailing and writing!

Hmmm…I actually disagree with Ben’s comment about locker access. We haven’t had any trouble with the bunk bed getting in the way of locker access. Maybe its a different design? Or – maybe we just have so much empty locker space (because we keep room for 5 students and all their gear) that we never need to get into those lockers!

If it works better for you with them removed – then go for it! I could see how that might be an advantage.

Hey Max – good to find you here and agree, Teresa does a great job with stories of the sailing life. Sailing San Francisco Bay still fun but the ocean is always beckoning.

The one draw I still see to a bigger boat (bigger than our Triangle 32) would be the deck space Ben mentions. Sionna still seems ample in all regards until we bring the dinghy aboard for passages and the foredeck disappears! Still trying to figure a way out of that quandary…

Agreed! A 32 ft boat is awesome for a full time couple with occasional guests. We needed 44ft because we take students aboard – thats the only reason we went bigger.

Ben’s Bristol Channel Cutter 28 had space on deck even with the hard dinghy.

My Nor’sea 27 ….well, I had an inflatable kayak!

The mast mounted winch for reefing is a great feature. What do you think about a single line reefing system? I’m considering putting together such a system on my boat.

Benji had it on his first boat and thought it was the worst system ever. It never produced a great reef. And it was cumbersome because there is too much friction in the system because of all the turns.

We don’t understand how it would be ideal – you have to pull two things in two separate directions (the tack and the clew) – all with one line. I’ve tried it on other boats and never had as much success as the reefing system we currently have.

I suppose it is possible. I would like to try it again because it has been a long time since I’ve really checked it out. If you do decide to do single line reefing – let me know how it works out!

I’m relatively new to reading your blog, and I must say how much enjoyment I get from it. Great stories and advice and fun relaxed videos. Land locked at the moment and we’re looking at selling our house later this year and moving aboard, so checking in with you guys keeps me inspired to cast off and follow your lead. Keep up the great work guys. All the best.

Pingback: Six Things We Added To Our Norseman 447 That We Love | Sailing, Simplicity, and the Pursuit of Happiness

We loved our 447. The biggest problem we had was with the outside chain plates. They were prone to leaking and required frequent repair. I can only saw we sailed her for apx. 50k miles in comfort. We did a circumnavigation from ’90 to ’94. She was a fantastic boat!

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International Folkboat – a Classic Pocket-cruiser: Used Boat Review

The genetic offspring of the nordic folkboat, this fiberglass 26-footer has plenty of fans..

As keepers of the narrative truths known to non-believers as mere “sea stories,” we sailors are drawn not only to the boats we desire but the stories behind them. Some might go so far as to suggest the story has as much value as the boat itself, and there certainly have been some pretty crummy boats that sold well because of the fiction their builders spun. How many times have you gone to look at a used boat and the owner has whispered seductively, “This boat has a great story behind it?”

Well, if you are drawn to stories (true stories, not marketing pap), like the idea of a tacit connection with blond-haired Scandinavians with names like Ingrid, Sven, and Tord, and can see yourself proudly tooling around in a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, then the International Folkboat is definitely a boat worth looking into. True, there are many boats that might appeal to the profile described above (some Carl Alberg sloops come to mind), but few have a story that compares to that of the International Folkboat.

Design Details

The drama behind the International Folkboat began even before the boat existed. In 1939, as Hitler pushed the world into World War II, the neutral Swedes optimistically held a yacht design contest. The winning boat was to be put into production as a new popular class of keelboats. It is from that contest that the svelte little micro-cruiser that came to be known as the Nordic Folkboat emerged. Although we’ve not the space to cover some of the juicier details of the Nordic Folkboat’s design origins, even the thumbnail view is compelling. For those interested, Deiter Loibner provides a detailed account of the controversy surrounding the design in his excellent book “The Folkboat Story: From Cult to Classic.”

The designer of the IF Folkboat was Todd Sunden, who until he died in 1999 at the age of 90, was still fighting to establish his claim as the primary designer of the storied Nordic Folkboat, the International Folkboat’s genetic predecessor. No one questions that Sunden drew the lines of the Nordic Folkboat, but whether he deserved credit or payment for later royalties remains under dispute.

According to Loibner, this much is known: In 1941, a committee of judges formed by the Royal Swedish Sailing Association chose the best designs of its international contest for a new keelboat design. Trouble was that the judges couldn’t settle on one design. Instead, the favorite drawings were handed over to Sunden, who was tapped to come up with a new design that incorporated the “best of the best” from the contest.

The result was the Nordic Folkboat, a clinker-built sloop with a reverse transom, a spoon bow, and a low cabin that gave it simple but pretty lines. Its long keel, slack bilges, barn-door rudder, and hefty ballast ratio (just over 50 percent) equipped it for North Sea adventures. The cockpit however—because it was not self-bailing—raised the risk quotient for any offshore ambitions. The 7/8-fractional rig gave it a conservative sail-area displacement ratio of 16.28. The length-to-beam ratio was just under 3.5. The four-foot draft appealed to the shoalwater challenged. Headroom was ideal for those wonderful creatures of Scandinavian folklore: elves.

Simple, relatively inexpensive to build, and reassuring in heavy weather, the boat was a hit in Scandinavia, even among the non-elves. In the post-war era, carried by the same back-to-basics current that swept the Volkswagen Beetle into the 1960s mainstream, the Folkboat dream gradually spread throughout Europe and beyond. In the U.S., a Danish Folkboat-disciple by the name of Sven Svendsen brought the gospel to the U.S. West Coast, more precisely to the San Francisco Bay area. In a rare moment of maritime synchronicity, a boat, a place, and a collective spirit converged just as the 1970s set in.

Out of these contentious beginnings and in the midst of these “interesting times,” the International Folkboat emerged in 1967. Conscious of the folkboat’s growing appeal, Swedish builder Marieholms Bruk contracted Sunden to draw a fiberglass version, and, the boat eventually eclipsed its original in popularity, with 3,400 hulls built when production ended in 1984. From a design perspective, the International Folkboat shares many of the same features as the Nordic Folkboat (see table page 13).

Gone is the clinker hull—a feature that persisted in even the fiberglass Nordic Folkboat that Svendsen pioneered. The reverse transom has been cut short, and a shallow self-draining cockpit replaces the Nordic Folkboat’s deep well. Marieholms also made room for an inboard or an outboard in a well. However, since the well was designed to fit the small British Seagull outboard, it isn’t much help with today’s four-strokes. Most owners close the hole permanently with fiberglass and put an outboard bracket on the stern, but an electric Torqueedo (see page 13) will fit just fine.

Overall, the International Folkboat is a good-looking, wholesome, stiff design that is at its best when the wind kicks up. It is no wonder the Bay Area sailors have

acquired a taste for them.

The International Folkboat is well set for single-handed sailing. Although the original boat had mast-mounted halyards, nearly all the boats today have the halyards routed back to winches near the companionway. The mainsheet halyard runs on an aluminum track traversing the back of the cockpit, and the jib sheets lead through a rail-mounted genoa track to winches on the coaming. Early models came with bottom-grinding primary winches, but many are equipped with Lewmar single-speed winches. The mainsheet traveller is a notorious shin-whacker, but it makes for easy sail-handling from the helm.

The cockpit seats are 14.5 inches wide and 65 inches long, too short and narrow for non-elves to nap. Seat backs are 11 inches, too low to offer much back support, but about what you can expect from a boat of this size. Two 16-inch-by-19-inch cockpit lockers aft are not self-draining, so if you want to follow in the footsteps of some Folkboat adventurers, dogging these down will spare you a tedious bailing routine. Four 1.5-inch cockpit drains (exceptional for a boat this size) and a 12-inch bridgedeck reduces the risk of cockpit flooding.

The cockpit is tight for more than three adults, particularly if the wind is up. However, with one other person on board, it is a nice feeling to be wedged back behind the traveler. The cockpit is narrow enough that you can tuck behind the traveller and brace your feet on the leeward coaming or cockpit seat. With the mainsheet close at your side, you can confidently press to windward when others are still at the dock waiting for the whitecaps to ease. Some spray will cross the bow, but most International Folkboats come equipped with a cockpit dodger, a worthwhile investment.

Going forward, the sidedecks are wide, and the foredeck offers plenty of working space. Two aluminum handrails are on either side of the cabin-top. The standard boat did not come with a hawse pipe or bow anchor roller, but many owners have added these features. Although the area at the base of the mast has some nonskid patches, the rest of the cabintop is dangerously smooth. Since the boat’s thin gelcoat wears through with age, many older boats have painted decks, and these boats usually have improved nonskid on the deck and cabintop. The nonskid pattern on the sidedeck and foredeck is adequate, although it is probably worn to the point of being useless on some older boats.

The hardware is well-fastened with through-bolts and backing plates. This was the first 26-footer we’ve seen in a while with 10-inch cleats. Some of the hardware is marinium, an alloy common in the 1970s that is a poor substitute for silicone bronze, but these components are beefy and seem to be holding up on older boats. The deck-stepped, anodized aluminum Proctor masts with swept-back spreaders (7.5 degrees) are holding up as well as can be expected. The mast has sheaves at the base that allow the internal halyards to be routed to the cockpit. Owners or prospective buyers should check spreader tips for corrosion and remove any tape that does nothing but invite further corrosion.

Featuring just 55 inches of headroom, the interior of the International Folkboat is hardly palatial, but it can serve quite well as a weekender, if properly equipped. The range of amenities can vary greatly, and many of the options described here are likely to be absent on a boat that has been stripped down for racing. For sleeping, you have the choice of two long settees that stretch aft from the main cabin and tuck under the cockpit (with 35 inches of clearance), and a 72-inch-long V-berth forward with an 18-inch-by-24-inch hatch overhead. You could bridge the settees to make a double-berth athwartship, as some owners have.

For cooking, some IFs have a convertible galley comprising an alcohol two-burner Origo stove that folds down from a locker over the port settee near the companionway. A filler board “counter” drops in between the stove and the small sink near the mast, effectively forming a fore-and-aft galley. Just forward of the sink is a small hanging locker. Across from the locker is a ridiculously cramped head that is too narrow to be of much use. Many boats have turned this token nod to civility into another locker and put a port-a-potty under the V-berth. Above the settees on either side stretch a row of lockers, fine for storing small lightweight items. For mealtime, a removable table fits into a socket in the main cabin. The table also fits into a similar socket in the cockpit.

A 25-gallon water tank was optional, and some early models had the spigot in the cockpit, which according to an early review in Boating magazine was put there so that the cockpit scuppers could be used as sink drains. Many boats have creative tents fashioned over the cockpit area, which greatly expands the amount of “living space,” such as it is.

Many owners use their boats for weekend or long-solo voyages. Adam Correa sailed his International Folkboat in last year’s Single-handed Transpac Race, and Blondie Hasler’s famous Jester (a modified Nordic Folkboat) crisscrossed the Atlantic many times. Given the limitations of the boat’s smallish interior, those attracted to the Folkboat concept but in need of a little more “cruisability” might want to look into the Contessa 26 or the Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer—both derivatives of the Nordic Folkboat. The Contessa has made many notable offshore voyages, including circumnavigations by Tania Aebi and Brian Caldwell, both of whom circled the globe while still in their teens.

Performance

One of the most highly praised virtues of the International Folkboat—as well as all its various relatives—is its performance under sail when the wind pipes up. While waves will come aboard offshore, in a stiff bay chop, the high surrounding bulwarks do a good job of keeping the cockpit surprisingly dry. There is no shortage of photos of International Folkboats (and Nordic Folkboats) shrugging off San Francisco’s famous winds with a single-reefed main. In such conditions, the jibsheet is often cross-sheeted and the two-man crew stays fairly high and dry on the windward rail.

The boat we sailed, Grateful Folk , is owned by Stephen McCormack, who uses it mostly for family daysails and local racing. McCormack, with a generous PHRF rating of 316, sailed the boat to first in the pocket-cruising division of the local racing fleet in 2009. Although the interior was a work in progress, the boat, overall, was in good shape given its age. The decks had been painted, the deck hardware was still in good condition, and apart from some minor pitting on the boom, the rig showed nothing worthy of serious concern. The loose-footed, partially battened mainsail and 120-percent genoa were basic cruising sails, typical of a family daysailer. Winds during our test sail on Sarasota Bay in Sarasota, Fla., were about 8-10 knots.

Grateful Folk was due for a bottom job, so we didn’t expect much from it in such light winds, but were pleasantly surprised. The boat did not, of course, accelerate in puffs like a modern fin-keeler, but it reacted positively to prolonged gusts. We were able to hold a steady 4.8 knots to windward, 5.5 knots reaching, and 5.2 knots deep-reaching off the wind. Unlike the Nordic Folkboat, the International Folkboat Class does allow for a spinnaker, although our boat was not equipped with one. In around-the-buoy races, McCormack is content to pole out the jib on downwind legs.

Tacking angles were precisely 45 degrees, although we would surely be able to aim higher in more wind. Three features struck us about the boat under sail. First was the ease with which the boat could be tacked and jibed singlehanded. Frank Costella, whose former boat, Espresso , is featured in John Vigor’s book “Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere,” has many fond memories of sailing the boat by himself in a heavy breeze.

“I’d tuck right back there behind the traveller, with the jib cross-sheeted and watch the spray fly,” he said. “We put the windows under only a couple of times, but the cockpit rarely got very wet.”

Selling for about $10,000 on the used-boat market (if you can find them), the International Folkboat has four essential attributes that make for a good value. First, it has a long, mostly glowing history that ensures a loyal, almost cult-like following. Second, there are enough iterations of the class, particularly on the West Coast, that you can race and rally with a community of like-minded owners. Third, it is a very well-built boat for its size, with many features—like a quick-draining cockpit and monocoque hull—that inspire confidence off soundings. Finally, the boat is no longer being produced, so should you decide to resell your boat, you won’t be competing with a new boat market.

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Nordic 34 Review

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I've been searching the net for reviews of the Perry-designed Nordic 34 but haven't been able to find much information other than the fact that they built only 8 of them. I am considering purchasing one and would like to hear from someone who has sailed one or who has any personal knowledge of their quality and performance. I'm in the market for a performance cruiser that is capable of handling the light airs of the Chesapeake Bay and the rigors of bluewater (a tall order, I know).  

Although I have not sailed one, I think that is one of Perry's best designs of that era. The design was first produced by Islander, as the Islander 34, who also only built a limited number of hulls before the So Cal boat building industry collapsed. The Nordic builders are back in business building the Nordic 40 and 44 as the Norstar 40 and 44, but they are not building the 34.  

Nordics are well known for quality North American built boats.. I'd imagine the 34 would be no different,though as you noted they produced more 40s and 44s. I was unaware of the Islander connections but will take Cool's word for that.. I'm thinking it would be a pretty nice boat.  

CaptLauren said: I'm in the market for a performance cruiser that is capable of handling the light airs of the Chesapeake Bay and the rigors of bluewater (a tall order, I know). Click to expand...

Nordic 34 Captlauren, the Nordic 34 is a fantistic boat. I owned hull #3, the original owner. Owned "Wizard" for 14 years before I sold her to a sailor from Bellingham WA (hometown of Nordic Yachts). Sailed fast, great boat in light air of western Lake Erie and great in the heavier air of Lake Huron. I have also seen one of the original Islander 34-2's, hull #2. Good boat, but the Nordic 34 was a better boat of the two in construction.  

After looking at several boats and reading about others, I purchased a Nordic 34 last Spring. She is quite fast and handles beautifully. The keel is a bit deep for the Chesapeake Bay however, and her cockpit is small. Otherwise it's a perfect boat for me. I would be interested to know if any Nordic owner has fitted a new stem head with a bow roller. Thanks for your reply!  

Just an update on Rover: I raced her in the Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race last year and we came in second in our class and fourth over all. She handled well at sea, and I'm considering racing again in 2016. I am not really a racer, but rather a "performance cruiser" so I went into the race with the expectation for a fast cruise; not a "full-on push the boat as hard as possible" race. She is now nearly 30 years old, so I am slowly replacing systems as they age beyond repair. While doing so (replacing through hull fittings) I have discovered that the hull is very solid. That's reassuring when sailing off shore especially.  

Glad you are enjoying your boat.  

I just purchased a Nordic 34 in need of engine replacement. I've been trying to remove the sink cabinet to expose the engine, and I've taken out about 30 screws to the sole and the frig cabinet. The sink cab seems to remain firmly attached. Any clues to the locations of fasteners will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.  

Too bad they didn't make more of these because I never see them for sale Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk  

... and Norstar won't make them because the profit margin isn't there....  

Opto: Sorry, can't help you there. I just draw them.  

opteng, Which hull number did you buy? I assume it was the one most recently on Yachtworld. I am on the hunt for one as well, and to Bleemus's comment, they are somewhat scarce!  

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NORDICA 16 Detailed Review

If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of NORDICA 16. Built by Exe Fibercraft Ltd. (CAN) and designed by undefined, the boat was first built in 1975. It has a hull type of Double-ended with long keel and LOA is 4.72. Its sail area/displacement ratio 21.95. Its auxiliary power tank, manufactured by undefined, runs on undefined.

NORDICA 16 has retained its value as a result of superior building, a solid reputation, and a devoted owner base. Read on to find out more about NORDICA 16 and decide if it is a fit for your boating needs.

Boat Information

Boat specifications, sail boat calculation, rig and sail specs, contributions, who builds nordica 16.

NORDICA 16 is built by Exe Fibercraft Ltd. (CAN).

When was NORDICA 16 first built?

NORDICA 16 was first built in 1975.

How long is NORDICA 16?

NORDICA 16 is 3.99 m in length.

What is mast height on NORDICA 16?

NORDICA 16 has a mast height of 5.49 m.

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The Sailhouse

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238 Green St

Tarrytown, NY 10591

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Our establishment offers a beautiful sunset view over the Hudson River and you can enjoy the lights of the Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge. Dine, Drink & Dock at The Sailhouse & Outdoor Tiki Bar. …

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killer ambience, great staff and amazing drink specials best view in tarrytown what else can u say?

Charged 15.17 for a drink, i gave a 20, got back 4. When i complained about the round up, server took a dollar out of the tip jar. No, dude.

Also know as Washington Irving Boat Club (WIBC) & former Sunset Cove. The restaurant is under new managment/owners. We've been there now about half dozen times since it's 'soft opening'. The decor is new and refreshing, service is very attentive but the menu has remained the same, very limited, although the food is good. The outdoor Tiki bar is not opened and can't serve any food. There will be food trucks and live entertainment Wednesday - Sunday, schedule posted on the website. All said and done the outdoor seating views are spectacular...

See all photos from Roman K. for The Sailhouse

Come for the view and amazing outdoor patio. They have tons of tables overlooking the Hudson making for a perfect outdoor dining experience. They have umbrellas too for those who don't want direct sun. Large cocktail menu and great margaritas! The food is fine and does come out almost immediately after ordering. Service was ok and it did take a bit to get a water refill. Portions are small and a bit overpriced - $22 for a taco salad with protein- but you are paying for the view and it is a great view.

Nice ambiance but that's it food was terrible, got a "hot" lobster roll - see picks - top was luke warm, rest of sandwich was ice cold, fries were limp and greasy hand down worse lobster roll ever, 45 min later the two bites I had are now in the street. I will recommend to the health department for an inspection but not to any yelpers - stay away unless you are looking to practice projectile puking

1) come for a drink & fries. Entrees are mediocre but you pay for the view. Drinks are basic 2) there's music some evenings. It's ok 3) you need to go though the restaurant front door to get to the patio that has service. If you go towards the back on the left, where the food truck is, that's free public seating 4) the salmon is dry. The salad is basicThe nachos, that someone said in a review was good, is...not. Clumpy cheddar on soggy nacho. I saw people leave tacos on their plate untouched

Aug 2023, haven't been here since they changed the ownership. This review is only based on sitting outside only. When you walk in there are plenty of tables and chairs and a nice big tent to keep you shaded. There is a Outside bar area where you order dinks and food, the Bartender was friendly and personable. You can't beat the view that is why I am giving it 5 STARS. I only ordered a beer, and sat on the deck overlooking the Hudson River and bridge. I cannot review the food because I did not eat here. However, I did read the reviews from others, and did check out the menu at the outside bar. To me the food and appetizer menu seemed too pricey, but the dink menu was fairly priced. All and all, the view is great and worth stopping in for a drink. One thing I am not sure if they sold bags of chips and pretzels at the bar.

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I walked in to get a light something and sit on the Patio only to find out no more Patio food due to new owner. Now you must get food from the restaurant; problem is the food had no taste. Quesadillas w/chicken . Calamari, all the taste came from the so called Aoli sauce. French Fries came from under a warmer. Should have checked before I came. Sorry, won't be returning....

I had visited few times and I had miss feelings about the food and the service but I won't give up because this restaurant has the best view of the Tappan Zee Bridge. Last time I ordered the lobster roll and I really like it but the fries were just ok. The cocktails had been consistently good but the service is on and off depending on the day. Overall I really like this place but it has room for improvement in service and food consistency.

We were seated promptly. The view is pretty. Our server was nice. I did think that the prices were high for what was served. Food was okay. Myself and my husband weren't wow'd. The nachos were good, (chips were the best part) but the rest of it was somewhat bland. My burger was fine. 2 thin over cooked pattie's. Would rather one juicy burger. American cheese (like the fake sliced stuff), and a bun with WAYYYY too many seeds. Most of the stuff tasted pre-made (the guacamole, salsa, burger pattie's, chicken cutlet). We may be back for drinks and a view. But, the food was meh.

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Orcas again sink yacht near Strait of Gibraltar as high-risk season looms

Two people were rescued after orcas hit the roughly 50-foot Alboran Cognac 14 miles off the coast of Morocco, the 26th orca encounter in the region this year.

The boat-sinking orcas are back.

Around 9 a.m. Sunday near the Strait of Gibraltar, two people on board the roughly 50-foot Alboran Cognac reported blows to the vessel’s hull and saw damage to the rudder as water flowed into the ship, Spain’s maritime rescue agency said.

An unknown number of killer whales had struck again, after hundreds of such encounters in recent years.

Over the radio, responders told the two individuals to put on their life jackets, make sure their GPS locaters were turned on and prepare for emergency evacuation. In the meantime, Spanish and Moroccan rescue agencies began urgently working to save them, locating a nearby oil tanker and electing not to dispatch a helicopter.

After about an hour, that tanker rescued the pair 14 miles off Cape Spartel in northern Morocco, the Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Agency (SASEMAR) said in a news release. The boat was left adrift and soon sank.

Spain-based Alboran Charter confirmed its ownership of the sunken vessel and said the individuals were customers. The company declined to say more about what happened or who the clients were.

Iberian orcas sinking a ship is not new. Over the past four years, at least 15 orcas have interacted with hundreds of boats sailing in the waters off Portugal, Spain and Morocco, sinking a handful of vessels in seemingly coordinated ambushes. Some ships have been found with teeth marks; others appear to have been rammed by an orca’s head or body.

On average, there have been 168 interactions each year since 2020, according to Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica, or GTOA, a research group studying the region’s killer whales. GTOA has tracked 26 interactions so far this year, down from 61 through a similar time frame in 2023.

It’s not clear why the orcas have recently bumped, bitten and sunk vessels. Some scientists say they are simply being playful, or maybe are curious, or perhaps are coming after boats because of a loss of prey. A handful say the actions could actually be gratifying to the whales.

A leading theory, though, is one of vengeance.

This idea, advanced by a scientist who has studied the encounters, posits that a female orca suffered a traumatic run-in with a boat that led her to start attacking the vessels. And because orcas are intelligent marine mammals that learn behaviors like hunting together, others followed.

But there is disagreement over this theory.

Some scientists argue that the incidents shouldn’t be called “attacks” without knowing the whales’ motives. They fear that label could prompt retaliation by boaters, calling it potentially “harmful” to the critically endangered species with just a few dozen members.

“Science cannot yet explain why the Iberian orcas are doing this, although we repeat that it is more likely related to play/socialising than aggression,” a group of more than 30 scientists wrote in an open letter last summer. “ … When we are at sea, we are in the realm of marine life. We should not punish wildlife for being wild.”

The letter explained that orcas have been observed developing “cultural ‘fads,’” including carrying dead fish on their heads, and the incidents with the boats may be nothing more than a “fashion trend.”

SASEMAR warned that the risk of the encounters is highest between May and August, recommending that boats avoid the area between the Strait of Gibraltar to the Gulf of Cádiz to its west. It added that if a boat comes across orcas, it should not stop moving, and instead should head toward the coast and shallower waters. People should not approach the side of the boat and are barred from using measures that could injure or kill the whales.

“It is possible the behaviour, as previous fads have,” the scientists wrote, “will disappear as suddenly as it appeared.”

Senua's Saga Hellblade 2 review: a visual step forward even more contemptuous of interactivity than the first

Par for the Norse

Three questions before we start:

If you answered 'yes' to all of the above, then I come bearing wonderful tidings for you about Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 . The sequel to Ninja Theory's 2018 action adventure is a bleak and brutal Norse tale about revenge and redemption told with a rigorous cinematic eye, set across volcanic landscapes that make Death Stranding's Icelandic hiking trails look like they're made from painted polystyrene.

If, however, you answered 'no' to any of the above questions, consider your purchase carefully. Hellblade 2 doesn't so much expand upon the ideas of the original as double-down on them, offering a leaner, meaner version of a concept that wasn't exactly overgenerous in the first instance. It's more harrowing, more fleeting, more linear and more contemptuous of player agency. It's entirely happy to make sacrifices to get to where it wants, and if you try to step in the way, well, up on the altar you'll go.

Hellblade 2 kicks off with Pict warrior Senua on a mission that's part rescue, part revenge. Having vanquished her personal demons in the first game, Senua now wants to stop the Norse raiding parties that killed her lover and adopted tribe, setting her off on that initial journey. To achieve this, Senua deliberately gets herself captured by slavers so they'll take her to their land. But the boat sinks in a storm before they arrive, leaving Senua in the odd position of having to capture a surviving slaver who can guide her to their settlement.

The opening sequence sets the tone of the game's first half, as Senua navigates a Nordic nightmare that makes her previous journey through actual hell look like a nice summer holiday. Lashed by rain and gouged by igneous razors on an eerie Scandinavian coastline, Senua scrambles across the scree while the slavers massacre the unfortunates who escaped the shipwreck, before taking her own blade to the raiders who come lumbering at her through the gloom.

The whole level is striking in its savagery, and the next is even more barbaric. Like the Northman, atavism is a key theme in the game's depiction of both Norse legend and the violence attached to it. As Senua pushes deeper into the primordial Nordic landscape, she witnesses humanity regressing in steps, twisted into increasingly monstrous forms in their desire to survive and seek vengeance.

Yet while Hellblade 2 delves to nastier extremes than Eggers' film, it's also ultimately less nihilistic. As Senua' learns more about the land she's travelled to, her quest for vengeance against the slavers evolves into a different mission, one where the ability to forgive and absolve, which she learned for herself in the first game, plays a central role.

It's a good story, one that I was pretty invested in by its end. It helps that it's phenomenally presented. We may have reached the point where progress in the ol' graphics factory is made in nudges rather than leaps, but Hellblade 2 represents a noticeable nudge. There are moments in this where Senua just looks like a real person, and I'm pretty sure that, unlike the first game, it doesn't switch between real-time rendering and footage of Milena Juergens in makeup. Other elements like lighting, weather effects, and water simulation are similarly convincing.

Then there are the rocks. I wasn't joking when I said you shouldn't play Hellblade 2 if you don't like rocks. This game is obsessed with them. From giant, fractal lava formations that curl like burned roses, through fist-sized, water-smoothed pebbles all rendered individually, all the way down to tiny granules of grit that deform under NPCs' feet as they trudge along hillside pathways, Hellblade 2 is a scintillating celebration of strata. I look forward to the inevitable "Geologist REACTS?!?!" YouTube video.

Stunningly detailed as its rocks are, I should point out that the presentational excellence is not merely graphical. The game's virtual camera work is impressive, particularly the way it uses landscape flyovers to switch between scenes without breaking immersion. It's also superbly written and acted, and displays similar quality in its audio design. As in the first game, this is most evident in its simulation of Senua's psychosis.

On this point, Hellblade 2 states at the outset that Senua has accepted her psychosis as part of herself, so the game is less of a direct exploration of this part of Senua's personal experience. But that doesn't mean it has gone away. The voices still whisper at her, question her, mock her, and perhaps most disconcertingly of all, try to help her. There are also moments when the hallucinations become more overt.

But Hellblade 2 is more about how Senua's personal experience affects her relationships with others. On this journey, Senua is accompanied by several travelling companions, and we see her struggle with how much to reveal about herself for fear of being judged or rejected. But she also uses her understanding of both her psychosis and past traumas to assist others going through similar moments of crisis. One character refers to Senua as a 'Seer'. But it's her empathy, not her visions, that make her uniquely perceptive.

As both a technical showcase and a story, Hellblade 2 is undoubtedly well made. The price of this, however, is that Hellblade 2 is even less of a game than the first one. It's a fairly short experience, about 8 hours long, and a big chunk of that involves walking slowly forward along oppressively linear paths, occasionally mantling over a ledge or picking up the 8th century equivalent of an audio log.

The remaining time, as in the first game, is divided between puzzles and combat. Also like the first game, the puzzles aren't very good. They all involve either wandering around the environment looking at objects from a particular angle, or wandering around the environment collecting stone orbs. Most involve some interesting visual effect that plays into Senua's divergent perspective on reality, but they require minimal deduction to solve and are interactively unsatisfying.

Combat is more entertaining. Senua's moveset remains fairly straightforward: she can perform light and heavy attacks with her sword, as well as block and dodge. She can also use her mirror to enter a sort-of berserker state, slowing down time while speeding up her own attacks, and execute an enemy instantly if she performs a perfect block. But Hellblade 2 places additional emphasis on cinematic consistency. Battles are essentially a sequence of one-on-one duels that the game dictates the order of, with each duel interweaved by mini-cutscenes designed to add drama, making you feel like part of a bigger melee.

The advantage of this is that battles look superb. Senua will get smacked to the floor by some mace-wielding brute, roll to avoid an overarm deathblow, rise up to thrust her sword through his chest, before being stumbled into by another enemy who becomes the next focus in the fight. It's impressively seamless, although the number of times Senua gets run into by someone else, like a tourist lost in London King's Cross, has considerable meme potential.

The disadvantage is that, even in these moments, the game constantly pulls away control, to the point where it's often unclear whether you're playing or not. The original Hellblade felt like it could have been a decent Soulslike with a bit more depth, but Hellblade 2 pulls the game further away from that, bringing it closer to a game like Asura's Wrath. The result is an experience that makes you feel hemmed in by its cinematic aspirations, to the point where it's like playing a game next to your selfish big brother, who reluctantly lets you sit in front of the keyboard and then constantly mithers for his chair back. I was happier to overlook these tendencies in the first game, because the story it told was so different from other action-adventures. But I don't think Hellblade 2's story does enough that's new or different to justify it being even more restrictive.

I like Hellblade 2, and without wishing to sound churlish, I'd definitely give it a whirl if I had a Game Pass subscription. But in a month that's included Animal Well and Crow Country and Cryptmaster and Little Kitty, Big City and Dread Delusion and Indika and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, dropping fifty notes on this shiny but safe sequel just seems daft. Amid such a cornucopia of imagination, Hellblade 2 needed to be more than just more Hellblade, to elevate the ideas of the first game and build them out. But for all its technical wizardry and narrative worth, more Hellblade is exactly what Hellblade 2 is.

This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.

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Restaurant Review: ‘New Nordic’ Isn’t New, but ILIS Adds a Fresh Spin

Mads Refslund’s creative ideas at this Brooklyn restaurant can be dreamily seductive, even if the execution isn’t always as compelling.

By Pete Wells

The most talked-about dish at ILIS, the cavernous Brooklyn restaurant opened by the Danish-born chef Mads Refslund in October, has to be the clam flask. This is a drinking vessel made by opening a surf clam, removing the clam, resealing the halves of the shell and shearing off a bit of the top lip to create a small opening through which you sip the liquid inside.

When I first had the clam flask, it was filled with a blend of tomato juice and dried-clam broth that tasted something like a virgin Caesar cocktail. The contents, though, are not what has captured everybody’s attention. The reason everybody remembers the flask is that it is tightly bound and knotted with twine, like a corset designed for bivalves with a taste for mild kink.

Mr. Refslund’s cooks must spend a good part of the workweek at the arts-and-crafts station. An Okinawan sweet potato is presented in a fluted tart shell molded from beeswax. Chopped whelk in potato foam is nestled inside the shell and is eaten with a birch stick lashed to an operculum, the part of the whelk that normally seals the shell’s opening and looks something like a guitar pick.

This use of natural materials in the kitchen is one of the hallmarks of the New Nordic style that Mr. Refslund helped found, and the handmade pieces at ILIS have a certain spooky pagan beauty. They cast a spell over all my meals there, a daydreamy state so pleasant that I didn’t want to admit that many of the dishes weren’t really landing the way they should.

A similar spell must have fallen over the writers and influencers who have been talking about ILIS as if it were a New York City branch of Noma . It’s far from that. Mr. Refslund and René Redzepi served as co-chefs of Noma when it opened in 2003 in Copenhagen. After about six months, they agreed that they weren’t cut out to work together, and Mr. Refslund left. He doesn’t try to claim credit for what Noma became , but a lot of people in New York seem eager to give it to him.

The food at ILIS doesn’t resemble any of the dishes I ate at Noma six years ago, each of which pulsed with flavor and originality and was as satisfying as a great pop song or short story. Some of the cooking at ILIS is heading in that direction, but a lot of it tastes wispy and unfinished.

The people comparing ILIS to Noma almost act as if Mr. Refslund and New Nordic cuisine itself were both new to the city. In fact, 12 years ago he was the opening chef of Acme , the restaurant that really did give the city its first taste of the naturalistic, intricate new style. (Not long after, Fredrik Berselius opened the pop-up version of Aska , which has grown into the most impressive local showcase for that cuisine.)

Some items on that menu were forerunners of dishes at ILIS. Ollebrod, a yeasty Danish porridge of dark beer and rye bread, has appeared on the dessert lineup at both restaurants, and so has some version of a granita made from wheatgrass juice.

As he did at Acme, Mr. Refslund builds his menu at ILIS from regional ingredients, but his knowledge of what’s available locally has grown considerably. New Nordic cuisine is less a regional style than a belief system that can be applied almost anywhere. One of its tenets is that we’re surrounded by a vast catalog of wild foods far beyond the small handful of domesticated plants and animals that make up most European and American diets.

In recent weeks the kitchen at ILIS was playing around with blood clams, their hemoglobin-rich juices gathered around them in an alarming red pool; Japanese knotweed, an invasive species that will quickly choke any lot where it takes root but, when picked young enough, tastes tart and fresh; or propeller-like maple seedlings clinging together in purple clusters.

There’s a good chance you’ll run into something new at ILIS, though some of these discoveries are more exciting than others. I was genuinely happy to be introduced, by way of a whole roasted breast and skewers of grilled kofta made from the legs, to the deep flavor of Khaki Campbell ducks, a mallard hybrid that yields leaner and more intensely flavored meat than many other farm-raised ducks. On the other hand, if I don’t gnaw on another raw knotweed shoot until next spring, that will be fine with me.

Each time I ordered sea scallops, servers let me know that they enter the kitchen alive and whole, with their roe. But the sweetness you hope to get from very fresh scallops never quite materialized, whether they were served raw with new spring peas or steamed with dashi and oil made from the roe.

Some courses are almost pure theater. When the sweet potato arrives, a server pours hot beeswax over it and then inverts an hourglass egg timer. This is supposed to signal when the potato is ready to eat, but the heat from a thin coat of wax can’t possibly be strong enough to finish cooking a whole sweet potato. Once this ritual is over, the potato is sliced in half and a big lump of caviar is dropped on one half. You’re supposed to eat the other half with salt. Salt and caviar will make almost any potato taste good, and this one is unusually creamy, its purple flesh as dense and soft as a ripe nectarine, but the jazz-hands presentation oversells it.

Then there is the whole cauliflower brought to the table in the pig’s bladder in which it is cooked. This is a version of a famous French chicken dish, an early method of sous-vide cooking that uses the bladder to seal in moisture so the chicken steams in its own juices. Cauliflower doesn’t have juices, though. Mr. Refslund adds a seaweed stock to the bladder for seasoning and then spoons herb vinaigrette over the florets, but when the bladder is carried to your table and snipped open with scissors, what comes out still tastes like steamed cauliflower.

It’s true that ILIS has served me some of the most memorable dishes I’ve eaten in a long time. I was kind of blown away by the bigeye tuna loin cured in seaweed and salt for months and then sliced thin like aged ham, which the fish resembles in its vivid pink color and focused intensity. I am fascinated by the exceptionally silky raw-milk cheese that the kitchen makes each day and accented one night with shaved asparagus and pickled lily bulbs. And many of the things that came off the grill were riveting, including the sea bream brushed with black-olive sauce and Texas antelope speared on a stick with wild-boar lardo.

With a dish like that in your hands, you can believe that you really are in one of the best new restaurants of the past year. Then you find yourself wondering why the liquid in the clam flask is tepid, even though it’s served on ice; why the scallops aren’t as sweet as they could be; why the brussels sprouts that accompany grilled brown trout are so weird and gloppy.

ILIS isn’t the American Noma, and it’s not meant to be. It could become something important, though, if the cooking ever gets to be as dramatic as the stagecraft.

Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , TikTok and Pinterest . Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice .

Pete Wells has been the restaurant critic for The Times since 2012. He was previously the editor of the Food section. More about Pete Wells

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3 dead, 5 injured in evening boat crash north of Kingston

Crash happened on bobs lake after 9:30 p.m. saturday.

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Three people are dead and five others injured in what police are calling a "horrible" collision involving two boats on a lake north of Kingston, Ont. 

Ontario Provincial Police say the crash happened in the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake after 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. It involved "an open bow fishing-style boat" and a speedboat, they said.

Emergency crews from surrounding regions, along with the 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron out of CFB Trenton, responded to the call around 9:45 p.m.

OPP said two of those who died, a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year old man, were from South Frontenac Township. The third was a 22-year-old woman from Elginburg, Ont., just outside Kingston.

All three were pronounced dead at the scene, OPP said.

Five other people aged between 21 to 44 were taken to hospital in Kingston with a range of injuries. One of the patients was airlifted.

Police said they found other people at the scene who had been on the boats, but they didn't need to be hospitalized.

"It's a horrible situation. There were still people in the water when first responders arrived," OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said in a video update on X .

Frontenac OPP are investigating with help from a collision reconstructionist and members of the technical collision investigation team.

Bobs Lake is about 70 kilometres north of Kingston. People have been asked to avoid the area.

'Very terrible, very tragic'

Anna McMillan was at home nearby when the crash happened, and said she'd never seen that many first responders descend on one place before in her life.

"I did not know what was going on [but I] figured it was something very terrible, very tragic," she said.

McMillan said she recognized the "very nice" speedboat involved in the crash, and that one of the boaters had tooted his horn and waved at her from the lake earlier that day.

"I hope he's OK. We don't know anything, really. But it's just tragic and sad how fast something like that can happen," she said. 

"It's a long weekend. It's supposed to be a happy time, a fun time. It's a beautiful, gorgeous day — but there's a damper on everything because of the incident. Just very sad."

OPP targeting road and water safety this May long weekend

The crash happened an hour after sunset, something boating instructor Craig Hamilton said increases safety risk. 

"When you're operating at night, certainly it's a lot harder to pick out images," he said.

"[Boaters] have to understand that it is not just their own lives, but it's the lives of other people that they're responsible for."

3 dead after long weekend boat crash in Ontario

With files from Isabel Harder, Natalia Goodwin and Camille Kasisi-Monet.

Related Stories

• More details emerge about fatal boat crash near Kingston
• 1 dead, 3 injured in head-on Highway 417 crash near Arnprior
• 1 dead, 6 injured in Antigonish County crash
• 21-year-old woman dead after car crash in Cape Breton
• 3 dead, 1 in critical condition following crash in Fredericton

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